Data Centers, AI, and Antitrust Battles: Inside This Week’s Tech Trends
In this week’s newsletter, we explore key developments across real estate, AI, and technology. Merlin Properties is shifting its main source of revenue, with data centers expected to account for 40% of it by 2030.
In the U.S., the government continues to support AI integration in semiconductor research, and Microsoft faces renewed scrutiny in Europe.
Read on for the latest updates and analysis!
Merlin Properties Projects 40% Revenue from Data Centers by 2030 Amid AI Surge
The Spanish real estate giant, Merlin Properties, has high expectations of its relatively new data center investments: they expect them to account for about 40% of their revenue by 2030, especially with AI becoming so popular.
Merlin Properties’ CEO, Ismael Clemente, told Reuters that the data center made up less than 1% of the company’s revenue in the first half of 2024. The main income came from offices and shopping malls, but the estimation is that it will bring in around 313 million euros by the end of the decade. The company has three data centers in Spain, and it’s also building one in Portugal.
With the rise of AI, data centers are becoming essential for data storage and cloud computing services. That’s why in July of this year, Merlin Properties invested around 1 billion euros to finance the data processing business. Since Europe only has about a third of the data center capacity of the U.S., this move is strategically flawless.
Related content: Embedded AI: Transforming Industries Across The World
The US Government Pledges $100 Million to Accelerate AI Integration in Semiconductor Materials
On October 2nd, the U.S. Commerce Department said they plan to award 100 million dollars to encourage companies to use AI when developing new and sustainable semiconductor materials.
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This is the same department in charge of chip manufacturing and research grants, worth around 52.7 billion dollars. The $100 million will be given to help universities, the private sector, and national laboratories that want to develop AI-powered experiments to find sustainable manufacturing solutions.
The end goal is to have new semiconductor materials that don’t use up as many resources as they currently do.
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EU Faces Pressure to Tackle Microsoft Edge's Competitive Edge
Several internet browsers, including Vivaldi, Waterfox, and Wavebox, along with the Open Web Advocacy group, are urging the European Commission to subject Microsoft's Edge browser to strict EU antitrust regulations. The companies argue that Microsoft's integration of Edge as the default browser on Windows gives it an unfair advantage, and stifles competition.
They are supporting Norwegian browser company Opera's legal challenge to exempt Edge from the EU's Digital Markets Act (DMA), which sets rules to prevent monopolistic practices. These groups claim Edge’s dominant presence on Windows undermines competition, and accuse Microsoft of misrepresenting rival browsers through pop-up messages.
The European Commission previously ruled that Edge was not a gatekeeper under the DMA. Microsoft and the Commission declined to comment. Edge's market share remains low at just over 5%, compared to Google's Chrome at 66%.
Related content: Ensuring Secure and Cost-Effective 5G Networks in the EU
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