Cloud Act clashes with Europe’s fantasy of digital sovereignty

Software King of the World, Microsoft has admitted it cannot keep French citizen data safe from the reach of US authorities, even when it is locked up in EU data centres.

2025 really is the year of Linux on the desktop

For the first time ever, Linux has clawed its way past the five per cent desktop market share barrier in the United States so maybe 2025 is finally the much predicted year of Linux on the desktop.

National security fears threaten Nvidia’s billion-dollar AI bonanza

A deal to ship billions of dollars’ worth of Nvidia’s cutting-edge AI chips to the United Arab Emirates is stuck in the mud as Trump administration officials squabble over national security risks.

Chipmaker races Trump tariffs as Samsung’s fab stands idle

While Samsung’s much-hyped Texas fab is still sitting around looking pretty, struggling to find buyers, TSMC is bulldozing ahead with its American chip-building binge.

Ellison cuddles up to federal wallets

Oracle is slashing prices for its software and cloud services to please the Trump administration, offering what it calls a “substantial” discount on its cloudy wares and 75 per cent off on licence-based database and analytics products.

White elephant

Samsung is dragging its feet over the launch of its chip fab in Taylor, Texas, thanks to an awkward lack of customers willing to buy what it plans to churn out.

China lifts rare earth curbs 

The US government has walked back its export bans on chip design software for Chinese firms. The revocation, reported by Bloomberg, is part of a broader trade deal with Beijing, which is dropping its own export restrictions on rare earths in return.

AI darling used shell firms and backend routes to access banned Nvidia tech

A senior US official has accused Chinese AI startup DeepSeek of supporting China’s military and intelligence services, while using shell companies and regional data centres to skirt around US export controls on advanced semiconductors.

Semiconductor outfit gutted as creditors take the reins

Wolfspeed has managed to chop more than two-thirds off its $6.5 billion debt pile in a move that leaves its shareholders with barely a crumb.

Rene Haas warns that locking down tech hurts everyone

Arm CEO Rene Haas has taken a swipe at US chip export bans, warning that trying to stifle China’s AI development is more likely to shrink the entire tech economy than give anyone a competitive edge.