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Google Buys Stake in Taiwan Solar Power Firm Owned by BlackRock

The Google sign is shown on one of the company's office buildings in Irvine, California, US, October 20, 2020. REUTERS/Mike Blake
The Google sign is shown on one of the company's office buildings in Irvine, California, US, October 20, 2020. REUTERS/Mike Blake
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Google Buys Stake in Taiwan Solar Power Firm Owned by BlackRock

The Google sign is shown on one of the company's office buildings in Irvine, California, US, October 20, 2020. REUTERS/Mike Blake
The Google sign is shown on one of the company's office buildings in Irvine, California, US, October 20, 2020. REUTERS/Mike Blake

Google said it has taken a stake in Taiwan's New Green Power and could buy up to 300 megawatts of renewable energy from the BlackRock fund-owned firm to help cut its carbon emissions and those of suppliers.

Companies are being pushed to cut greenhouse gas emissions linked to their operations and value chains by investors and Big Tech firms have been among the most ambitious in their targets.

Google aims to constantly run on carbon-free energy wherever it operates. Yet sector growth in demand for data-processing capacity to power artificial intelligence has seen emissions jump.

Taiwan, a major site for Google's cloud technology with a data centre and company offices, still relied on fossil fuels to generate nearly 85% of its power, Amanda Peterson Corio, Google's Global Head of Data Center Energy told Reuters.

"The goal of this investment is really to support the build out of a large-scale solar pipeline in Taiwan," Corio added.

Regions such as Asia Pacific can be harder to decarbonise due to less developed infrastructure and restrictions limiting the ability of corporate users to buy green power.

New Green Power, owned by a fund managed by BlackRock's Climate Infrastructure business, was one of the leading solar developers and operators in Taiwan, BlackRock's Global Head of Climate Infrastructure David Giordano told Reuters.

Google and BlackRock both declined to specify the size of the equity stake being taken in NGP, but Corio said the investment was expected to drive the equity and debt financing for the build-out of its 1 gigawatt (GW) pipeline.

Taiwan is targeting 20 GW of solar capacity by 2025 and up to 80 GW by 2050, BlackRock said.

Corio said that as well as using some of the solar power it buys to drive its own operations, Google would also be able to offer some to its suppliers and manufacturers in the region.

Sharing with suppliers would help Google lower its so-called Scope 3 emissions, those tied to its value chain, she added. (Editing by Alexander Smith)

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Technology

EU Launches Antitrust Probe into Meta over Use of AI in WhatsApp

FILE - Attendees visit the Meta booth at the Game Developers Conference 2023 in San Francisco on March 22, 2023. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File)
FILE - Attendees visit the Meta booth at the Game Developers Conference 2023 in San Francisco on March 22, 2023. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File)
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EU Launches Antitrust Probe into Meta over Use of AI in WhatsApp

FILE - Attendees visit the Meta booth at the Game Developers Conference 2023 in San Francisco on March 22, 2023. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File)
FILE - Attendees visit the Meta booth at the Game Developers Conference 2023 in San Francisco on March 22, 2023. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File)

Brussels has opened a new antitrust investigation into Meta Platforms over its rollout of artificial intelligence features in WhatsApp, the European Commission said on Thursday, reflecting rising scrutiny of Big Tech's use of generative AI.

The move, reported earlier by Reuters and the Financial Times, marks the latest action by European regulators against large technology firms as the bloc seeks to balance support for the sector with efforts to curb its expanding influence.

The European Commission opened the investigation into "Meta's new policy regarding AI providers' access to WhatsApp" after the California-based company integrated its Meta AI system into the messaging service earlier this year.

A WhatsApp spokesperson said that "the claims are baseless", adding that the emergence of chatbots on its platforms "puts a strain on our systems that they were not designed to support".

"Even still, the AI space is highly competitive and people have access to the services of their choice in any number of ways, including app stores, search engines, email services, partnership integrations, and operating systems."

Meta AI, a chatbot and virtual assistant, has been built into WhatsApp's interface since March 2025 across European markets.

Italy's antitrust watchdog opened a parallel investigation in July into allegations that Meta leveraged its market power by integrating an AI tool into WhatsApp. The probe was expanded in November to examine whether Meta further abused its dominance by blocking rival AI chatbots from the messaging platform.

The FT, citing officials, said that the EU probe will be conducted under traditional antitrust rules rather than the EU's Digital Markets Act, the bloc's landmark legislation currently used to scrutinize Amazon and Microsoft's cloud services for potential curbs.

Technology

Nintendo Launches Long-awaited 'Metroid Prime 4' Sci-fi Blaster

The 'Metroid' series's unique look has garnered many fans since it began in 1986. Ina FASSBENDER / AFP/File
The 'Metroid' series's unique look has garnered many fans since it began in 1986. Ina FASSBENDER / AFP/File
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Nintendo Launches Long-awaited 'Metroid Prime 4' Sci-fi Blaster

The 'Metroid' series's unique look has garnered many fans since it began in 1986. Ina FASSBENDER / AFP/File
The 'Metroid' series's unique look has garnered many fans since it began in 1986. Ina FASSBENDER / AFP/File

Fans of Nintendo's "Metroid" science-fiction saga have reason to celebrate Thursday as the latest instalment in the series is released after an eight-year wait and a bumpy road through development.

Drawing loose inspiration from the "Alien" movies since its first title in 1986, the game series has followed the adventures of space bounty hunter Samus Aran in her battle with the extraterrestrial Metroid, said AFP.

Over 15 instalments, the saga evolved from 2D platforming and exploration into a first-person action-adventure format from 2002, when the first "Metroid Prime" appeared on the Gamecube console.

Now "Metroid Prime 4: Beyond" will take players on Switch 1 or 2 to a distant planet they can explore on foot or by motorbike in Samus's distinctive armored suit.

Equipped with an arm-mounted cannon and a suite of psychic powers to overcome different challenges, players must blaze a trail through jungles or deserts as they battle enemies.

In a novelty for this instalment, players can use the Switch 2's detachable controller handset like a computer mouse to look around the environment -- making the game more comfortable for people used to gaming on a PC setup.

Critics have largely welcomed the new game, with a score of 81 out of 100 based on 71 reviews aggregated by the Metacritic website.

That's a relief for Nintendo after its painful and rare decision to restart development from scratch in 2019 -- 18 months after the title's initial unveiling.

The Japanese giant's first take had "not reached the standards we seek", Nintendo development lead Shinya Takahashi said at the time in a YouTube video.

Nintendo instead handed the job to its US-based development house Retro Studios, which created the first three "Metroid Prime" titles.

The years flying under the radar for "Prime 4" meant it joined longed-for future titles like "Half-Life 3" from Valve or "Beyond Good and Evil 2" from Ubisoft among game fans' white whales.

Technology

Saudi Investment Ministry Unveils High-quality Cybersecurity Investments at Black Hat MEA 2025 

The ministry revealed a series of new investments by leading international and local companies in the field of cybersecurity. (SPA)
The ministry revealed a series of new investments by leading international and local companies in the field of cybersecurity. (SPA)
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Saudi Investment Ministry Unveils High-quality Cybersecurity Investments at Black Hat MEA 2025 

The ministry revealed a series of new investments by leading international and local companies in the field of cybersecurity. (SPA)
The ministry revealed a series of new investments by leading international and local companies in the field of cybersecurity. (SPA)

The Saudi Ministry of Investment, the strategic sponsor and investment partner of the fourth edition of Black Hat Middle East and Africa 2025, announced a package of high-quality investments in the cybersecurity sector, reported the Saudi Press Agency on Wednesday.

The announcement came during the event, organized by the Saudi Federation for Cybersecurity, Programming, and Drones at the Riyadh Exhibition and Convention Center in Malham from December 2 to 4, with the participation of leading global companies and cybersecurity innovators, as well as senior officials and experts from the public and private sectors.

During its participation, the ministry revealed a series of new investments by leading international and local companies in the field of cybersecurity, including the opening of regional headquarters, the establishment of operational branches, the signing of exclusive partnerships, and expansion into external markets.

The total value of these investments exceeded SAR500 million, underscoring the attractiveness of the Kingdom’s investment environment and the strength of its technological and cybersecurity ecosystem.

The ministry’s participation in this international event comes as an extension of its efforts to attract high-quality investments, launch enabling initiatives, and support the expansion of Saudi investments abroad, in addition to boosting the growth of the cybersecurity sector as one of the promising technology sectors, which aligns with the objectives of the Saudi Vision 2030 to advance the digital economy and enhance the Kingdom’s competitiveness and technological readiness.