The European Commission has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, the proposed $68.7 billion (€62.2bn) acquisition of Activision Blizzard by Microsoft. The approval is conditional on full compliance with the commitments offered by Microsoft, and comes some three weeks after the UK blocked the deal over concerns it would alter the future of the fast-growing cloud […]

The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has prevented Microsoft’s proposed purchase of Activision over concerns the deal would alter the future of the fast-growing cloud gaming market, leading to reduced innovation and less choice for UK gamers over the years to come. The final decision to prevent the deal comes after Microsoft’s proposed solution […]

At the halfway point of its probe into UK cloud services, regulator Ofcom is proposing to refer the market to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) for further investigation. Ofcom’s market study has provisionally identified features and practices that make it more difficult for customers to switch and use multiple cloud suppliers. Ofcom is particularly […]

Investment bank Jefferies has used its University team to undertake a deep dive into AI and explore the possible winners in the technology sector. Jefferies says that the excitement around AI is justified, and it believes that AI tech has the potential to disrupt large parts of the white-collar workforce in time. However, Jefferies stated […]

Plume, the personalised communications services pioneer, has revealed insights into the virtual reality device market following a global study conducted from homes powered by its cloud-driven solution. Plume has connected more than 2.2 billion WiFi-enabled devices and currently manages over 45 million locations in the Plume Cloud globally. This latest update explores the popularity and […]

Liquid Intelligent Technologies, a business of Cassava Technologies, has announced a new collaboration to deliver Internet access to 20 million underserved people in Africa by the end of 2025, with Microsoft. Working together through Microsoft’s Airband initiative, the new collaboration will initially target regions that include but are not limited to the Democratic Republic of […]

Microsoft and Nvidia have agreed to a 10-year partnership to bring Xbox PC games to the Nvidia GeForce NOW cloud gaming service – which has more than 25 million members in over 100 countries. The agreement will enable gamers to stream Xbox PC titles from GeForce NOW to PCs, macOS, Chromebooks, smartphones and other devices. It […]

Ahead of the European Commission’s closed-door hearing on the Microsoft-Activision merger in Brussels, Communications Workers of America (CWA) President Chris Shelton has sent a letter to Margrethe Vestager, Executive Vice President of the European Commission, urging her to consider seriously the positive impact the merger could have on the video game labour market, as workers […]

The UK House of Commons Science and Technology Committee is to question executives from Google, Microsoft and BT as part of its inquiry into the governance of artificial intelligence (AI). The tech giants will be quizzed on their use of AI, how the technology may develop, and their perspective on how it should be regulated. […]

Yahoo is the latest tech giant to announce significant lay-offs, with plans to cut more than 20 per cent of its total 8,600 workforce as part of a major restructuring. The veteran online brand is reorganising its advertising unit, which will lose more than half of the department by the end of 2023. “These decisions […]