Google to invest $2bn on AI, cloud computing in Malaysia

Google will invest $2bn in Malaysia to house the firm’s first data centre in the country, the government said Thursday, making it the latest tech titan to pump cash into the region in search of growth opportunities.

The government said the cash would support 26,500 jobs across various sectors in Malaysia, including healthcare, education, and finance, and comes days after Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim targeted at least $107 billion in investments for the semiconductor industry.

Anwar said in April that he planned to build Southeast Asia’s largest integrated circuit design park, while offering incentives including tax breaks and subsidies to attract global tech companies and investors.

President and chief investment officer of Google and its parent firm Alphabet, Ruth Porat, said, “Google’s first data centre and Google Cloud region is our largest planned investment so far in Malaysia – a place Google has been proud to call home for 13 years.

“This investment builds on our partnership with the Malaysian government to advance its ‘Cloud First Policy’, including best-in-class cybersecurity standards.”

Investment, Trade, and Industry Minister Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz said the cash “will significantly advance” Malaysia’s digital ambitions outlined in a 2030 masterplan.

He added that the data centre and cloud region “will empower our manufacturing and service-based industries to leverage artificial intelligence (AI) and other advanced technologies to move up the global value chain”.

Earlier this month Microsoft said it would spend $2.2bn on AI and cloud computing in Malaysia, with boss Satya Nadella pledging to invest billions in Thailand and Indonesia during a tour of the region.

And Amazon said it would spend US$9 billion in Singapore over the next four years to expand its cloud computing capabilities in the city.

The facility announced on Thursday will be located at a business park west of the capital Kuala Lumpur and will power Google’s popular digital services such as Search, Maps, and Workspace.

“When operational, Malaysia will join the 11 countries where Google has built and currently operates data centres to serve users around the world,” the statement said.

The Google Cloud region “will deliver high-performance and low-latency cloud infrastructure, analytics, and AI services to large enterprises, startups, and public sector organisations”, it added.

A key player in the semiconductor industry for decades, Malaysia accounts for an estimated 13 percent of global back-end manufacturing, according to German tech giant Bosch.

Research by global consulting firm Kearney showed AI was poised to contribute $1 trillion to Southeast Asia’s gross domestic product by 2030, with Malaysia predicted to see more than a tenth of that.

“Now that many of these American tech giants are diversifying their investment risks away from China, Malaysia with its traditional involvement in high-tech industry is in a good position to welcome the relocation of their operations,” said Oh Ei Sun, an analyst with the Pacific Research Center of Malaysia.

Google’s stock hits $1.95trn

Alphabet, Google’s parent company, soared to $1.95 trillion, its highest-ever share price, on Tuesday.

Data from Google’s performance in the stock market showed that its stock surged to an all-time intraday peak of $159.89 per share before settling at a closing price of $158.14, marking a 1.3 per cent gain amid modest broader market losses.

With gain recorded on Tuesday, Google’s stock is edging closer to the $2 trillion mark.

Firms already in the $2 trillion club include only American tech giants such as Microsoft, Apple, and Nvidia, as well as Saudi Aramco, the Saudi Arabia-controlled oil behemoth.

Alphabet’s recent ascent is underpinned by a 13 per cent increase in its share price year-to-date and an impressive 77 per cent leap since the end of 2022.

The company said the gains were fueled by record profits from robust advertising spending and investor optimism surrounding the company’s AI potential.

Analysts anticipate Alphabet’s continued rise, with an average price target of $166 implying a $2.1 trillion market capitalization, Forbes first reported.

Recall that Google faced a $90 billion drop in market valuation two months ago, largely due to its Gemini AI service generating inaccurate racial images of historical people. Its share price fell by 4.5 per cent to $138.75.

Apple and Google face UK browser probe

The United Kingdom’s competition watchdog is investigating Apple and Google’s dominance in mobile browsers after gaining substantial support from industry players in a consultation process which began in June.

Responses to the consultation process from browser vendors, web developers and cloud gaming service providers showed Apple and Google’s dominance was harming businesses, holding back innovation and adding to unnecessary costs, the Competition and Markets Authority stated.

According to Mobile World Live, it launched the consultation process following a year-long Mobile Ecosystem Market Study, which found Apple and Google had an effective duopoly on mobile ecosystems that allowed them to exercise a stranglehold over operating systems, app stores, and web browsers on mobile devices.

The UK regulator explained in its statement announcing a probe that browsers were one of the most important and widely-used apps on mobile devices, with most people using them to access a range of content.

In the UK, 97 per cent of all mobile web browsing in 2021 happened on Apple or Google browsersm

“So any restrictions on these engines can have a major impact on users’ experiences, “ the regulator said.

Sarah Cardell, interim CEO of CMA, said it planned to investigate both companies’ practices and assess whether concerns raised “are justified and if so, identify steps to improve competition and innovation in these sectors.”

In a related issue, the CMA also received feedback that Apple restricted cloud gaming services, of which there are 800,000 users in the country, hampering growth in the sector.

The regulator noted that web developers had complained about Apple restrictions and lack of investment in browser technologies, arguing that this limited choices and mase it more difficult to bring innovation to the UK market.

Iroko TV boss, Jason Njoku confirms northern youths are reporting his app on Google Play Store

Iroko TV Chief Executive Officer, Jason Njoku has confirmed that some northern youths have begun reporting his app on Google playstore.

Few days ago, a Nigerian man alerted Njoku of a plot by some Northern youths to ensure the deletion of his app from Google Play Store.

The man who raised the alarm took to Twitter to share screenshots from a Facebook page, where the group plotted to report Iroko TV in retaliation for the removal of Adamu Garba’s app, Crowwe.

In retaliation for the removal of Crowwe from PlayStore, Northern youths mobilized to start reporting mobile apps belonging to Igbo people.

Amongst apps listed is Jason Njoku’s iRokoTV and Soft Talk messenger owned by Simple Azenabor.

The Iroko TV boss, has in a Twitter post, confirmed that the arewa youths are already reporting his app to ensure that it is brought down.

See post below:

I told Google to take down my app from Play Store – Adamu Garba

Chieftain of the All Progressives Congress and IT strategist, Adamu Garba, says he asked Google to take down his social media app, Crowwe from Play Store because he needed to update the code.

The Chief Executive Officer of IPI group said this during a chat with The PUNCH on Monday.

He added that the app would be back up latest by Tuesday.

Garba, who backed the ban of Twitter in Nigeria, said that since the microblogging site was suspended over a week ago, thousands of Nigerians had migrated to Crowwe.

He added that it was in a bid to make some improvements that he asked Google to take down the app.

On whether the app was removed due to the complaints by Nigerians, Garba said this was not true, adding that Google does not remove apps from its Playstore solely because of complaints.

“We took down Crowwe App because we are trying to update the codes and then put it back up. There are some bugs which we identified which can prevent future downloads so we decided to bring it down, edit the code and then put it back up.

Yes, a lot of people have been posting reports but it has no effect on the app. The truth is that before you publish an app, you have to pass through a lot of audits and a lot of these people commenting don’t know.

The app being installed has nothing to do with the user but has everything to do with the app itself. There is a bug affecting the contact list information so we had to submit a support report to take it down which was done. We are almost done with the publishing and we will push it back and it might be installed tonight or tomorrow morning,” he said.

Mum who sold yoghurt to pay her kids’ school fees wins, one of them now works with Google

A Nigerian man with the handle @FasipeTobi has shared a very emotional story of how his mother made a big sacrifice to sponsor them in school.

In a post on Sunday, May 23, Tobi said that he was really moved to tears while narrating how his mum sold hot tea and homemade yoghurt on Lagos street to fund her children’s education.

The woman also used proceeds from the business to take care of her ailing husband who was blind.

Tobi stated that their story is a motivational one as his younger brother now works with Google while he is under the employment of Paystack.

He wrote on Twitter; ”Yesterday, I told the story of how my mom sold home made yogurt and hot tea at Magodo phase II gate to fund my education and that of my two siblings. She also used the funds to take care of of my father, who was blind, at the time.

I shed tears while telling this story.

Now my brother works at Google and I work a Paystack.

I’m really grateful to God for giving me such a strong mother. Happy birthday mom”

US charges Google

Google hit by antitrust charges in US over search

The US government has filed charges against Google, accusing the company of abusing its dominance to preserve a monopoly over internet searches and online advertising. In other words, Google is dominating and abusing it’s dominance online.

The lawsuit marks the biggest challenge brought by US regulators against a major tech company in years.

It follows more than a year of investigation and comes as the biggest tech firms face intense scrutiny of their practices at home and abroad.

Google called the case “deeply flawed”.

The company has maintained that its sector remains intensely competitive and that its practices put customers first.

“People use Google because they choose to – not because they’re forced to or because they can’t find alternatives,” it said upon replying.

Google logo on a phone
Google has been issued with huge fines in the EU over market dominance

The charges, filed in federal court, were brought by the US Department of Justice and 11 other states. The lawsuit focuses on the billions of dollars Google pays each year to ensure its search engine is installed as the default option on browsers and devices such as mobile phones.

Officials said those deals have helped secure Google’s placeas the “gatekeeper” to the internet, owning or controlling the channels for about 80% of search queries in the US.

“Google has thus foreclosed competition for internet search,” the lawsuit said. “General search engine competitors are denied vital distribution, scale, and product recognition – ensuring they have no real chance to challenge Google.”

It added: “Google is so dominant that ‘Google’ is not only a noun to identify the company and the Google search engine but also a verb that means to search the internet.”

The case could be the first of many in the US that challenge the dominance of big tech firms and potentially lead to their break-up.

Coming just a few weeks before the US presidential election, it has also been viewed as a move by the Trump administration to prove its willingness to challenge the influence of the sector if it gains a second term.

Officials said they had not rushed the investigation to ensure it was filed before the election.

“We’re acting when the facts and the law warranted,” deputy attorney general Jeffrey Rosen saidadding that the department’s review of competition practices in the technology sector is continuing.

Google has faced similar claims in the European Union. It is already appealing against €8.2bn ($9.5bn; £7.3bn) in fines demanded by the European Commission which include:

a €2.4bn fine over shopping results in 2017

 a €4.3bn fine over claims it used Android software to unfairly promote its own apps in 2018 and

a €1.5bn fine for blocking adverts from rival search engines in 2019

ZOOM CONQUERED VIDEO CONFERENCING

It is not out of place to ask “how did Zoom conquer video conferencing”?Zoom grew so quickly in 2020 that its brand became the default term for video conferencing. “Let’s use Zoom,” has become as as, “ Google it.” What in the world is responsible for that explosive growth in the face of competition from (other) brands like Cisco, Microsoft and Google?

COULD IT BE COVID19 PANDEMIC?

The Covid-19 crisis caused an enormous surge in demand for video communications with so many people unable to meet in person, but that alone doesn’t explain Zoom’s ascendance. They were growing rapidly long before Covid-19 shut down offices, events, and travel. Zoom had already surpassed its larger competitors in the years preceding the pandemic:

According to the 2020 Businesses @ Work report from Okta “Zoom was the #1 fastest growing video conferencing app in 2016, and it hasn’t slowed down since. Over the past three years, Zoom has enjoyed an astounding 876% growth in number of customers in our network. For comparison, second-place Cisco Webex grew 91% over that same period.”

As with Amazon, the pandemic crisis simply accelerated Zoom’s already robust growth.

COULD IT BE ZOOM’S “Frictionless” MISSION?

Zoom’s mission statement us simple and straight forward “Make video communications frictionless.” At a time when most corporate mission statements try to acknowledge every priority and every stakeholder, this short, direct message stands out.

It is obvious that this statement provides clarity to every team member. If you are a developer, network expert, or any other Zoom employee, you know that any action you take should never increase customer effort or increase complexity. If you do, you’ll be contradicting Zoom’s reason for existence. In short, the simpler, the easier, the better.

Zoom was founded by Eric Yuan, who left Cisco’s Webex unit to focus on mobile-friendly video conferencing. Webex was the dominant video conference player before Zoom passed them.

The Cisco’s mission statement on their website which is “Shape the future of the Internet by creating unprecedented value and opportunity for our customers, employees, investors, and ecosystem partners.” This statement is so broad and jargon-laden that it provides no clear direction for team members. How could a developer or designer possibly know if a new feature or a interface design will “create unprecedented value and opportunity?” Will fixing something that customers complained about really “shape the future?” The mission statement, if I am permitted to say, is itself high friction.

Zoom grew more rapidly than its much larger competitors because it made things easy for its users. Easy to set up, easy to use, easy to change one’s background… maximum simplicity, minimum effort. But, in striving to make onboarding a user as simple as possible, Zoom skipped some security precautions.

One of these lapses made Mac computer webcams vulnerable to hackers. Another security hole allowed “zoombombing,” in which a hacker could enter and disrupt an ongoing video conference.

Not unlike fellow unicorn Uber, Zoom initially focused on exponential growth, not perfection. After its software was universally adopted, Zoom changed its code to beef up security.

Although security issues could have derailed the firm, Zoom’s growth continued without interruption.

The Zoom lesson

Taking on giants like Cisco, Microsoft, and Google might have seemed like a fool’s errand in Zoom’s early days. But, Yuan let one principle drive the firm’s efforts: make video conferencing as easy as possible for everyone. Minimize user effort. Eliminate complexity.