Metaverse

Reliance Industries to build Meta's first AI-enabled data centre in India

Reliance Industries will develop a 168 MW AI-enabled data centre in Jamnagar for Meta, strengthening a long-standing partnership spanning connectivity, commerce and artificial intelligence

Meta partners with Fourth Partner Energy for 88 MW RE projects in India

Fourth Partner Energy (FPEL) said on Wednesday it has partnered with Meta Platforms Inc. on 88 megawatts alternating current (MWac) of renewable energy projects across India, as the technology company seeks to advance its clean energy and emissions reduction goals in the country. Under the agreement, FPEL will own and operate a portfolio of solar and wind projects across the states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh. Meta will purchase 100 per cent of the environmental attributes associated with the projects, FPEL said in a statement. The deal supports the addition of renewable energy capacity to India's power grid and forms part of Meta's broader strategy to align its operations with clean energy sources. "These projects with Fourth Partner Energy represent a commitment to India's clean energy ecosystem, helping to bring new renewable energy capacity onto the grid and address Meta's value chain emissions in the region. This is consistent with our broader goal

Meta, CleanMax partner for 900 MW renewable energy capacity in India

Meta Platforms, Inc. and CleanMax Enviro Energy Solutions Ltd on Wednesday announced a partnership for over 900 MW of renewable energy capacity in India. As part of the collaboration, the companies will support the development of 837 MW of new solar and wind capacity across Rajasthan and Karnataka, a statement said. Combined with previously announced projects, the partnership now represents more than 900 MW of renewable energy capacity. CleanMax's renewable energy projects support Meta's efforts to add new generation to the grid, advance its goal of matching its electricity use with 100 per cent clean and renewable energy, and will help address Meta's value chain emissions in the region. Under the partnership, CleanMax will develop and operate 837 MW of new renewable energy capacity across Rajasthan and Karnataka, comprising large-scale solar and wind projects. Meta will purchase 100 per cent of the environmental attributes from these projects, it stated. Kuldeep Jain, Founder an

RIL, Meta partner to develop 168 MW AI enabled data centre in Gujarat

Reliance Industries Limited and social media major Meta Platforms have partnered to develop a 168-megawatt data centre in Jamngar, Gujarat, within two years, a joint statement said on Wednesday. This is the first built-to-suit data centre capacity in India for Meta and represents a significant milestone in India's emergence as a global hub for AI infrastructure, the statement said. "RIL will develop a data centre with 168 MW capacity to be delivered within two years, with an option to scale. Meta will lease capacity from the facility," the statement said. The data centre will be powered by renewable energy and cooled with desalinated seawater. Meta is also separately partnering with two leading clean energy providers in India, CleanMax and Fourth Partner Energy, to back nearly 1GW of renewable energy, the statement said. "This partnership with Meta marks a transformative moment for India's digital infrastructure. Building India's first built-to-suit data centre for a global techno

EU orders Meta to restore WhatsApp access for rival AI chatbots

European Union regulators on Tuesday ordered Meta Platforms to restore access to WhatsApp for rival AI chatbot makers until its antitrust investigation is complete. The bloc's executive Commission, which is the 27-nation EU's top antitrust and competition enforcer, said it was taking action to prevent harm to competition in the growing market for AI assistants before it's too late. The commission said it was imposing "interim measures" while it continues its investigation into WhatsApp's artificial intelligence policy over concerns the company is breaching EU law by blocking competitors from offering their AI assistants on the platform. Meta said it would appeal. "The European Commission has decided that OpenAI and some of the largest companies in the world can use the paid-for WhatsApp Business product for free," the company said in a statement. "This is regulatory overreach subsidised by the many European companies that pay." Brussels has been resorting to temporary orders after

Flipkart joins Meta affiliate programme to expand creator-led shopping

The partnership will allow creators to tag products from Flipkart and Myntra on Meta platforms, helping shoppers move seamlessly from discovery to purchase

Vodafone Idea, Meta launch silent mobile verification for Vi customers

Vodafone Idea and Meta launch silent mobile verification to enable faster, OTP-free and more secure authentication across major social platforms

Meta begins 8,000 global job cuts in Asian hub of Singapore amid AI push

This latest round of cuts is expected to hit Meta's engineering and product teams in particular and additional layoffs could come later in the year

Meta layoffs explained: Why Zuckerberg is cutting 8,000 jobs globally

Meta is laying off nearly 8,000 employees globally while pouring up to $145 billion into AI infrastructure. From hiring freezes to AI-focused teams, the company’s latest move shows

Alphabet, Amazon outpace Meta in AI race during earnings bonanza

On that front, Google was able to point to solid growth at its cloud computing unit, which recorded sales of $20 billion last quarter

Behind the AI boom, a boring business is soaring with better ads

The emerging AI systems are helping companies automate their marketing. Small and large companies alike can now create ads, target audiences, bid for space and measure results

Australia to charge big tech firms 2% levy unless they strike news deals

A proposed News Bargaining Incentive would tax the three big tech companies 2.25% on their local revenues unless they struck agreements

Meta, Microsoft have joined tech layoff tsunami, but is AI really to blame?

The workers most at risk are not necessarily those whose tasks can be replicated by AI. They are those who wait for pressure to arrive from outside rather than getting ahead of it now

EU plans antitrust action, may force Meta to restore rival AI on WhatsApp

Under EU rules, competition regulators can order companies to temporarily stop suspect business practices, but these demands can be challenged in the bloc's courts in Luxembourg

Meta poised to surpass Google in digital ad revenue for first time: Report

The Instagram-owner's global net ad revenues are expected to reach $243.46 billion in 2026, ahead of Google's projected $239.54 billion, the market research firm said

Former OpenAI stargate leaders to join Meta platforms amid AI infra race

Peter Hoeschele, who played a critical role in OpenAI's Stargate initiative, is one of the new hires

Meta says content norms for teenagers further tightened on Instagram

Instagram rolls out stricter age-based content controls in India, limiting teen exposure and boosting parental oversight amid growing calls for social media regulation

Meta unveils Muse Spark, first AI model from superintelligence team

Superintelligence refers to AI machines that could outthink humans. Muse Spark is the first in a new series of models, known internally as Avocado, from that team

IRGC threatens to strike Google, Apple, Meta offices over alleged espionage

IRGC warned that the companies' regional offices in the region will be 'annihilated'

Meta, YouTube, others not fully complying with child account ban: Australia

Australia's online safety watchdog said Tuesday it was considering court against Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube alleging they are not doing enough to keep Australian children younger than 16 off their platforms. Experts say the Australian courts could decide what steps the platforms can reasonably be expected to take under the laws that took effect on Dec. 10 banning young children from holding accounts. eSAfety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant on Tuesday released her first compliance report since those laws took effect demanding 10 platforms remove all Australian account-holders younger than 16. While 5 million Australian accounts had been deactivated, a substantial number of Australian children continued to retain accounts, create new accounts and pass platforms' age assurance systems, the report said. Inman Grant said in a statement her office had "significant concerns about the compliance" of half of those 10 platforms. Her office was gathering evidence against