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(Reuters) -The Indian government has approved the first batch of seven projects worth over 55 billion rupees ($625.75 million) to boost domestic manufacturing of electronics components. The approval includes four projects by Kaynes Circuits India, covering multi-layer and high-density printed circuit boards (PCBs), camera modules and laminates, along with projects by SRF, Syrma Strategic Electronics, and Ascent Circuits, the electronics and IT ministry said on Monday. India has been stepping up efforts to boost electronics manufacturing, launching a series of incentive programs, including production-linked incentive (PLI) schemes and the Semiconductor Mission, to attract global and domestic investors and expand local manufacturing capacity. The projects, which will be located in the states of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, are expected to produce components worth 365.59 billion rupees and create over 5,100 direct jobs, according to the ministry. The move aims to reduce import dependence and strengthen supply chains for sectors including defence, telecom, electric vehicles and renewable energy. Electronics manufacturing has gained momentum in India as global giants, including Alphabet's Google and Apple, expand their supply chains away from China. India's electronics manufacturing sector is set to grow to 6 trillion rupees in fiscal year 2027, from 1.46 trillion rupees in 2022, brokerage Motilal Oswal said in a note in December. ($1 = 87.8950 Indian rupees) (Reporting by Aleef Jahan in Bengaluru; Editing by Sonia Cheema)

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(Refiles story to fix spelling of operating system name Humain One in paragraph 2) RIYADH (Reuters) -Saudi-based AI startup Humain, set up by the kingdom's sovereign wealth fund, plans to launch a computer operating system this week that enables users to speak to a computer to tell it to perform tasks, the company said on Monday. It sees systems such as its new product, Humain One, as an eventual alternative to icon-based systems like Windows or macOS that have dominated personal computer operating systems since the mid-1980s, a company spokesperson said. "Rather than looking at icons where you click for discrete applications, now you (…) speak your intent," CEO Tareq Amin said at the Fortune Global Forum in Riyadh. While other companies are working on similar products, Humain aims to be the first to officially launch its system. Humain was launched in May under the kingdom's sovereign wealth fund, the Public Investment Fund, and is chaired by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. It offers AI services and products, including data centres, AI infrastructure, cloud capabilities and advanced AI models.   A computer's operating system is the software that acts as the bridge between the user and the machine, managing hardware resources and providing essential services for all other programs. The Humain spokesperson, who declined to be named, said that the company started developing the new operating system shortly after it launched as a company in May. It has been testing the operating system internally for its own payroll and human resources systems, he said. Amin also said on Monday that Humain plans to build approximately 6 gigawatts of data center capacity, but did not say where.  (Reporting by Yousef Saba; Writing by Andrew Mills and Tala Ramadan; Editing by Jacqueline Wong and Susan Fenton)

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(Reuters) -Elon Musk could leave Tesla as CEO if his proposed $1 trillion pay package was not approved, Chair Robyn Denholm warned in a letter to shareholders on Monday. The appeal comes ahead of the November 6 annual meeting, with Tesla's board having faced repeated criticism for not acting in shareholders' best interests and governance experts and advocacy groups questioning its independence and oversight of Musk's influence. The proposed performance-based plan was designed to retain and motivate Musk to continue leading Tesla for at least another seven-and-a-half years, Denholm said in the letter. Musk's leadership was "critical" to Tesla's success, she said, and warned that without a plan that properly incentivizes him, the company could lose his "time, talent and vision". Musk's role was vital as Tesla seeks to become a global leader in artificial intelligence and autonomous technology, she said. The proposed package would grant Musk 12 tranches of stock options tied to ambitious targets, including a market capitalization of $8.5 trillion and milestones in autonomous driving and robotics. Denholm's letter portrays the package as necessary to align Musk's incentives with shareholder value and long-term growth, also urging investors to re-elect three long-serving directors who have worked closely with him. Tesla's board has been under scrutiny for years over its close relationship with Musk. A Delaware court earlier this year struck down his 2018 pay deal, finding it was improperly awarded and negotiated by directors who were not fully independent. (Reporting by Akash Sriram in Bengaluru; Editing by Pooja Desai)

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(Reuters) -Elon Musk could leave Tesla as CEO if his proposed $1 trillion pay package was not approved, Chair Robyn Denholm warned in a letter to shareholders on Monday. The appeal comes ahead of the November 6 annual meeting, with Tesla's board having faced repeated criticism for not acting in shareholders' best interests and governance experts and advocacy groups questioning its independence and oversight of Musk's influence. The proposed performance-based plan was designed to retain and motivate Musk to continue leading Tesla for at least another seven-and-a-half years, Denholm said in the letter. Musk's leadership was "critical" to Tesla's success, she said, and warned that without a plan that properly incentivizes him, the company could lose his "time, talent and vision". Musk's role was vital as Tesla seeks to become a global leader in artificial intelligence and autonomous technology, she said. The proposed package would grant Musk 12 tranches of stock options tied to ambitious targets, including a market capitalization of $8.5 trillion and milestones in autonomous driving and robotics. Denholm's letter portrays the package as necessary to align Musk's incentives with shareholder value and long-term growth, also urging investors to re-elect three long-serving directors who have worked closely with him. Tesla's board has been under scrutiny for years over its close relationship with Musk. A Delaware court earlier this year struck down his 2018 pay deal, finding it was improperly awarded and negotiated by directors who were not fully independent. (Reporting by Akash Sriram in Bengaluru; Editing by Pooja Desai)

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By Eduardo Baptista and Fanny Potkin BEIJING/SINGAPORE (Reuters) -China's state-owned defense giant Norinco in February unveiled a military vehicle capable of autonomously conducting combat-support operations at 50 kilometres per hour. It was powered by DeepSeek, the company whose artificial intelligence model is the pride of China's tech sector.  The Norinco P60’s release was touted by Communist Party officials in press statements as an early showcase of how Beijing is using DeepSeek and AI to catch up in its arms race with the United States, at a time when leaders in both countries have urged their militaries to prepare for conflict. A Reuters review of hundreds of research papers, patents and procurement records gives a snapshot of the systematic effort by Beijing to harness AI for military advantage. Specifics of how the systems behind China's next-generation weapons work and the extent to which it has deployed them are a state secret, but procurement records and patents offer clues into Beijing's progress toward capabilities like autonomous target recognition and real-time battlefield decision support in a way that mirrors U.S. efforts.  Reuters couldn't establish if all the products had been built and patents don't necessarily indicate operational technology. The People's Liberation Army (PLA) and affiliates continue to use and look for Nvidia chips, including models under U.S. export controls, according to the papers, tenders and patents.  Reuters could not determine if those chips were stockpiled before Washington imposed restrictions as the documents do not detail when the hardware used was exported. Patents filed as recently as June show their use by military-linked research institutes. In September 2022, the U.S. Commerce Department banned exports to China of Nvidia’s popular A100 and H100 chips. Nvidia spokesman John Rizzo said in a statement to Reuters that while the firm can't track individual resales of previously sold products, "recycling small quantities of old, second-hand products doesn't enable anything new or raise any national security concern. Using restricted products for military applications would be a nonstarter, without support, software, or maintenance." The U.S. Treasury and Commerce Department did not respond to questions about Reuters' findings.  The Chinese military has also in 2025 increased its use of contractors that claim to exclusively use domestically-made hardware like Huawei AI chips, said Sunny Cheung, a fellow at the Washington-based Jamestown Foundation defence policy think-tank, who analysed several hundred tenders issued from the PLA Procurement Network over six months this year.  Reuters couldn’t independently confirm his assertion but the shift would coincide with a public pressure campaign by Beijing on domestic firms to use China-made technology. The news agency's review of procurement notices and patents filed to China’s patent office found demand for and use of Huawei chips by PLA affiliates, but it was not able to verify all the tenders seen by Jamestown, which is releasing a report this week that it provided early to Reuters.  Huawei declined to comment when asked about military deployment of its chips. The Chinese defence ministry, DeepSeek, and Norinco did not return requests for comment about their use of AI for military applications. The universities and defence firms that filed the patents and research papers seen by Reuters also did not respond to similar questions. DEEPSEEK DEPENDENCE Usage of DeepSeek models was indicated in a dozen tenders from PLA entities filed this year and seen by Reuters, while just one referenced Alibaba's Qwen, a major domestic rival.   Alibaba didn’t return a request for comment about military use of Qwen.  DeepSeek-related procurement notices have accelerated throughout 2025, with new military applications appearing regularly on the PLA network, according to Jamestown.  DeepSeek's popularity with the PLA also reflects China's pursuit of what Beijing calls "algorithmic sovereignty" – reducing dependence on Western technology while strengthening control over critical digital infrastructure. The U.S. Department of Defense declined to comment about the PLA's use of AI. A State Department spokesperson said in response to Reuters' questions that "DeepSeek has willingly provided, and will likely continue to provide, support to China's military and intelligence operations."  Washington will "pursue a bold, inclusive strategy to American AI technology with trusted foreign countries around the world, while keeping the technology out of the hands of our adversaries," the spokesperson added.  AI-POWERED PLANNING AND APPLICATIONS China is looking at AI-powered robot dogs that scout in packs and drone swarms that autonomously track targets, as well as visually-immersive command centres and advanced war game simulations, according to the documents.   In November 2024, the PLA issued a sci-fi-esque tender for AI-powered robot dogs that would scout together for threats and clear explosive hazards.  Reuters couldn't identify if the tender was fulfilled. China has previously deployed armed robot dogs from AI robotics manufacturer Unitree in military drills, according to images released in state media.  Unitree didn’t respond to queries about its PLA work.     The review of patents, tenders and research papers published in the past two years shows how PLA and affiliated entities are looking to AI to improve military planning, including developing technology to quickly analyse images taken by satellites and drones.  Researchers at Landship Information Technology, a Chinese company that integrates AI systems into military vehicles including Norinco's, said in a February white paper released to promote their services that its technology built on Huawei chips can rapidly identify targets from satellite imagery, while coordinating with radars and aircraft to execute operations.   The time taken for military planners to shift from finding and identifying a target to executing an operation has also been shortened by AI, according to Xi'an Technological University. Researchers at that institute said in a summary of their findings released in May that their DeepSeek-powered system was able to assess 10,000 battlefield scenarios – each with different variables, terrain, and force deployments – in 48 seconds.  Such a task would have taken a conventional team of military planners 48 hours to complete, they said.  Reuters could not independently verify the researchers' claims. AUTONOMOUS WEAPONS Chinese military entities are investing in increasingly autonomous battlefield technology, the documents suggest.  Two dozen of the tenders and patents seen by Reuters show the military attempting to integrate AI into drones so they can recognize and track targets, as well as work together in formations with little human intervention.  Beihang University, known for its military aviation research, is using DeepSeek to improve drone swarm decision-making when targeting "low, slow, small" threats – military shorthand for drones and light aircraft – according to a patent filing this year.  Chinese defence leaders have publicly committed to maintaining human control over weapons systems amid growing concern that a conflict between Beijing and Washington could lead to the unchecked deployment of AI-powered munitions.  The U.S. military, which is also investing in AI, is aiming to deploy thousands of autonomous drones by the end of 2025 in what officials say is an attempt to counter China's numerical advantage in unmanned aerial vehicles. U.S. CHIPS, CHINESE MODELS Chinese defence contractors like Shanxi 100 Trust Information Technology have touted in marketing materials their reliance on domestically produced components like Huawei's Ascend chips, which allow AI models to operate.  The firm didn't respond to questions about its relationship with Huawei and the PLA…

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Your child may want a piercing, but risks are involved, plus there is aftercare to consider. What parents should know before they say yes – and how to help kids take good care during the healing process. Berlin (dpa) – Your kids may suddenly want studs, hoops or shiny bead earrings – and preferably pierced ears. But are they ready? And if so, where to go and how best to prepare so the piercings heal properly and don't get infected? What to know – starting with when is the right time There is no minimum age for ear piercing. "Often, it’s not the parents who decide, but the children who want pierced ears," says Miriam Schramm, an ENT doctor and allergist in Frankfurt, who also offers ear piercing in her practice. "Most children usually come between the ages of six and 12," she says. Depending on where you live, the regulations may differ. In Germany, until they turn 18, kids need their legal guardians to provide their written consent. However, "most children come accompanied by their parents," she adds. What are the risks? Young children can easily hurt themselves, say by pulling on their ears. The younger the child, the more carefully parents should consider whether it is the right time for ear piercing. There is always a risk of wound infection. "When tissue is pierced, germs can enter," says Schramm. This can lead to infections and swelling. Kids can also have allergies especially if the earrings contain nickel, says Tanja Brunnert, spokeswoman for Germany's Professional Association of Paediatricians and Adolescent Doctors (BVKJ). Additionally, "in very rare cases, patients can develop keloids," Schramm says. These are excessive scar tissues that indicate a disrupted healing process. "This depends on the skin type and occurs more frequently in patients with darker skin tones." Such scars are difficult to treat later. Schramm assesses each case individually to determine the risk of scar formation. "I wouldn’t necessarily recommend ear piercing to everyone," she says. On the bright side, earrings rarely tear out, though heavy jewellery can stretch the earlobes, especially if the piercings are placed too low. Where can you get ears pierced? Depending on where you live, a slew of providers may do piercings including jewellers, piercing studios and medical practices. Most pierce ears using sterile needles, which cause less tissue damage. "This doesn’t injure the tissue as much," says Schramm. However, complications such as infections and swelling are more likely when ear piercings are done with a blunt piercing gun, so advisable to ask in advance about the equipment being used. Aftercare: What to bear in mind? "We recommend that patients regularly check their earrings with their parents," said Schramm. This includes ensuring that the stud and the backing plate are visible. "In the past, the backing plates were so small that skin grew over them, and they often had to be removed by a doctor." Parents and children should also check for redness. "If you see redness, an ointment that promotes wound healing should be applied." Monitor the ear for at least 14 days and disinfected regularly. What are the key aftercare rules? In general, ensure air can flow between the skin and the stud, Schramm says. If this is not the case, fluid can accumulate, leading to irritation and infections. Healing takes at least six weeks. For cartilage piercings, it takes significantly longer. "Cartilage piercings are more prone to infection. When piercing cartilage, we injure the cartilage, and it doesn’t heal as quickly," Schramm says. Anything else to know? The BVJ (Federal Association of Jewellers, Jewellery and Watch Specialists) advises keeping the piercing as dry as possible. During showers, care should be taken to avoid excessive soap contact with the ear. Tie back long hair. "There is a risk that hair can even grow into the piercing, leading to wound infection," says Schramm. After the healing phase, the BVJ recommends continuing to wear studs. Ideally, these should be made of hypoallergenic materials such as titanium, real gold, surgical steel or sterling silver. Is piercing ears during the holidays a good idea? Demand for ear piercing appointments is higher during school holidays, according to the BVJ. But don't pick this time for a piercing if you plan to swim a lot during the break. For fresh earlobe piercings, a six-week swimming break is recommended, the BVJ says – and 12 for cartilage piercings. What about sport at school and PE? Usually earrings are generally not allowed during sports due to the risk of tearing or other injuries. But "if the piercing is fresh, the earrings must remain in place for at least eight weeks," Schramm says. Ideally, cover the earrings with a plaster during sports in this period. The following information is not intended for publication dpa/tmn paj xxde arw

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By Aditya Soni (Reuters) -As America's tech titans report earnings this week, one question looms large: is the artificial intelligence boom that has inflated valuations headed for the next big bubble? Microsoft, Alphabet, Amazon and Meta are poised to report that revenue rose at a brisk pace in the July-September quarter, according to LSEG data. The companies themselves are likely to say they will continue to pour billions into AI because it holds promise in the long term. But business leaders including OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos and Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon have warned in recent months that the frenzy in tech stocks has outrun fundamentals. Investors, unnerved by the exuberance yet wary of betting against it, have started shifting away from hyped-up stocks, using dotcom-era strategies to dodge AI bubble risks. AI RETURNS REMAIN UNCERTAIN The four tech giants and other major cloud firms are together expected to spend $400 billion on AI infrastructure this year – but returns for businesses adopting the technology remain uncertain. A widely cited MIT study earlier this year found that of the more than 300 AI projects analyzed, only about 5% delivered measurable gains. Most AI projects stall at the pilot stage due to weak integration into workflows and models that fail to scale, the study found. "Overall, the models are not there. I feel like the industry is making too big of a jump and is trying to pretend like this is amazing, and it's not. It's slop," OpenAI co-founder and Tesla's former AI head Andrej Karpathy said earlier this month. That could spell trouble for the AI-fueled rally that has added about $6 trillion to the Big Tech companies' market value since ChatGPT's November 2022 debut – and for the broader U.S. economy, which some economists say has been propped up by AI spending offsetting the drag from Trump-administration tariffs. CIRCULAR DEALS ADD TO THE NERVOUSNESS Adding to the unease is a web of circular deals reminiscent of the 1990s dotcom boom, including Nvidia's potential $100 billion investment in OpenAI, one of its largest customers. OpenAI has signed AI compute deals worth $1 trillion with few details on how it will fund them, including a commitment to purchase $300 billion in computing power from Oracle. Debt is also playing a growing role in financing Big Tech's AI infrastructure spree in a departure from past investment cycles. Meta recently signed a $27 billion financing deal with private-credit firm Blue Owl Capital for its largest data center. "When the same companies are both funding and relying on each other, decisions may no longer be based on real demand or performance – but on reinforcing growth expectations," said Ahmed Banafa, engineering professor at San Jose State University. "These deals aren't necessarily problematic on their own – but when they become the norm, they increase systemic risk." SOME INVESTORS BET ADOPTION WILL GROW Some investors said beneath the froth, real value is emerging – pointing to double-digit revenue growth and strong cash flows keeping Big Tech balance sheets healthy. "Adoption may be low right now but that's not a forward indicator. With greater spend and greater innovation in these models, the adoption is going to grow," said Eric Schiffer, CEO of Los Angeles-based investment firm Patriarch Organization, which holds shares in all the "Magnificent Seven" companies. "I don't think we are at a bubble stage yet." In the July-September quarter, the cloud-computing units of Amazon, Microsoft and Google are all expected to report strong growth despite capacity constraints limiting their ability to meet AI demand. They are also likely to reaffirm their capital spending plans. Microsoft Azure revenue likely rose 38.4% in the period, outpacing expected growth of 30.1% for Google Cloud and 18% for Amazon Web Services, Visible Alpha data shows. AWS remains the largest player but has lagged Microsoft, which has benefited from its OpenAI tie-up, and Google, whose models have gained traction with startups. A recent AWS outage that disrupted several popular apps drew fresh scrutiny. Overall, Microsoft is expected to report revenue growth of 14.9% in the quarter, while Alphabet's will likely rise 13.2%, according to LSEG data. Amazon and Meta are likely to deliver revenue growth of 11.9% and 21.7%, respectively. Profit growth, however, is expected to slow for the companies as costs jump, with all barring Microsoft expected to post their weakest increase in 10 quarters. Microsoft, Alphabet and Meta will report results on Wednesday, followed by Amazon on Thursday. (Reporting by Aditya Soni in Bengaluru; Editing by Sayantani Ghosh and Saumyadeb Chakrabarty)

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By Aditya Soni (Reuters) -As America's tech titans report earnings this week, one question looms large: is the artificial intelligence boom that has inflated valuations headed for the next big bubble? Microsoft, Alphabet, Amazon and Meta are poised to report that revenue rose at a brisk pace in the July-September quarter, according to LSEG data. The companies themselves are likely to say they will continue to pour billions into AI because it holds promise in the long term. But business leaders including OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos and Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon have warned in recent months that the frenzy in tech stocks has outrun fundamentals. Investors, unnerved by the exuberance yet wary of betting against it, have started shifting away from hyped-up stocks, using dotcom-era strategies to dodge AI bubble risks. AI RETURNS REMAIN UNCERTAIN The four tech giants and other major cloud firms are together expected to spend $400 billion on AI infrastructure this year – but returns for businesses adopting the technology remain uncertain. A widely cited MIT study earlier this year found that of the more than 300 AI projects analyzed, only about 5% delivered measurable gains. Most AI projects stall at the pilot stage due to weak integration into workflows and models that fail to scale, the study found. "Overall, the models are not there. I feel like the industry is making too big of a jump and is trying to pretend like this is amazing, and it's not. It's slop," OpenAI co-founder and Tesla's former AI head Andrej Karpathy said earlier this month. That could spell trouble for the AI-fueled rally that has added about $6 trillion to the Big Tech companies' market value since ChatGPT's November 2022 debut – and for the broader U.S. economy, which some economists say has been propped up by AI spending offsetting the drag from Trump-administration tariffs. CIRCULAR DEALS ADD TO THE NERVOUSNESS Adding to the unease is a web of circular deals reminiscent of the 1990s dotcom boom, including Nvidia's potential $100 billion investment in OpenAI, one of its largest customers. OpenAI has signed AI compute deals worth $1 trillion with few details on how it will fund them, including a commitment to purchase $300 billion in computing power from Oracle. Debt is also playing a growing role in financing Big Tech's AI infrastructure spree in a departure from past investment cycles. Meta recently signed a $27 billion financing deal with private-credit firm Blue Owl Capital for its largest data center. "When the same companies are both funding and relying on each other, decisions may no longer be based on real demand or performance – but on reinforcing growth expectations," said Ahmed Banafa, engineering professor at San Jose State University. "These deals aren't necessarily problematic on their own – but when they become the norm, they increase systemic risk." SOME INVESTORS BET ADOPTION WILL GROW Some investors said beneath the froth, real value is emerging – pointing to double-digit revenue growth and strong cash flows keeping Big Tech balance sheets healthy. "Adoption may be low right now but that's not a forward indicator. With greater spend and greater innovation in these models, the adoption is going to grow," said Eric Schiffer, CEO of Los Angeles-based investment firm Patriarch Organization, which holds shares in all the "Magnificent Seven" companies. "I don't think we are at a bubble stage yet." In the July-September quarter, the cloud-computing units of Amazon, Microsoft and Google are all expected to report strong growth despite capacity constraints limiting their ability to meet AI demand. They are also likely to reaffirm their capital spending plans. Microsoft Azure revenue likely rose 38.4% in the period, outpacing expected growth of 30.1% for Google Cloud and 18% for Amazon Web Services, Visible Alpha data shows. AWS remains the largest player but has lagged Microsoft, which has benefited from its OpenAI tie-up, and Google, whose models have gained traction with startups. A recent AWS outage that disrupted several popular apps drew fresh scrutiny. Overall, Microsoft is expected to report revenue growth of 14.9% in the quarter, while Alphabet's will likely rise 13.2%, according to LSEG data. Amazon and Meta are likely to deliver revenue growth of 11.9% and 21.7%, respectively. Profit growth, however, is expected to slow for the companies as costs jump, with all barring Microsoft expected to post their weakest increase in 10 quarters. Microsoft, Alphabet and Meta will report results on Wednesday, followed by Amazon on Thursday. (Reporting by Aditya Soni in Bengaluru; Editing by Sayantani Ghosh and Saumyadeb Chakrabarty)

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By Haripriya Suresh BENGALURU (Reuters) -LTIMindtree is doubling down on AI with investments in a newly-launched platform that helps companies adopt the technology, its top boss said, as India's $283-billion IT industry faces broader cuts in non-essential spending by clients. The business, BlueVerse, launched in June, uses ready-made digital assistants to solve problems for firms. "The conversation around AI is getting serious," CEO Venugopal Lambu said in an interview, without disclosing the size of the planned investment in the AI unit. "That's the big green shoot I see." The IT firm is seeing a spike in smaller, AI-led deals that bring in quick revenue, even as the technology increasingly underpins larger, strategic contracts, the CEO said. AI-led efficiencies are also creating newer challenges for IT firms. For instance, LTIMindtree made less revenue from its top five clients in the latest quarter as they expect the company to pass on savings from AI-led productivity gains. Lambu says these are transitory operational challenges that the company has to navigate, and remains confident of closing the financial year with near double-digit revenue growth. While AI dominates boardroom conversations at IT firms, most have yet to reveal details of AI-specific revenue. (Reporting by Haripriya Suresh; Editing by Mrigank Dhaniwala)

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(Reuters) -Australia's competition regulator on Monday sued Microsoft, accusing it of misleading millions of customers into paying higher prices for its Microsoft 365 software after bundling it with artificial intelligence tool Copilot.  The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) alleged that from October 2024, the technology giant misled about 2.7 million customers by suggesting they had to move to higher-priced Microsoft 365 personal and family plans that included Copilot. After the integration of Copilot, the annual subscription price of the Microsoft 365 personal plan increased by 45% to A$159 ($103.32) and the price of the family plan increased by 29% to A$179, the ACCC said. The regulator said Microsoft failed to clearly tell users that a cheaper “classic” plan without Copilot was still available. The watchdog said the option to keep the cheaper plan was only revealed after consumers began the cancellation process, a design it argued breached Australian consumer law by failing to disclose material information and creating a false impression of available choices. Microsoft's previous communications through emails and a blog post failed to mention the cheaper alternative, only informing customers that the price increase would apply at the next auto-renewal, the ACCC said.  A Microsoft spokesperson said in an emailed response that it was reviewing the ACCC's claim in detail. The ACCC is seeking penalties, consumer redress, injunctions and costs from Microsoft Australia Pty Ltd and its U.S. parent, Microsoft Corp.  The ACCC said the maximum penalty that could be imposed on a company for each breach of Australian consumer law was the greater of A$50 million, three times the benefits obtained that were reasonably attributable, or 30% of the corporation's adjusted turnover during the breach period if the value of the benefits could not be determined. "Any penalty that might apply to this conduct is a matter for the Court to determine and would depend on the Court’s findings," the regulator said. "The ACCC will not comment on what penalties the Court may impose."  ($1 = 1.5389 Australian dollars) (Reporting by Sneha Kumar in Bengaluru; Editing by Kim Coghill and Jamie Freed)

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