The White House opposes the UK's proposed social media ban for under-16s, citing disproportionate burdens on US tech firms and advocating for parental tools instead.
Iran claims it will charge US tech companies fees for using undersea internet cables in the Strait of Hormuz. This threat, announced by an IRGC spokesperson, could accelerate efforts by Big Tech and Gulf countries to find alternative routes bypassing the contested shipping lanes.
A Guardian investigation has found that more than £50m of UK taxpayer money from the Advanced Research and Invention Agency (ARIA) has gone to 14 US tech companies and venture capital groups over the past two years. The agency, created by Dominic Cummings to fund "crazy" ideas and restore Britain's scientific superpower status, has faced criticism over its international spending. One recipient, Rain Neuromorphics (backed by Sam Altman's OpenAI), was reportedly near collapse last year after receiving ARIA funding. ARIA maintains over 80% of funding goes to UK-based teams, but critics including the Commons science and technology committee chair Chi Onwurah question how US venture capital investments meet the agency's legal requirement to benefit the UK.
Artificial intelligence investments by US tech giants continue to soar, dwarfing those of Chinese AI firms, but China’s rising appetite for AI applications will compel its tech companies to increase their AI spending this year, according to analysts. The largest US tech companies are on track for more than US$700 billion in AI capital expenditures this year, driven in part by rising memory costs and continuously growing demand for AI applications. Google and Microsoft on Thursday both said that...
Trump has threatened to impose tariffs on the UK if it does not drop its digital services tax, a 2% levy on revenues of major US tech companies introduced in 2020. Speaking from the Oval Office, Trump said the US would 'reciprocate' with tariffs equal to or greater than what the UK collects. The tax targets companies with worldwide digital revenues over £500m and £25m from UK users. The threat adds to US-UK tensions following Starmer's rejection of UK involvement in Middle East conflict.
An investigation has found that Microsoft and other US tech companies successfully lobbied the EU to add a secrecy provision to datacentre regulations in 2024, blocking public access to environmental performance data. The provision, written almost word-for-word from industry demands, prevents researchers from accessing individual datacentre pollution metrics, leaving only national-level summaries. Legal scholars warn the confidentiality clause violates EU transparency rules and the Aarhus convention on public access to environmental information.
