Amazon Invests $11 Billion to Expand Cloud and Logistics in Germany

Amazon boxes are seen stacked for delivery in the Manhattan borough of New York City, January 29, 2016. (Reuters)
Amazon boxes are seen stacked for delivery in the Manhattan borough of New York City, January 29, 2016. (Reuters)
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Amazon Invests $11 Billion to Expand Cloud and Logistics in Germany

Amazon boxes are seen stacked for delivery in the Manhattan borough of New York City, January 29, 2016. (Reuters)
Amazon boxes are seen stacked for delivery in the Manhattan borough of New York City, January 29, 2016. (Reuters)

Amazon will invest 10 billion euros ($10.75 billion) as demand for its cloud services and retail goods in Europe's biggest economy keeps growing, the US technology and retail company said on Wednesday.

The greater part of the sum, 8.8 billion euros, will be spent by 2026 to expand the cloud infrastructure of its computing unit Amazon Web Service (AWS), as it sees rising potential in Artificial Intelligence (AI)-driven technologies in Europe, Reuters reported.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz praised the investment that would create more than 4,000 jobs this year by saying it underlines the country's attractiveness for investors.

Berlin is dealing with an economic downturn triggered by high energy costs and interest rates, as well as under-investment due in part to red tape.

The announcement brings the total amount of Amazon's planned investments in Germany to 17.8 billion euros.

AWS was considering multi-billion investments in the expansion of its data centres in Italy, Reuters reported in May.

 

 

 

 

 

 



Meta to Offer Less Personalized Ads in Europe to Appease Regulators

Meta to Offer Less Personalized Ads in Europe to Appease Regulators
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Meta to Offer Less Personalized Ads in Europe to Appease Regulators

Meta to Offer Less Personalized Ads in Europe to Appease Regulators

Meta Platforms plans to offer Instagram and Facebook users in Europe the option to receive "less personalized ads," the tech giant announced on Tuesday, in an effort to allay regulators' mounting concerns.

The Menlo Park, California-based company said it is implementing these changes in response to demands from EU regulators.

Over the coming weeks, people in the EU who use the company's social media platforms for free with ads, will be able to choose to see ads based on what Meta calls "context"- content that a user sees during a particular session on the platforms.

According to Reuters, these ads will also target users based on age, gender, and location, with some being unskippable for a few seconds.

Meta also plans to reduce the price of ad-free subscriptions by about 40% for European users.

This move comes as European regulators intensify efforts to curb Big Tech's power and level the playing field for smaller firms, including through the landmark Digital Markets Act (DMA) which came into force earlier this year.

The European Union law aims to make it easier for people to move between competing online services like social media platforms, internet browsers and app stores.

Last month, Europe's top court ruled that Meta must restrict the use of personal data harvested from Facebook for targeted advertising, supporting privacy activist Max Schrems.

The European Union did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

The developments were first reported by the Wall Street Journal.

Earlier in November, Reuters reported that Apple is set to be fined by the European Union's antitrust regulators under the bloc's landmark rules aimed at managing Big Tech's influence, making it the first company to be sanctioned.