tech firms

President Trump is set to hold a meeting with leading technology chief executives on artificial intelligence policy. US House Speaker Mike Johnson said the discussion will centre on finding balance, presumably between fostering innovation and addressing risks such as regulation, safety and economic impact. The gathering draws attention given the major role tech firms play in the AI race and the administration's evolving stance on overseeing the technology.

Ireland's Data Protection Commission has fined Google €403 million for breaches of the EU's General Data Protection Regulation. The Irish watchdog, which is Google's lead regulator in Europe, imposed the penalty following an investigation into the company's data handling practices. The ruling adds to a series of major GDPR fines against large technology firms in recent years.

Ireland's Data Protection Commission has fined Google €403 million following an inquiry into how the company processes users' location data. The regulator found Google's handling of location information breached European data protection rules. The decision is one of the larger GDPR fines issued to a major technology company and is expected to prompt scrutiny of how location data is collected and used across the industry.

China has introduced new travel rules affecting technology companies and skilled workers, sparking concern among tech giants and their employees. Reports suggest the measures could complicate international business trips and the movement of talent, particularly in fields like artificial intelligence. Observers say the uncertainty raises questions about how global tech firms operating in China will adapt, and whether the country risks deterring the foreign expertise and investment its technology sector relies on.

China may permit ByteDance and Alibaba to purchase Nvidia's RTX PRO 5500 chips, according to a Quartz report. The move would mark a limited easing of restrictions on Nvidia's high-end hardware reaching Chinese tech firms, allowing two of the country's biggest companies access to chips otherwise constrained by US export controls.

China is leaning into open-source artificial intelligence, with state-linked coverage framing it as a deliberate strategy for the country's tech sector. The approach is presented as a way to spread Chinese AI models globally and accelerate domestic innovation despite export controls on advanced chips. Analysts see the push as an attempt to shape international AI standards and compete with closed models from US firms.

A filing shows ByteDance, the Chinese parent company of TikTok, gained access to more than 2,000 Nvidia B200 chips through NScale's Norway data center, with a Singaporean subsidiary called Spring contributing 73% of the UK neocloud's 2025 revenue. The arrangement raises questions about how Chinese firms obtain restricted advanced US AI chips despite export controls.

Mykhailo Fedorov, Ukraine's minister of digital transformation, is moving to establish what officials describe as a 'Robot Army' programme intended to speed up the development and deployment of ground combat robots on the battlefield. The initiative aims to coordinate Ukrainian and allied defense tech firms to scale uncrewed systems as manpower shortages persist. Details on funding, timelines and specific systems remain limited so far.

Instinct, a startup building AI agents, has raised $1 billion in funding at a $10 billion valuation. The round places the young company among the most highly valued players in the fast-growing AI agent sector, where investors have been pouring capital into firms developing autonomous software that can complete tasks on behalf of users. The deal adds to a string of large funding rounds for AI startups this year.

Oracle is reported to be contractually obliged to pay investors in a data centre project even if the site never receives an electricity connection, highlighting the risks of the AI-driven data centre building boom. The Financial Times report has drawn attention to how tech companies are taking on power supply risks as grid capacity struggles to keep up with demand.

DigiTimes Asia reports that China's artificial intelligence industry is moving beyond playing catch-up with Western rivals and entering a commercialization phase. The shift is tied to domestic semiconductor progress, including DRAM maker CXMT and advances in hardware packaging, suggesting Chinese firms are beginning to monetize AI at scale. Observers are watching whether domestic supply chains can sustain the momentum.

Mastercard, former Meta executive Sheryl Sandberg and former Google CEO Eric Schmidt are investing in a finance platform serving small businesses, according to Forbes. The backing from a major payments company and two of tech's most prominent figures signals growing investor interest in lending and financial tools aimed at small firms, an area often underserved by traditional banks.

Ad-tech company 33Across has rebranded as WealthStage, repositioning itself as an advertising platform for banks, trading apps, lenders, brokers and insurers. The company says its AI engine scores household wealth to target financial ads, pointing to an estimated $124 trillion changing hands between generations by 2048 as the market opportunity. Questions are being raised about which data sources feed the wealth-scoring system and what parts of the old 33Across business remain.

Spin Master has acquired a toy technology startup, adding new tech capabilities to its portfolio of toys and games. Details on the target company, deal size, and strategic rationale have not yet been widely reported. The move fits Spin Master's pattern of buying innovative firms to strengthen its product lineup in the competitive toy industry.

Businesses are increasingly adopting open-weight AI models as a way to manage the high costs of proprietary technology. With expensive licensing and computing expenses weighing on companies, open-weight alternatives offer a cheaper, more flexible option. The trend suggests growing demand for AI tools that firms can deploy and adapt on their own terms without heavy vendor fees.

China has reportedly given approval for Nvidia's RTX PRO 5500 chips to be supplied to major Chinese tech firms including Alibaba and ByteDance, despite ongoing US export restrictions on advanced semiconductors. The report suggests Nvidia may still find ways to serve Chinese customers with compliant hardware, even as Washington tightens rules on AI-related chip sales to China.

Chinese regulators are considering whether to approve the sale of Nvidia's RTX Pro 5500 workstation GPUs to ByteDance and Alibaba, according to a Bloomberg report. The decision comes amid ongoing US-China tensions over advanced chip exports, with Nvidia's China business restricted by Washington's trade controls and Beijing scrutinising purchases of American semiconductor technology by its biggest tech firms.

Russia's video game industry is seeing a faster rise in the number of game publishers, according to a report on the country's tech sector. The trend points to expanding publishing activity as domestic companies fill the space left by international firms that have scaled back their presence in the Russian market.

Law firm Akin has hired Neil DuChez, previously a lawyer at Goldman Sachs, as a technology transactions partner based in New York. The move strengthens the firm's technology practice, adding someone with in-house experience at a major bank at a time when demand for tech transaction and licensing legal work continues to grow.