Inkhabar webdesk

By Arsheeya Bajwa, Max A. Cherney and Stephen Nellis (Reuters) – Intel beat expectations for September-quarter profit as CEO Lip-Bu Tan's drastic cost-cutting measures helped the chipmaker shore up its finances amid a slew of high-profile investments in the company. Shares jumped roughly 5% in after-hours trading.   This marks the Santa Clara, California-based company's first earnings announcement after multibillion-dollar investments from Nvidia and Japan's SoftBank as well as an unprecedented U.S. government stake, with investors anticipating a major cash boost.  The investments are expected to be a major lifeline for Intel, which has been struggling to maintain its dominance in the PC and server central processing unit markets as it competes with Advanced Micro Devices, while repeated attempts to break into the AI chip market commanded by Nvidia have not produced results.  After its share price dropped about 60% last year due to these concerns, Intel stock has risen nearly 90% so far in 2025 thanks to the new investments in the company, helping it outperform the stock of artificial-intelligence chip leader and Wall Street darling Nvidia.  Nvidia said last month it would invest $5 billion in Intel, giving it a stake of about 4% after new shares are issued. In August, Intel secured $2 billion from SoftBank. After U.S. President Donald Trump called for CEO Tan's resignation over China ties, a hastily arranged Washington meeting produced an unusual deal involving the U.S. government taking a 10% stake for $8.9 billion.  For the September quarter, it recorded adjusted gross margins of 40%, beating estimates of 35.7%, while adjusted profit of 23 cents per share also outperformed expectations of a profit of 1 cent per share, according to data compiled by LSEG.  The company will end the year with a workforce that is over one-fifth smaller than last year, it had said in July, while Tan has significantly pared back the expensive manufacturing ambitions of his ousted predecessor, Pat Gelsinger. Tan has aggressively cut costs and divested assets, after Gelsinger's ambitions of turning Intel into a contract manufacturer of chips that would compete against Taiwan's TSMC led to the company in 2024 recording its first annual loss since 1986.  Intel forecast current-quarter revenue between $12.8 billion and $13.8 billion, with a midpoint of $13.3 billion, compared with analysts' average estimate of $13.37 billion. (Reporting by Arsheeya Bajwa in Bengaluru and Max A. Cherney and Stephen Nellis in San Francisco; Editing by Matthew Lewis)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)

By Medha Singh (Reuters) -Shares of U.S. quantum computing companies jumped on Thursday after the Wall Street Journal reported that President Donald Trump's administration is in discussions to acquire equity stakes in exchange for federal funding. Shares of IonQ, Rigetti, D-Wave Quantum and Quantum Computing surged between 7.8% and 16% after the report said the companies are in talks about the U.S. government becoming a shareholder as part of the agreements. A U.S. Department of Commerce official told Reuters in an email that the department is "not currently negotiating with any of the companies". The Defiance Quantum ETF, which tracks companies whose products or services are tied to the development of quantum computing and machine learning technology, added 1.3%, and was set to build on its 32% gain so far this year. MOVE COULD SIGNAL DEEPER FEDERAL ROLE IN FRONTIER TECH The Trump administration has ramped up efforts to secure U.S. supply chains for critical minerals and semiconductors by converting federal grants to companies into equity stakes, aimed at reducing reliance on China. The administration has taken or discussed stakes in several companies including Lithium Americas, MP Materials and Intel as part of the shift to direct ownership from traditional subsidies. "The quantum computing offers the chance to really revolutionize the U.S. economy, and in that sense it's the administration doing things in an unconventional way," said IG Chief Market Analyst Chris Beauchamp. Quantum computers tap into quantum mechanics to solve problems that would take classical computers thousands of years or more. But existing quantum computers dedicate so much of their computing power to fixing errors that they are not, on net, faster than classical computers. In February, Microsoft unveiled a new chip that it said showed quantum computing is "years, not decades" away, while IBM in June said it plans to have a practical quantum computer by 2029. Shares of IonQ, Rigetti, and D-Wave Quantum have had a volatile month, climbing to record highs last week before sliding into a string of daily declines. JPMorgan Chase said last week it would invest in the quantum computing space, as part of a broader $1.5 trillion decade long initiative aimed at boosting growth in key sectors. (Reporting by Danilo Masoni and Medha Singh; additional reporting by Pranav Kashyap; Editing by Amanda Cooper and Saumyadeb Chakrabarty)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)

LONDON (Reuters) -Apple on Thursday lost a London lawsuit accusing the U.S. tech company of abusing its dominant position by charging app developers an unfair 30% commission through its App Store. The Competition Appeal Tribunal ruled against Apple after a trial of the lawsuit, brought on behalf of around 20 million iPhone and iPad users in the United Kingdom and valued at up to 1.5 billion pounds ($2.01 billion), earlier this year. The case was the first mass lawsuit against a tech giant to come to trial under Britain's fledgling class action-style regime, with many other cases waiting in the wings. ($1 = 0.7451 pounds) (Reporting by Sam Tobin; editing by William James)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)

By Sam Tobin LONDON (Reuters) -Apple abused its dominant position by charging app developers unfair commissions, a London tribunal ruled on Thursday, in a blow which could leave the U.S. tech company on the hook for hundreds of millions of pounds in damages. The Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) ruled against Apple after a trial of the lawsuit, which was brought on behalf of millions of iPhone and iPad users in the United Kingdom. The CAT ruled that Apple had abused its dominant position from October 2015 until the end of 2020 by shutting out competition in the app distribution market and by "charging excessive and unfair prices" as commission to developers. Apple – which has faced mounting pressure from regulators in the U.S. and Europe over the fees it charges developers – said it would appeal against the ruling, which it said "takes a flawed view of the thriving and competitive app economy". The case had been valued at around 1.5 billion pounds ($2 billion) by those who brought it. A hearing next month will decide how damages are calculated and Apple's application for permission to appeal. Thursday's ruling comes after Apple was hit with a complaint to European antitrust regulators over the terms and conditions of its App Store under rules aimed at reining in Big Tech. LANDMARK MASS LAWSUIT Rachael Kent, the British academic who brought the case, argued Apple had made "exorbitant profits" by excluding all competition for the distribution of apps and in-app purchases. Her lawyers argued at the start of the trial in January that Apple's "100% monopoly position" allowed it to impose restrictive terms and excessive commissions on app developers, which Apple denied. The CAT said in its ruling that developers were overcharged by the difference between a 17.5% commission for app purchases and the commission Apple charged, which Kent's lawyers said was usually 30%. The CAT also ruled that app developers passed on 50% of the overcharge to consumers. "This ruling overlooks how the App Store helps developers succeed and gives consumers a safe, trusted place to discover apps and securely make payments," an Apple spokesperson said. BOOST FOR UK'S 'CLASS ACTION' REGIME The case was the first mass lawsuit against a tech giant to come to trial under Britain's fledgling class action-style regime, which this year reached its 10th anniversary and has seen several multi-billion-pound cases certified for trial but with limited success for consumers so far. There are, however, many other cases waiting in the wings, including one against Google over the commission it charges app developers for access to its Play Store. That case is due to begin in October 2026 and will be heard alongside a similar claim by Epic Games, which is engaged in parallel litigation with Apple in the U.S. Fellow tech giants including Amazon and Microsoft are also facing sizeable claims at the CAT. Kent said in a statement that the ruling shows Britain's collective action regime is working and "sends a clear message: no company, however wealthy or powerful, is above the law". ($1 = 0.7451 pounds) (Reporting by Sam Tobin; editing by William James and Keith Weir)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)

LONDON (Reuters) -Apple on Thursday lost a London lawsuit accusing the U.S. tech company of abusing its dominant position by charging app developers an unfair 30% commission through its App Store. The Competition Appeal Tribunal ruled against Apple after a trial of the lawsuit, brought on behalf of around 20 million iPhone and iPad users in the United Kingdom and valued at up to 1.5 billion pounds ($2.01 billion), earlier this year. The case was the first mass lawsuit against a tech giant to come to trial under Britain's fledgling class action-style regime, with many other cases waiting in the wings. ($1 = 0.7451 pounds) (Reporting by Sam Tobin; editing by William James)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)

(Reuters) -Microsoft introduced new features in its digital assistant Copilot on Thursday, including collaboration and deeper integration with other applications such as Outlook and Google, beefing up its AI services to stave off competition. Anthropic and OpenAI, among other artificial intelligence service providers, are upgrading their models and launching products aimed at capturing a wider share of the booming AI market. If it gets user permission, Copilot can see and apply reasoning capabilities over its tabs on Microsoft's Edge browser to summarize, compare information and take actions like booking a hotel. Previous searches can also be turned into "storylines" so people can revisit older ideas. Along with the software features, the company introduced an avatar called "Mico" — a nod to Microsoft Copilot — that can show expressions and change color to make conversations feel natural, the company said. The upgrades are an attempt to boost the appeal of Microsoft's browser to get ahead of other agentic browsers like Perplexity's Comet, Alphabet's Google Chrome and the freshly released OpenAI's Atlas. Groups turns Copilot into a shared space, able to support up to 32 people, allowing users to collaborate on writing and other projects. Copilot also has long-term memory, helping people keep track of thoughts and lists, while personalization allows it to remember a user's important information and then recall it during future interactions. "It's absolutely essential for a companion to have memory. With co-pilot's long-term memory, it naturally picks up on important details and remembers them long after you've had the conversation," said Ella Steckler, AI product manager at Microsoft. The company has also improved Copilot's health-related questions, addressing how to ground responses from credible sources, as concerns over misinformation from AI-generated responses rise. All the updates are live in the United States, Microsoft said, adding that it will roll them out across the UK, Canada and beyond in the next few weeks. (Reporting by Zaheer Kachwala in Bengaluru; Editing by Leroy Leo and Alan Barona)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)

By Laila Kearney NEW YORK (Reuters) -Google has entered into the first corporate agreement to buy electricity from a U.S. power plant using carbon capture and storage in a deal to help fuel its data centers in the country's Midwest region, the technology company said on Thursday. Big Tech's plans to expand technologies like generative artificial intelligence, which will require vast amounts of electricity, have butted up against the realities of a U.S. power grid running short on supplies. That has led to a flurry of announcements in recent months by companies like Google to help fund the development of new and expanded power plants across the country.  Google's recent deals have included purchasing electricity from advanced nuclear reactors, geothermal and hydropower. It is also working with the biggest U.S. power grid, PJM Interconnection, which covers the world's largest concentration of data centers, to speed up the connection of new power supplies. Google's latest power offtake agreement involves a 400-megawatt power plant in Decatur, Illinois, which will be developed by privately held Low Carbon Infrastructure. It is expected to produce power using carbon capture, which involves trapping about 90% of CO2 emissions and injecting them underground, in the early 2030s.  Google did not disclose the financial terms of the deal, while Low Carbon Infrastructure said project financing was expected to reach final investment decision in the first half of 2026. Natural gas-fired power that is produced while capturing and storing carbon dioxide had been missing from the equation, said Michael Terrell, head of Advanced Energy at Google. "We've been really focused on advancing all these new technologies for around-the-clock clean technologies and this is an important piece of the puzzle," Terrell said. "It's a very important technology that the world needs." The Broadwing project will be built at an existing industrial site operated by agribusiness company Archer Daniels Midland, which has a history of injecting carbon dioxide underground from ethanol production.  “Broadwing demonstrates that carbon capture can be commercially viable today,” said Jonathan Wiens, CEO of Low Carbon Infrastructure. Construction is expected to last four years and create 650 union labor jobs and 100 construction management and support staff in that time, the companies said. Carbon sequestered at the site will be stored permanently in special wells that are 5,000–7,000 feet (1,524-2,133 m) underground. ADM will also have the ability to purchase power from the operation, which will initially deliver electricity to the Midcontinent Independent System Operator, which covers 15 Midwest states and multiple Google data centers. Google and Low Carbon Infrastructure said they plan to pursue additional CCS facilities in the U.S., though they did not disclose specific locations or timelines. Carbon capture and storage has been promoted by the International Energy Agency and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change as a tool to reduce emissions from fossil fuel-based power and heavy industry. However, critics have questioned its cost, scalability and long-term effectiveness. (Reporting by Laila KearneyEditing by Marguerita Choy)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)

By Greg Bensinger SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) -A fifteen-year veteran of Amazon’s devices division who had a hand in developing many of the most recognizable gadgets is leaving the company at the end of October, marking the second high-level departure in October. Lindo St. Angel, vice president of hardware for Lab126, plans to leave next week, Amazon confirmed following a Reuters inquiry. The circumstances of his departure could not be learned and St. Angel did not respond to a request for comment. “We are grateful for his many contributions to Amazon and wish him the best,” said a spokesperson in an emailed statement, without providing additional details about St. Angel. Earlier this month, Reuters reported, Rob Williams, device software and services vice president, and a member of the elite internal group advising CEO Andy Jassy said he had left his post. He will remain with the company through year’s end in an advisory role to devices chief Panos Panay. The devices and services unit is working to turn around years of unprofitability, including through layoffs and a slimmed-down product lineup. Amazon is overhauling its Fire tablet computers with Android operating software for the first time, Reuters reported in August, in an effort to make them more broadly appealing. But a multi-year project to update its Alexa voice assistant with embedded generative artificial intelligence has rolled out slowly with no clear path to profitability. Less than a month ago, Amazon showed off its lineup of new devices at an event in New York, including refreshed Echo speakers, Fire TV streaming devices, Kindle readers and Ring cameras. In his leadership role, St. Angel helped oversee development of such diverse devices as the Echo voice assistant speaker, Astro robot and Fire tablet. His last day is October 31. Amazon shares were up 1.1% to $220.36 on Thursday. (Reporting by Greg Bensinger; editing by Diane Craft)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)

By Greg Bensinger SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) -A fifteen-year veteran of Amazon’s devices division who had a hand in developing many of the most recognizable gadgets is leaving the company at the end of October, marking the second high-level departure in October. Lindo St. Angel, vice president of hardware for Lab126, plans to leave next week, Amazon confirmed following a Reuters inquiry. The circumstances of his departure could not be learned and St. Angel did not respond to a request for comment. “We are grateful for his many contributions to Amazon and wish him the best,” said a spokesperson in an emailed statement, without providing additional details about St. Angel. Earlier this month, Reuters reported, Rob Williams, device software and services vice president, and a member of the elite internal group advising CEO Andy Jassy said he had left his post. He will remain with the company through year’s end in an advisory role to devices chief Panos Panay. The devices and services unit is working to turn around years of unprofitability, including through layoffs and a slimmed-down product lineup. Amazon is overhauling its Fire tablet computers with Android operating software for the first time, Reuters reported in August, in an effort to make them more broadly appealing. But a multi-year project to update its Alexa voice assistant with embedded generative artificial intelligence has rolled out slowly with no clear path to profitability. Less than a month ago, Amazon showed off its lineup of new devices at an event in New York, including refreshed Echo speakers, Fire TV streaming devices, Kindle readers and Ring cameras. In his leadership role, St. Angel helped oversee development of such diverse devices as the Echo voice assistant speaker, Astro robot and Fire tablet. His last day is October 31. Amazon shares were up 1.1% to $220.36 on Thursday. (Reporting by Greg Bensinger; editing by Diane Craft)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)