📡 Huawei’s Hidden US Ally; Microsoft’s EU Battle; US Probes China Telecom
📡 Huawei’s Hidden US Ally; Microsoft’s EU Battle; US Probes China Telecom
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Today’s pick
Huawei’s Secret Ally in the US-China Tech War: A Science Nonprofit Based in DC
EU accuses Microsoft of competition breach over Teams bundling
US probing China Telecom, China Mobile over internet, cloud risks
Uber and Aurora announce 'long-term' driverless truck deal after successful pilot
Radical Technology Aims to Rev Up Oceans' Power to Cool the World
Let’s dive in
Huawei’s Secret Ally in the US-China Tech War: A Science Nonprofit Based in DC
By Kate O'Keeffe via Bloomberg
Optica, a prestigious US scientific society, built ties with Huawei despite US restrictions, defending the alliance as good-faith knowledge sharing.
Elizabeth Rogan, Optica's CEO, visited Huawei's headquarters during a trip to China in November, but this visit was not publicly disclosed.
Rogan's meetings with Huawei led to a whistleblower complaint about Optica's growing partnership with the Chinese tech giant, raising concerns among US national-security officials.
𝕏: It turns out Huawei has long had a secret ally in the U.S.-China tech war: a Washington DC-based nonprofit. Here's our deep dive into the pair’s decadeslong relationship - Kate O'Keeffe (@Kate_OKeeffe)
EU accuses Microsoft of competition breach over Teams bundling
By Ingrid Lunden TechCrunch
The European Union accused Microsoft of breaching competition rules by bundling its real-time comms tool, Teams, with Office 365 and Microsoft 365.
Despite partially unbundling Teams in 2023, the EU found Microsoft's changes insufficient, suspecting that bundling restricted competition and gave Teams an unfair advantage.
If found guilty, Microsoft could face fines up to 10% of its annual worldwide turnover and be required to implement remedies to restore competition.
𝕏: Microsoft has been charged with EU antitrust violations for bundling Teams with Office. It's the first antitrust charges against Microsoft in more than a decade, and the company could face a big fine if it's found guilty. - Tom Warren (@tomwarren)
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US probing China Telecom, China Mobile over internet, cloud risks
By Alexandra Alper via Reuters
The Biden administration is investigating China Mobile, China Telecom, and China Unicom over concerns they might exploit their U.S. cloud and internet businesses to provide American data to Beijing.
The investigation, led by the Commerce Department, has subpoenaed these companies and completed risk analyses for China Mobile and China Telecom but is less advanced with China Unicom.
Authorities are particularly concerned about data centers and Points of Presence (PoPs) operated by these companies in the U.S., which could potentially allow access to or manipulation of American data.
𝕏: Commerce Department is investigating 🇨🇳 China Mobile, China Telecom and China Unicom over concerns the companies could exploit access to American data through their US cloud and internet businesses by providing it to Beijing. The companies still have a small presence in the US, for example, providing cloud services and routing wholesale US internet traffic. That gives them access to Americans' data even after telecom regulators barred them from providing telephone and retail internet services in the US. - Byron Wan (@Byron_Wan)
Uber and Aurora announce 'long-term' driverless truck deal after successful pilot
By Andrew J. Hawkins via The Verge
Uber Freight and Aurora have announced a "long-term" deal to use Aurora's driverless trucks on routes between Dallas and Houston, following a successful three-year pilot.
The new program, Premier Autonomy, will provide carriers early access to the Aurora Driver technology, allowing hundreds of carriers to integrate driverless trucks into the Uber Freight platform.
This deal strengthens the existing ties between the two companies, with Uber Freight being one of Aurora's first customers, and follows Uber's decision to offload its self-driving vehicle division to Aurora.
Radical Technology Aims to Rev Up Oceans' Power to Cool the World
By Amrith Ramkumar via Wall Street Journal
Startups are betting on tweaking the chemistry of oceans to enhance their ability to absorb carbon dioxide and cool the world, though the idea is unproven on a commercial scale and raises concerns about potential risks.
Over a dozen companies are launching major projects to increase oceanic CO2 absorption, driven by billions in federal and corporate funding aimed at removing greenhouse gases from the atmosphere.
These efforts are part of a broader movement to leverage natural processes for climate change mitigation, with significant investment backing despite the nascent and experimental nature of the technology.
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