Tag: Amazon

Amazon increases AI spending to $100bn
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Remote work: Amazon employees reject return-to-office policy

Amazon employees numbering 500 have sent a letter to the CEO of its Amazon Web Services division, urging him to reconsider the company’s new five-day return-to-office mandate. The letter, sent on Wednesday, expresses discontent with AWS CEO Matt Garman’s claim that there is broad support for the policy, stating that employees who oppose it should […]

Amazon launches Kindle first color e-reader
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Amazon launches Kindle first color e-reader

Amazon has announced the launch of its first color e-reader, the ‘Kindle Colorsoft,’ marking a significant milestone after years of development efforts. The new device, priced at $280, enters a competitive market where similar products from other manufacturers range from $149 to $330. The Colorsoft utilizes LEDs and advanced technology to deliver its color display, […]

Apple TV+ to launch on Amazon Prime Video in US
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Apple TV+ to launch on Amazon Prime Video in US

Amazon announced on Wednesday that Apple TV+ will be available on Prime Video later this month in the U.S. for $9.99 per month. This move is seen as a significant boost for Apple, which has been trailing behind streaming giants like Netflix, Disney+, and its own Prime Video. Apple TV+ has distinguished itself in the […]

Amazon plans stand-alone app for payments in India
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Amazon plans stand-alone app for payments in India

Amazon is considering spinning off its payments service, Amazon Pay, into a separate app in India, according to three sources familiar with the discussions. The move aims to increase the use of Amazon Pay, which is currently integrated within the company’s main e-commerce app. Amazon Pay offers a range of services including money transfers, bill […]

Amazon cuts jobs in books division amid broader efficiency push
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UK regulator probe Amazon’s $4bn investment in AI Startup Anthropic

The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority has initiated a formal antitrust investigation into Amazon’s recent $4 billion investment in the AI startup Anthropic. This move follows the CMA’s previous announcement of an inquiry into Google’s own $2.3 billion investment in the same startup. Anthropic, a San Francisco-based AI company founded in 2021, focuses on developing […]

Astro: Amazon halts $2,349 security robot for business, targets households
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Astro: Amazon halts $2,349 security robot for business, targets households

Amazon has announced that it will discontinue its Astro for Business security robot aimed at small- and medium-sized businesses, as the company redirects its efforts towards household robots. Initially launched in 2021 as a canine-like robot for household tasks, Astro garnered attention for its capabilities in home monitoring, setting routines, reminders, and entertainment functionalities like […]

Tech

AWS unveils $230m fund to boost AI startups

Alex Omenye Tech giant Amazon Web Services has launched a $230 million fund to support startups worldwide in developing generative AI applications. The announcement was made on Thursday via a statement on the company’s website. The fund aims to assist early-stage startups by providing AWS credits, mentorship, and educational resources to enhance their use of […]

Amazon cuts jobs in books division amid broader efficiency push
News

Amazon to acquire Indian streaming service MX Player

Amazon has reached an agreement to acquire the Indian video streaming service MX Player from Times Internet, marking another strategic move by the e-commerce giant to bolster its presence in smaller cities and towns across India. The definitive agreement, finalized on Wednesday evening, values MX Player at less than $100 million, according to a source […]

Amazon cuts jobs in books division amid broader efficiency push
News

Amazon plans AI overhaul, Alexa subscription

Amazon is undertaking an artificial intelligence-driven overhaul of its Alexa voice assistant and intends to implement a monthly subscription fee to cover technology expenses, CNBC reported on Wednesday. The online retail giant aims to launch a more conversational iteration of the voice assistant later this year, positioning itself to better compete with AI-powered chatbots from […]

Alibaba Cloud expands with data centres in Malaysia, Philippines
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Chinese tech giants slash prices of AI language models

Chinese tech giants Alibaba and Baidu engaged in a price war on Tuesday, slashing prices on large-language models used in generative artificial intelligence products, intensifying competition in China’s cloud computing sector. Alibaba’s cloud division announced significant price reductions of up to 97% on its Tongyi Qwen LLMs. For example, its Qwen-Long model, previously priced at […]

Tech

Amazon Web Services fire several ‘hundreds’ tech, sales staff

Amazon Web Services has eliminated several hundred sales, marketing, and tech roles, it said on Wednesday, the latest in a series of job cuts by its parent Amazon.com The affected staff are a few hundred at Amazon Web Services’ Sales, Marketing, and Global Services division as well as its Physical Storage Technology Group, according to […]