Cloud Services and Providers – Overview and Latest News

Facing increased usage and aging tech, the arXiv preprint server has started its transition to Google Cloud, replacing legacy code and containerizing services.

Microsoft has launched public previews for two MCP Servers, one for general Azure resources and another for Azure Database for PostgreSQL, standardizing AI data access.

Growing unrest over alleged complicity in the Gaza conflict has led to firings at Microsoft, as employees protest the use of Azure AI by the Israeli military.

Facing high AI expenses, Meta has reportedly sought funding from competitors for its Llama models, offering influence on features in return.

Gemini Advanced subscribers are getting access to Veo 2, Google’s AI model for creating realistic, short-form videos using cinematic instructions.

Ilya Sutskever's AI startup SSI has secured $2B from Alphabet, Nvidia, and VCs, reaching a $32B valuation and partnering with Google Cloud for TPU use.

Google has rolled out its Veo 2 AI video generator on AI Studio and updated Lyria, Chirp 3, and Imagen 3 on Vertex AI.

Firebase Studio, Google's new AI development platform, combines Code OSS familiarity with Gemini agents, Genkit integration, and Firebase services.

The European Union has launched its AI Continent Action Plan, aiming to build AI gigafactories and bolster computing infrastructure to compete globally.

The administration's change of heart followed a promise from Nvidia regarding new investments in U.S.-based AI data centers.

With significant price hikes for on-prem products and Skype’s consumer shutdown in 2025, Microsoft accelerates its shift to cloud-based services.

Google has launched its seventh-generation Ironwood TPU, designed to revolutionize AI inference with massive scalability and efficiency, offering up to 42.5 exaFLOPS of power.

Microsoft has pulled out of a $1B data center in Licking County, Ohio, aligning with broader efforts to consolidate its AI infrastructure.

A UK court has blocked government efforts to hide Apple’s challenge to a backdoor order, exposing tensions over iCloud encryption and surveillance powers.

Microsoft continues to scaledback its AI data center expansion, pausing and cancelling various projects in different countries.

Google has reportedly entered advanced talks to lease Nvidia Blackwell GPUs from CoreWeave, seeking faster AI scale without waiting on internal TPU capacity.

CoreWeave has priced its IPO at $40, below expectations, after Microsoft exited a $12B deal and investors weighed debt and hardware concerns.

CoreWeave has secured a $11.9B deal with OpenAI, but mounting debt and reliance on outdated Nvidia GPUs have made its IPO a risky bet.

Google has introduced AI-powered nudges in Drive, surfacing relevant files and generating automatic summaries to improve file discovery and workflow efficiency.

Microsoft has added support for Anthropic's Model Context Protocol to Azure AI, enabling agent interoperability through shared schemas and memory tools.

Google has open-sourced a visual timeline tool for Kubernetes that helps developers trace cluster issues by correlating events across namespaces.

Tencent has reshaped its AI stack by using DeepSeek models, achieving more with fewer GPUs and responding to growing pressure on chip supply chains.

Microsoft has passed on a $12B option with CoreWeave, allowing OpenAI to secure an $11.9B contract for GPU cloud services ahead of CoreWeave’s IPO.

A new phishing campaign tricks Mac users with fake security alerts, stealing Apple ID credentials.

Nvidia has committed billions to U.S. chip production over four years, aiming to reduce reliance on overseas suppliers amid AI demand and geopolitical risks.

Google plans to acquire cloud security firm Wiz for $32 billion, aiming to enhance its cloud security offerings and compete with AWS and Microsoft Azure.

Apple has challenged the UK government’s order to provide access to encrypted iCloud data, arguing it compromises global privacy and security.

Microsoft has introduced auto-scaling, snapshot support, and CRC protection in Azure Elastic SAN, offering businesses greater flexibility and security in cloud storage.

The FTC has expanded its antitrust investigation into Microsoft, focusing on AI partnerships and cloud licensing practices that could limit competition.

Microsoft has set May 27, 2025, as the retirement date for its Remote Desktop app, emphasizing the need for users to shift to the Windows App for future access.