Microsoft Azure Data Center News

Singapore-based startup receives $12.5 million in funding for electricity transformers

Singapore-based startup Amperesand, which makes SSTs that could replace standard transformers in electricity distribution, has been given $12.5 million in funding to develop solid-state transformers (SSTs), which could make electricity grids more efficient and flexible. "We are thrilled to par...

February 09, 2024

Abdul-Rahman Oladimeji

Singapore

Vodafone signs 10-year agreement with Microsoft

Vodafone has signed a 10-year agreement with Microsoft for generative AI, cloud computing, and IoT services. As part of this agreement, Vodafone will invest $1.5bn in the cloud giant and will be using Microsoft Azure's OpenAI and Copilot technologies for its customer experience, exit "multiple...

January 16, 2024

Abdul-Rahman Oladimeji

Microsoft Azure

Microsoft and PNNL to conduct battery materials research

Microsoft and the US Department of Energy's (DOE) Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) have partnered to find the best materials for batteries. Using Microsoft's Azure Quantum Elements, they have reduced the possibilities of materials from millions to only a few options, with one curre...

January 15, 2024

Abdul-Rahman Oladimeji

Microsoft Azure

Swiss Life Asset Managers acquires major stake in Telecom Infrastructure Partners

Investment firm Swiss Life Asset Managers this week entered an agreement with London-based InfraBridge, an infrastructure investment management division of DigitalBridge Group, to acquire a co-controlling equity stake in Telecom Infrastructure Partners (TIP). Gianfranco Saladino, head of value...

January 10, 2024

Abdul-Rahman Oladimeji

London

Qcells announces long-term extension of alliance with Microsoft

South Korean solar panel producer Qcells this week announced an eight-year strategic alliance with Microsoft Corp. to extend the companies’ existing solar panel supply deal. This extension comes as Microsoft looks to procure a large amount of solar panels produced in the US for its renewable e...

January 09, 2024

Abdul-Rahman Oladimeji

Microsoft Azure

Singapore considers making data centers and clouds "critical infrastructure"

Singapore’s government is currently contemplating marking data centers and clouds as "critical infrastructure,” and extending oversight to cloud service providers and data center operators. A decision in this regard is expected to be made by January 15, 2024. Currently, the Cybersecurity Age...

December 22, 2023

Abdul-Rahman Oladimeji

Singapore

Microsoft signs large Biorchar carbon removal agreement with Carbonfuture

Microsoft has recently signed a large deal to pay for biochar production in Bolivia to remove carbon from the atmosphere. Following this deal, Exomad Green, the world’s largest biochar producer, will create the inert carbon residue at its facility in Concepción, Bolivia. Microsoft will pay for...

December 20, 2023

Abdul-Rahman Oladimeji

Microsoft Azure

Seraya Partners reaches goal of $800 million APAC funding

Singapore-based Seraya Partners has closed an $800 million fund dedicated to digital infrastructure and energy transition investments. Half of the fund has already been dedicated to three companies: data center operator Empyrion DC, offshore wind vessel operator Cyan Renewables, and solar, win...

December 14, 2023

Abdul-Rahman Oladimeji

Singapore

Microsoft to use renewable natural gas in San Jose facility

Microsoft recently revealed its plans to use renewable natural gas (RNG) made from food waste to help power a microgrid that provides resilience at its San Jose data center. Fuel cell provider Enchanted Rock is in charge of this project and announced in 2022 that the microgrid would use biogas...

December 13, 2023

Abdul-Rahman Oladimeji

Microsoft Azure

Mitratel acquires over 800 towers from Gametraco for $113 million

Jakarta-based PT Dayamitra Telekomunikasi Tbk (Mitratel) revealed last week that it recently acquired 803 towers from infrastructure operator PT Gametraco Tunggal for around $113 million. The Telkom Indonesia subsidiary noted that this acquisition includes 1.327 tenants, confirming that 562 ...

December 03, 2023

Abdul-Rahman Oladimeji

Jakarta

Ohio firefighters killed in a tower maintenance accident

Concord-Green fire chief Ralph Stegbauer and fire captain Jeffery Skaggs have both passed away while carrying out tower maintenance outside their firehouse in Ohio. Both firefighters were working on the Fayette County, Ohio tower when the mechanical lift they were in overturned. This accident ...

November 29, 2023

Abdul-Rahman Oladimeji

Ohio

Telkcom considers selling Swifnet tower division

South African telco Telkom, which spun off its telecom towers and mast into a separate division in 2021, is looking to sell the assets to unlock more value in the business. The operator is now in exclusive negotiations over selling its masts and towers business, Swiftnet. The company mentioned...

November 25, 2023

Abdul-Rahman Oladimeji

South Africa

Microsoft to expand its footprint in Canada

Microsoft this week announced that it will be expanding its footprint in Canada with multiple new data centers with an investment of US$500 million to expand its cloud computing and AI infrastructure in Quebec over the next two years. The company notes that this investment will increase its lo...

November 23, 2023

Abdul-Rahman Oladimeji

Microsoft Azure

Sam Altman returns as OpenAI’s CEO, with new board

Sam Altman, who was suddenly fired by the board has “reached an agreement in principle” to return as CEO of OpenAI as nearly all of OpenAI’s employees threatened to leave the company if the board did not reverse its decision. Twitch co-founder Emmett Shear, who was appointed as interim CEO ai...

November 23, 2023

Abdul-Rahman Oladimeji

Microsoft Azure

OpenAI’s Sam Altman, Greg Brockman, and colleagues join Microsoft

Microsoft has recruited Sam Altman, Greg Brockman, and other OpenAI researchers who left the startup over the weekend to head a new advanced AI research team. The OpenAI board abruptly fired Altman, saying he was "not consistently candid in his communications with the board, hindering its abi...

November 20, 2023

Abdul-Rahman Oladimeji

Microsoft Azure

OpenAI president Greg Brockman quits as the company fires CEO

OpenAI's co-founder and president, Greg Brockman, has quit the company after the board suddenly fired CEO Sam Altman last week. Brockman, who was initially made to step down as board chairman, has left the company. The board is yet to disclose the exact reason for firing Altman as the company ...

November 20, 2023

Abdul-Rahman Oladimeji

San Francisco Bay Area

OpenAI co-founder Sam Altman fired from the company

OpenAI co-founder Sam Altman has been fired as CEO of the artificial intelligence startup as the board denounces confidence in his leadership. In a statement released by the company, the board noted that it “no longer has confidence in his ability to lead.” Mira Murati, OpenAI’s chief technol...

November 19, 2023

Abdul-Rahman Oladimeji

San Francisco Bay Area

Ridge purchases UK data center consultancy Concert

Building consultancy Ridge recently acquired London-based Concert, a data center-focused consulting company, to boost its business in that sector. Both companies finalized this acquisition on November 3, but the terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Concert will operate under its curre...

November 18, 2023

Abdul-Rahman Oladimeji

London

Microsoft announces two in-house designed semiconductors

Microsoft has recently announced it is working on two in-house designed semiconductors. One is an Arm CPU called the Microsoft Azure Cobalt CPU, designed for general workloads, focusing on performance per watt and a dedicated AI accelerator. The other is the Microsoft Azure Maia AI Accelerator...

November 15, 2023

Abdul-Rahman Oladimeji

Microsoft Azure

Paratus unveils second teleport in Pretoria, South Africa

Pan-African digital infrastructure firm Paratus has launched a new teleport in Pretoria, marking its second teleport in South Africa. Paratus announced the launch of the new Goedehoop Teleport in Doornkloof, some 50 miles north of Johannesburg. Managing director of Paratus South Africa, Kallie...

November 13, 2023

Abdul-Rahman Oladimeji

South Africa

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