Vodafone Teams Up with Google Cloud on Data Analytics

FILE PHOTO: The Vodafone logo is seen at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, February 28, 2018. REUTERS/Sergio Perez
FILE PHOTO: The Vodafone logo is seen at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, February 28, 2018. REUTERS/Sergio Perez
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Vodafone Teams Up with Google Cloud on Data Analytics

FILE PHOTO: The Vodafone logo is seen at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, February 28, 2018. REUTERS/Sergio Perez
FILE PHOTO: The Vodafone logo is seen at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, February 28, 2018. REUTERS/Sergio Perez

Mobile operator Vodafone Group Plc and Alphabet Inc's Google Cloud entered a strategic partnership to jointly develop data services, Vodafone said on Sunday.

About 1,000 workers in Britain, Spain and the United States will be asked by both companies to create "Nucleus", a new cloud-based storage and analytics portal which will host Vodafone's data.

Nucleus will be capable of processing around 50 terabytes of data a day within the cloud, Vodafone said in a statement.

"Both companies will drive the use of reliable and secure data analytics, insights, and learnings to support the introduction of new digital products and services for Vodafone customers simultaneously worldwide," the statement added.

Google did not respond to Reuters request for a comment. The news was first reported by the Financial Times on Sunday.

As part of the six-year agreement, both companies will also develop a system called 'Dynamo', which can extract and transport data across different countries where the British-based telecom company operates.

According to the FT report, the two companies also want to sell consultancy services to other multinational businesses looking to move huge amounts of data to the cloud in the future.



Tencent’s Weixin App Launches DeepSeek Search Testing

The DeepSeek app is seen in this illustration taken on January 29, 2025. (Reuters)
The DeepSeek app is seen in this illustration taken on January 29, 2025. (Reuters)
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Tencent’s Weixin App Launches DeepSeek Search Testing

The DeepSeek app is seen in this illustration taken on January 29, 2025. (Reuters)
The DeepSeek app is seen in this illustration taken on January 29, 2025. (Reuters)

Tencent said on Sunday its Weixin messaging app, China's largest, is allowing some users to search via DeepSeek's artificial intelligence model, as firms race to link up with the AI startup that has grabbed global attention.

In a beta test, Weixin is testing access to DeepSeek for searches, Tencent said in an email statement to Reuters.

The move by the Chinese tech giant is notable as integrating DeepSeek brings in an external AI platform, while tech firms compete fiercely in developing the most advanced AI.

Weixin uses Tencent's proprietary Hunyuan-Large language model to enrich its AI search, a spokesperson said.

Tencent is exploring the integration of multiple products with DeepSeek, including Tencent Cloud AI Code Assistant and Tencent Yuanbao, another AI assistant app, said a person with knowledge of the matter.

DeepSeek is being tested by Weixin, which serves domestic users, not its sister app WeChat, which targets overseas users. The two had a combined 1.38 billion users at the end of September.

DeepSeek last month upended the AI world, launching a free AI assistant that it says uses less data at a fraction of the cost of incumbent services. It quickly overtook US rival ChatGPT in downloads from Apple's App Store.

Among Chinese companies seeking to capitalize on DeepSeek's potential breakthrough, automaker Great Wall Motor and leading telecoms providers are integrating the AI model released by DeepSeek into their offerings.