The Pacific tech war intensifies as Trump's return to power amplifies U.S. export bans, targeting China’s AI progress. ByteDance, Nvidia's largest Chinese buyer, counters with bold strategies like crafting AI chips and expanding abroad. A fragmented 2025 looms, redefining tech and geopolitics.
The week saw cyber threats shadow Black Friday’s $70B sales, AI reshaping banking, and Meta’s nuclear energy ambitions. ByteDance and Nvidia clashed in the U.S.-China tech war, while Australia pushed Big Tech to fund journalism. A turbulent digital landscape sets the stage for 2025.
Christopher Wray resigns as FBI Director, signaling a shift under Trump. With Kash Patel as a potential successor, concerns grow over the FBI's independence and its impact on cybersecurity, financial crimes, and corporate governance.
Australia's government plans to make tech giants pay for local journalism, leveling the media playing field. Meanwhile, Meta faces global outages, sparking reliability concerns, and unveils nuclear ambitions with a $10B AI supercluster in Louisiana. Big tech is reshaping energy and media landscapes.
Australians face rising cyber scams during holiday shopping, with scammers using AI-driven tactics like phishing and deepfakes. Spending $70B online puts consumers at risk, as reports show $30.7K average losses. Visa's new measures push beyond SMS OTPs to combat fraud. Stay vigilant.
Australia’s Commonwealth Bank (CBA) is transforming banking with generative AI, cutting fraud by 30% and issuing 20,000 daily alerts. AI also streamlines loans and credit reviews, saving hours. Globally, AI could save $1T by 2030, enhancing efficiency and personalized customer experiences.
Tech wars clash with geopolitics: China’s solar lead pressures U.S. supply chains; subsea cable damages hint at sabotage; South Korea-NATO ties spark tensions. In the AI race, OpenAI rises, Salesforce thrives, Intel’s CEO departs. The future unfolds as global agendas merge tech and geopolitics.
Salesforce saw an 8.3% revenue rise to $9.44 billion, driven by its AI tool, Agentforce, while Intel’s CEO Patrick Gelsinger exited with a $10M package amid struggles to reclaim its chip-making dominance. Both companies reflect the pressures of competing in a rapidly evolving AI-driven market.
This month, the spotlight is on the critical nexus of cybersecurity and geopolitics. From the mysterious sabotage of subsea internet cables threatening global connectivity to South Korea’s pivotal role in countering cyber threats in the Indo-Pacific, power and strategy dominate the digital age.
