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Amazon plans to invest $15 billion to build out its cloud infrastructure in Japan

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Amazon plans to invest $15 billion to build out its cloud infrastructure in Japan

To expand its cloud empire in Japan, Amazon Web Services (AWS) intends to invest 2.3 trillion yen, or $15.5 billion.

At a press conference in Tokyo on Friday, the US cloud giant disclosed its plans. The funding, which will be spread over the following five years, will propel the building of other datacenters throughout the area. These will aid in supporting the ever expanding amount of data that Amazon’s network is processing, which is reportedly being driven mostly by the rush to create, train, and implement AI models at scale.

“Our investment in cloud infrastructure generates a ripple across Japanese industries, including the public and government sector,” AWS Japan President Tadao Nagasaki said. “It will help more Japanese organizations with the ability to access and adopt new, emerging, and transformational digital technologies, such as artificial intelligence and machine learning.”

Naturally, this is not AWS’s first foray into the Japanese market. According to the company, Amazon has committed 1.51 trillion yen, or roughly $10 billion, between 2012 and 2022 to develop two cloud zones in Tokyo and Osaka. Amazon has not stated whether or not the most recent investment would result in the growth of its current datacenters and/or the creation of new cloud regions in the nation.

The higher rate of spending over the next five years probably indicates that expensive GPUs and other AI accelerators will receive more attention.

With its current GDP of over $4.9 trillion, Japan is expected to benefit from the build out to the tune of nearly $37.8 billion, according to AWS.

Takuya Hirai, Japan’s minister of digital affairs, praised the economic prospects brought about by Amazon’s proposed expansion. “The development of digital infrastructure in Japan is key to strengthening the country’s industrial competitiveness, and datacenters play an important role to this end,” he said.

The cloud giant’s most recent significant investment in the Asia Pacific area is its foray into Japan. AWS declared in the spring of last year that it will invest 1.05 trillion rupees, or $12.7 billion, to increase its footprint in India.

Not just Amazon recognizes the potential in the APAC region. Google announced the location of its first datacenter in Japan, in Inzai, in March. Microsoft, however, has been running datacenters in Japan since 2014 and is continuing to grow. Redmond recently revealed significant pricing increases for most of Asia, with Japanese customers anticipating a 20 percent increase for both cloud and on-premises products when they take effect in April.

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Microsoft Expands Copilot Voice and Think Deeper

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Microsoft Expands Copilot Voice and Think Deeper

Microsoft is taking a major step forward by offering unlimited access to Copilot Voice and Think Deeper, marking two years since the AI-powered Copilot was first integrated into Bing search. This update comes shortly after the tech giant revamped its Copilot Pro subscription and bundled advanced AI features into Microsoft 365.

What’s Changing?

Microsoft remains committed to its $20 per month Copilot Pro plan, ensuring that subscribers continue to enjoy premium benefits. According to the company, Copilot Pro users will receive:

  • Preferred access to the latest AI models during peak hours.
  • Early access to experimental AI features, with more updates expected soon.
  • Extended use of Copilot within popular Microsoft 365 apps like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.

The Impact on Users

This move signals Microsoft’s dedication to enhancing AI-driven productivity tools. By expanding access to Copilot’s powerful features, users can expect improved efficiency, smarter assistance, and seamless integration across Microsoft’s ecosystem.

As AI technology continues to evolve, Microsoft is positioning itself at the forefront of innovation, ensuring both casual users and professionals can leverage the best AI tools available.

Stay tuned for further updates as Microsoft rolls out more enhancements to its AI offerings.

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Google Launches Free AI Coding Tool for Individual Developers

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Google Launches Free AI Coding Tool for Individual Developers

Google has introduced a free version of Gemini Code Assistant, its AI-powered coding assistant, for solo developers worldwide. The tool, previously available only to enterprise users, is now in public preview, making advanced AI-assisted coding accessible to students, freelancers, hobbyists, and startups.

More Features, Fewer Limits

Unlike competing tools such as GitHub Copilot, which limits free users to 2,000 code completions per month, Google is offering up to 180,000 code completions—a significantly higher cap designed to accommodate even the most active developers.

“Now anyone can easily learn, generate code snippets, debug, and modify applications without switching between multiple windows,” said Ryan J. Salva, Google’s senior director of product management.

AI-Powered Coding Assistance

Gemini Code Assist for individuals is powered by Google’s Gemini 2.0 AI model and offers:
Auto-completion of code while typing
Generation of entire code blocks based on prompts
Debugging assistance via an interactive chatbot

The tool integrates with popular developer environments like Visual Studio Code, GitHub, and JetBrains, supporting a wide range of programming languages. Developers can use natural language prompts, such as:
Create an HTML form with fields for name, email, and message, plus a submit button.”

With support for 38 programming languages and a 128,000-token memory for processing complex prompts, Gemini Code Assist provides a robust AI-driven coding experience.

Enterprise Features Still Require a Subscription

While the free tier is generous, advanced features like productivity analytics, Google Cloud integrations, and custom AI tuning remain exclusive to paid Standard and Enterprise plans.

With this move, Google aims to compete more aggressively in the AI coding assistant market, offering developers a powerful and unrestricted alternative to existing tools.

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Elon Musk Unveils Grok-3: A Game-Changing AI Chatbot to Rival ChatGPT

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Elon Musk Unveils Grok-3: A Game-Changing AI Chatbot to Rival ChatGPT

Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence company xAI has unveiled its latest chatbot, Grok-3, which aims to compete with leading AI models such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT and China’s DeepSeek. Grok-3 is now available to Premium+ subscribers on Musk’s social media platform x (formerly Twitter) and is also available through xAI’s mobile app and the new SuperGrok subscription tier on Grok.com.

Advanced capabilities and performance

Grok-3 has ten times the computing power of its predecessor, Grok-2. Initial tests show that Grok-3 outperforms models from OpenAI, Google, and DeepSeek, particularly in areas such as math, science, and coding. The chatbot features advanced reasoning features capable of decomposing complex questions into manageable tasks. Users can interact with Grok-3 in two different ways: “Think,” which performs step-by-step reasoning, and “Big Brain,” which is designed for more difficult tasks.

Strategic Investments and Infrastructure

To support the development of Grok-3, xAI has made major investments in its supercomputer cluster, Colossus, which is currently the largest globally. This infrastructure underscores the company’s commitment to advancing AI technology and maintaining a competitive edge in the industry.

New Offerings and Future Plans

Along with Grok-3, xAI has also introduced a logic-based chatbot called DeepSearch, designed to enhance research, brainstorming, and data analysis tasks. This tool aims to provide users with more insightful and relevant information. Looking to the future, xAI plans to release Grok-2 as an open-source model, encouraging community participation and further development. Additionally, upcoming improvements for Grok-3 include a synthesized voice feature, which aims to improve user interaction and accessibility.

Market position and competition

The launch of Grok-3 positions xAI as a major competitor in the AI ​​chatbot market, directly challenging established models from OpenAI and emerging competitors such as DeepSeek. While Grok-3’s performance claims are yet to be independently verified, early indications suggest it could have a significant impact on the AI ​​landscape. xAI is actively seeking $10 billion in investment from major companies, demonstrating its strong belief in their technological advancements and market potential.

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