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Big tech companies increase spending in carbon credits
New research shows that Big Tech companies are investing in carbon credits to offset emissions generated by artificial intelligence (AI). Amazon, Google, Meta and Microsoft have all increased their purchases of permanent carbon credits since ChatGPT launched the AI race in 2022, according to data compiled for CNBC by carbon credit management platform Ceezer. This comes as the companies commit to a net-zero emissions target. Questions have been raised over whether this will be possible, as the rapid development of energy and water-intensive AI continues. The credits allow them to offset emissions by funding other projects that reduce emissions, such as technologies that remove carbon from the atmosphere. Each carbon credit represents a metric ton of carbon dioxide reduced or removed from the atmosphere. Amazon, Alphabet, Microsoft, and Meta are estimated to spend a combined US$700 billion to fuel their AI ambitions this year, which involves massive data centres that contribute to higher emissions. Credits for permanent carbon removal from these companies have surged from 14,200 in 2022 to 11.92 million in 2023, based on available market data from Ceezer. Ceezer also analysed information from carbon market da
Big Tech
Apple acquires video editing company MotionVFX
Apple has acquired video editing company MotionVFX, which offers plug-ins, templates and visual effects tools that work with Apple’s Final Cut Pro. In a post to its website, MotionVFX said it was “extremely excited” to join the Apple team. “For over 15 years, we’ve been on a mission to create world-class, visually inspiring content and effects for video editors. From the very beginning, we’ve been all about quality, ease of use, and great design. These are also the values that we admire most in Apple’s products, and we’re thrilled to be able to embrace them together,” the post said. “We are incredibly grateful to be part of this amazing community and excited to continue our work to serve you.” Apple hasn’t disclosed the terms of the deal. This acquisition will allow Apple to integrate MotionVFX’s capabilities directly rather than relying on third-party extensions. It will also allow Apple to better compete with Adobe Premiere Pro and add subscribers as it continues to lessen its reliance on devices. Apple services, which include subscriptions like iCloud, Apple Music and app bundles, generally have higher profit margins than hardware like iPhones. In Q1 2026, the company reported revenue of $30.01 billion f
Big Tech
Top Microsoft exec retires after three decades
A top executive at Microsoft, Rajesh Jha, is stepping down after over 35 years at the company. Jha is retiring as executive vice president of Experiences + Devices, a role which saw him oversee Windows, Office, 365 Copilot and more, including the transfer of the Office suite to the cloud. This is the latest in a series of leadership shake ups from Microsoft, after last year saw the appointment of a new CEO of the commercial business, Satya Nadella, a new head of Office and new President of Windows and devices. His role will not be filled by a new candidate, but instead four product heads will report directly to Nadella. This latest announcement came via an internal memo from Jha and Nadella, who called him a “constant throughout my entire life at Microsoft”. “I will transition out on July 1st and then stay in an advisory role," Jha confirmed. “I want to add that working with you all over the years, in the service of customers, has been an incredible privilege for me. I am deeply grateful.”
Big Tech
Elon Musk wins right to build power plant
Elon Musk's artificial intelligence company has been granted authorisation to build a gas-burning power plant, despite major concerns for pollution. The ruling was made by the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality earlier this week, granting xAI the go-ahead for the plant in the state, saying they had made the choice after “careful consideration of all public comments and community concerns”. This comes despite push back from advocate groups and locals, worried about noise and air pollution from the 41 gas-burner turbines, which will be used to power xAI's data centres nearby. Advocates had also been campaigning to have the vote postponed, since it took place on the same day as Mississippi's primary elections, but was overruled. “We’re extremely disappointed in MDEQ’s decision to greenlight this inadequate permit for xAI’s power plant, which fails to address the significant concerns about the impact of these added turbines will have on communities," said Patrick Anderson, a senior attorney at the Southern Environmental Law Center. “Mississippi state regulators appear to be more interested in fast-tracking xAI’s personal power plant than conducting a thorough review of its impacts and having meaningful enga
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Apple announces new budget laptop: MacBook Neo
Apple has announced a series of new M5-powered laptop models, including their most affordable laptop ever in the form of the MacBook Neo. The Neo will come alongside new iterations of the staple Air and Pro, but is a standout for its price tag, starting at just US$599. The new offering from Apple has a 13-inch display and a lightweight, easy-to-carry 1.23-kilogram body weight. This, alongside education discounts for the Neo, the fresh pastel colour offerings and markedly lower price points, are all part of Apple's angle into the student and first-time buyer market, where the Google Chromebooks (which can come in as cheap as $300) currently dominate. The Neo's other specs offer no shocks or surprises, up to 500 nits of brightness on the display, two USB-C ports and 256 gigabytes of storage on the base model. It is the latest product announcement at the end of a busy week for the tech giant, which has been launching new products all week at events in Shanghai, London and London, including new iPhones and iPads in addition to the new MacBook models.

Big Tech
Big tech companies alter operations in the Middle East
Big tech companies are scrambling to ensure the safety of their employees who are travelling through or based in the Middle East following the joint United States-Israel strikes on Iran over the weekend. The massive attack killed Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, among others, and Iran has retaliated with strikes on Israeli and U.S. bases across the Gulf. The conflict has disrupted civilian life, travel, internet access and energy shipments across the region. According to an email from Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, the chip maker has temporarily closed its Dubai offices, with employees working there remotely. He said that Nvidia’s crisis management team has been “working around the clock and actively supporting affected employees and their families” in the Middle East, including 6,000 employees who are based in Israel. Nvidia acquired the Israeli Ethernet and network hardware maker Mellanox in 2019 for US$7.13 billion. This was the biggest deal in Nvidia’s history at the time, and today Israel represents the company’s largest research and development base outside the U.S. Huang said all Nvidia employees impacted by the conflict and their immediate families are safe. “Nvidia has deep roots in the regi
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Amazon Web Services down after UAE strike
AWS said late Monday that two of its data centers in the UAE and a facility in Bahrain were damaged by drone strikes, taking the facilities offline. Amazon Web Services has taken a hit from ongoing drone strikes in the United Arab Emirates, leaving banking, taxi and payment service platforms all down. Two of AWS' data centres were hit in strikes on Monday, with a range of apps impacted as a result. Delivery and taxi platform Careem, payments services Alaan and Hubpay and multiple banking providers, including Emirates NBD, all reported disrupted services or being completely down. In a statement, AWS confirmed the strikes had caused "structural damage, disrupted power delivery to our infrastructure, and in some cases required fire suppression activities that resulted in additional water damage”. “In the UAE, two of our facilities were directly struck, while in Bahrain, a drone strike in close proximity to one of our facilities caused physical impacts to our infrastructure,” the company confirmed. AWS is continuing to provide rolling updates about the recovery of the data centres and the restoration of services.
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Apple launches new M5 MacBooks at higher price point
Apple has launched new MacBook Pro and MacBook Air models with the company’s M5 chips, though they will be more expensive than previous generations amid the industry-wide memory shortage. The new M5 chips include a faster central processing unit and a next-generation graphics processing unit, which Apple has said will enable complex artificial intelligence tasks. The MacBook Pro also features M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, allowing even faster performance than the standard M5. “The new MacBook Air with M5 brings incredible performance and even more capability to the world’s most popular laptop,” said Apple’s senior vice president of hardware engineering John Ternus. “With M5, MacBook Air powers through a wide range of tasks, from everyday productivity to creative workloads, and is even faster for AI.” The new MacBook Pro is also up to four times faster than previous generations, said Ternus. Both the new MacBook Air and MacBook Pro will be available to pre-order from tomorrow, and will be widely available on 11 March. The MacBook Air will be US$100 more expensive than its predecessor, while the MacBook Pro is priced $400 higher. The price increase comes amid a shortage of memory components as manufacturers reroute t
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Microsoft partners with SpaceX, despite Musk's lawsuit
Microsoft will partner with SpaceX to expand global internet connectivity, despite SpaceX CEO Elon Musk’s legal feud with Microsoft. SpaceX’s Starlink satellite connectivity service will assist Microsoft in bringing internet access to rural areas, Microsoft said. Musk sued Microsoft alongside OpenAI in January, claiming they had defrauded him when OpenAI became a for-profit company. “Building on years of progress, Microsoft is evolving its approach to digital access to focus not only on coverage, but on adoption, enablement, and long-term participation in the AI economy. As part of this next chapter, we are announcing a new collaboration with Starlink,” wrote Microsoft chief sustainability officer Melanie Nakagawa. “This collaboration expands the set of tools available to help deliver digital access in rural, agricultural, and hard-to-reach communities.” Microsoft has not yet announced the partnership’s exact details. In Kenya, the two companies have collaborated with local internet provider Mawingu Networks to provide connectivity at 450 community hubs in underserved regions, it said. According to Microsoft, it has extended internet access to more than 299 million people globally. Musk has not publicly commented