Meta Introduces Broadcast Tool Channels on WhatsApp

Facebook's Meta logo sign is seen at the company headquarters in Menlo Park, Calif. on Oct. 28, 2021. (AP)
Facebook's Meta logo sign is seen at the company headquarters in Menlo Park, Calif. on Oct. 28, 2021. (AP)
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Meta Introduces Broadcast Tool Channels on WhatsApp

Facebook's Meta logo sign is seen at the company headquarters in Menlo Park, Calif. on Oct. 28, 2021. (AP)
Facebook's Meta logo sign is seen at the company headquarters in Menlo Park, Calif. on Oct. 28, 2021. (AP)

Meta Platforms on Thursday introduced WhatsApp Channels, a feature that the social media giant said would help make the app a "private broadcast messaging product."

Users in Colombia and Singapore will be the first to receive access to Channels. Over the coming months, Meta will expand the availability of the tool for users in more countries, it said.

The company said users will be able to follow content on their hobbies, sports teams, updates from local officials and others. Reuters reported.

Profile photos and contact information of the channel admin would not be visible to followers. Similarly, followers will not have their phone numbers revealed.

Global launch partners for the feature will include the World Health Organization, FC Barcelona and Manchester City.



Microsoft Plans to Invest $80 billion on AI-enabled Data Centers in 2025

FILE PHOTO: A Microsoft logo is pictured on a store in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York, US, January 25, 2021. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A Microsoft logo is pictured on a store in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York, US, January 25, 2021. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri/File Photo
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Microsoft Plans to Invest $80 billion on AI-enabled Data Centers in 2025

FILE PHOTO: A Microsoft logo is pictured on a store in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York, US, January 25, 2021. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A Microsoft logo is pictured on a store in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York, US, January 25, 2021. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri/File Photo

Microsoft is planning to invest about $80 billion in fiscal 2025 on developing data centers to train artificial intelligence (AI) models and deploy AI and cloud-based applications, the company said in a blog post on Friday.
Investment in AI has surged since OpenAI launched ChatGPT in 2022, as companies across sectors seek to integrate artificial intelligence into their products and services.
AI requires enormous computing power, pushing demand for specialized data centers that enable tech companies to link thousands of chips together in clusters.
Microsoft has been investing billions to enhance its AI infrastructure and broaden its data-center network.
Analysts expect Microsoft's fiscal 2025 capital expenditure including capital leases to be $84.24 billion, according to Visible Alpha.
The company's capital expenditure in the first quarter of fiscal 2025 rose 5.3% to $20 billion, Reuters reported.
As OpenAI's primary backer, the tech giant is considered a leading contender among Big Tech companies in the AI race due to its exclusive partnership with the AI chatbot maker.
More than half of Microsoft's $80 billion investment will be in the United States, Vice Chair and President Brad Smith said in the blog post.
"Today, the United States leads the global AI race thanks to the investment of private capital and innovations by American companies of all sizes, from dynamic start-ups to well-established enterprises," Smith said.