Meta, AMD Agree to Major AI Chips Deal

 A 3D printed Facebook's new rebrand logo Meta is seen in front of a displayed AMD logo in this illustration taken November 9, 2021. (Reuters)
A 3D printed Facebook's new rebrand logo Meta is seen in front of a displayed AMD logo in this illustration taken November 9, 2021. (Reuters)
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Meta, AMD Agree to Major AI Chips Deal

 A 3D printed Facebook's new rebrand logo Meta is seen in front of a displayed AMD logo in this illustration taken November 9, 2021. (Reuters)
A 3D printed Facebook's new rebrand logo Meta is seen in front of a displayed AMD logo in this illustration taken November 9, 2021. (Reuters)

American tech giant Meta has reached an agreement to purchase millions of powerful AI chips from processor manufacturer AMD, in which it could become a major shareholder, the two companies announced Tuesday.

The Facebook and Instagram giant is on a massive spending spree as it battles to keep up with Google, OpenAI and Microsoft in the generative AI race sparked by the release of ChatGPT in 2022.

Meta's deal with AMD comes only days after the company led by Mark Zuckerberg said it had agreed to deploy millions of processors over the next few years from AMD rival Nvidia.

The five largest US cloud and AI infrastructure providers - Microsoft, Alphabet, Amazon, Meta, and Oracle - have collectively committed to spending more than $650 billion on capital expenditure in 2026, nearly doubling 2025 levels.

AMD has committed to supplying Meta with up to six gigawatts worth of graphics processing units (GPUs), chips fundamental to powering artificial intelligence. AMD's stock jumped 6.5 percent at opening on Wall Street.

No dollar figure was provided in the joint communique, but the transactions represent a "double-digit" amount in billions of dollars, AMD CEO Lisa Su told analysts, according to Bloomberg.

"We're excited to form a long-term partnership with AMD to deploy efficient inference compute and deliver personal superintelligence," said Mark Zuckerberg, founder and CEO of Meta. "I expect AMD to be an important partner for many years to come."

In addition, AMD issued Meta a financial option that can be converted to shares that would make the social media giant a major shareholder if the chip company hits certain performance benchmarks in the coming years.

The Meta deal follows other major AI partnerships AMD has been striking as it seeks to gain ground on Nvidia, the AI chip powerhouse.

In October 2025, AMD and ChatGPT-maker OpenAI announced a very similar multibillion-dollar partnership, with OpenAI committing to purchasing six gigawatts worth of AMD chips.

Meta's doubling-down on AI is seen by some investors as a riskier bet than that of other tech giants.

Unlike Amazon, Microsoft, and Google, Meta doesn't have a cloud service and lacks a direct revenue stream tied to its AI investments. Meta says it benefits from AI through improved performance in its core digital ads business via better targeting.

The company has also been releasing AI features such as AI characters on its world-leading platforms, but in January Meta said it was temporarily suspending teenager access to them as it perfected the products.



YouTube Exec Says Goal Was Viewer Value Not Addiction 

Cristos Goodrow, vice president of engineering at YouTube, arrives outside the court to take the stand at trial in a key test case accusing Meta and Google's YouTube of harming kids' mental health through addictive platforms, in Los Angeles, California, US, February 23, 2026. (Reuters)
Cristos Goodrow, vice president of engineering at YouTube, arrives outside the court to take the stand at trial in a key test case accusing Meta and Google's YouTube of harming kids' mental health through addictive platforms, in Los Angeles, California, US, February 23, 2026. (Reuters)
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YouTube Exec Says Goal Was Viewer Value Not Addiction 

Cristos Goodrow, vice president of engineering at YouTube, arrives outside the court to take the stand at trial in a key test case accusing Meta and Google's YouTube of harming kids' mental health through addictive platforms, in Los Angeles, California, US, February 23, 2026. (Reuters)
Cristos Goodrow, vice president of engineering at YouTube, arrives outside the court to take the stand at trial in a key test case accusing Meta and Google's YouTube of harming kids' mental health through addictive platforms, in Los Angeles, California, US, February 23, 2026. (Reuters)

A landmark social media addiction trial resumed Monday with a YouTube executive insisting that the Google-owned company's aim was to give people value, not hook them on harmful binge-viewing.

YouTube vice president of engineering Cristos Goodrow was pressed to defend the company's self-styled "big, hairy, audacious goal," set more than a decade ago, to increase viewer time to more than a billion hours a day by 2016.

As he did last week when Meta chief executive Mark Zuckerberg testified in the same Los Angeles court, plaintiff's attorney Mark Lanier told jurors that Goodrow's compensation climbed with his company's share price, meaning he profited personally from ramping up user engagement.

"YouTube is not designed to maximize time," Goodrow replied, as he was shown company documents indicating that viewer engagement was a priority for performance at the platform.

"It's designed to give people the most value..."

As a counterpoint, Lanier had Goodrow detail the addition of features including viewing recommendations, auto-play for videos and ads, and a version of YouTube designed specifically for children.

The lawyer said these efforts enticed users to a "treadmill of continuous checking" for new content.

Goodrow contended "we don't want anybody to be addicted to anything" as Lanier pressed him about YouTube features crafted to keep viewers watching.

The executive pushed back against efforts by Lanier to put YouTube on par with social networks such as Facebook or Snapchat, stressing the platform was not a forum for friends to connect or for sharing vanishing messages.

And YouTube would see relentless scrolling by users as a failure, not a success, according to Goodrow.

"We want people to be able to watch what they want to watch as quickly as possible every time," Goodrow told jurors.

"If they scroll, they'll get kind of frustrated."

Lots of scrolling would also mean YouTube's vaunted recommendation software was not doing its job well, he added.

Lanier pointed to internal YouTube documents referencing outside research that found harmful effects from spending too much time watching videos.

Goodrow agreed that children should not be losing sleep watching YouTube, saying that is why the platform came up with features like view timers and prompts to take breaks.

- Kaley to testify -

The trial is set to last until late March, when the jury will decide whether Meta and YouTube bear responsibility for the mental health problems suffered by Kaley G.M., a 20-year-old California resident who has been a heavy social media user since childhood.

Kaley G.M. started using YouTube at age six, Instagram at nine, and later TikTok and Snapchat.

She is expected to testify this week - perhaps as early as Tuesday, according to her lawyers.

Zuckerberg testified last week that he regretted Meta's slow progress in identifying underage users on Instagram, as the plaintiff's legal team sharply criticized the company for deliberately targeting children.

The trial is the first in a series of lawsuits filed by American families against social media platforms and will determine whether Google and Meta deliberately designed their platforms to encourage compulsive use among young people.

The case is expected to set a standard for resolving thousands of lawsuits that blame social media for fueling an epidemic of depression, anxiety, eating disorders, and suicide.

TikTok and Snapchat, also named in the complaint, reached settlements with the plaintiff before the trial began.


Saudi Arabia Joins Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence

Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA) President Dr. Abdullah Al-Ghamdi speaks at the India AI Impact Summit 2026. (SPA)
Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA) President Dr. Abdullah Al-Ghamdi speaks at the India AI Impact Summit 2026. (SPA)
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Saudi Arabia Joins Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence

Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA) President Dr. Abdullah Al-Ghamdi speaks at the India AI Impact Summit 2026. (SPA)
Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA) President Dr. Abdullah Al-Ghamdi speaks at the India AI Impact Summit 2026. (SPA)

Saudi Arabia has officially joined the Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence (GPAI), an initiative hosted by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and originating from the G7, reported the Saudi Press Agency on Saturday.

Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA) President Dr. Abdullah Al-Ghamdi made the announcement at the India AI Impact Summit 2026.

Al-Ghamdi emphasized that the accession to the GPAI underscores the Kingdom’s leadership in fostering the responsible and reliable use of AI. 

This strategic partnership aims to expand AI risk monitoring to the Middle East, aligning regional priorities with international standards and reinforcing the Riyadh Charter on AI to ensure ethical technological development for the benefit of humanity, he added.

Supported by Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, the membership aligns with Vision 2030 goals to localize advanced technologies and boost the digital economy's contribution to GDP.

By joining over 40 nations, Saudi Arabia will actively shape international AI standards, promote ethical and responsible AI use, and attract high-quality global investments into its robust regulatory environment.

Saudi Arabia ranks third globally in contributions to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development AI Policy Observatory, having submitted over 60 policies to support international governance.

 


Xbox Boss Phil Spencer Retires as Microsoft Shakes Up Gaming Unit

During 12 years leading Xbox, Phil Spencer oversaw blockbuster studio buys and an evolution to video games being played just about anywhere players can get online. KEVORK DJANSEZIAN / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP
During 12 years leading Xbox, Phil Spencer oversaw blockbuster studio buys and an evolution to video games being played just about anywhere players can get online. KEVORK DJANSEZIAN / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP
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Xbox Boss Phil Spencer Retires as Microsoft Shakes Up Gaming Unit

During 12 years leading Xbox, Phil Spencer oversaw blockbuster studio buys and an evolution to video games being played just about anywhere players can get online. KEVORK DJANSEZIAN / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP
During 12 years leading Xbox, Phil Spencer oversaw blockbuster studio buys and an evolution to video games being played just about anywhere players can get online. KEVORK DJANSEZIAN / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP

Microsoft on Friday put out word that Xbox stalwart Phil Spencer is retiring, in a shakeup of leadership at the tech titan's video game unit.

Former Instacart chief operating officer Asha Sharma will take over as head of Microsoft Gaming, with Matt Booty becoming executive vice president and chief content officer, said AFP.

"As we celebrate Xbox's 25th year, the opportunity and innovation agenda in front of us is expansive," Microsoft chief executive Satya Nadella said in a message to employees.

"I am long on gaming and its role at the center of our consumer ambition."

Changes to the gaming team include Sarah Bond leaving her job as Xbox president "to begin a new chapter" away from Microsoft, according to the company.

The shakeup comes as cloud computing and artificial intelligence have become priorities at Microsoft, driving revenue growth but also massive spending on infrastructure to power the technology.

"When I walked through Microsoft's doors as an intern in June of 1988, I could never have imagined the products I'd help build, the players and customers we'd serve or the extraordinary teams I'd be lucky enough to join," Spencer said in a message to colleagues.

"It's been an epic ride and truly the privilege of a lifetime."

Spencer headed the Xbox unit for 12 of his 38 years at Microsoft, nearly tripling the size of the business as video games evolved from packaged software for consoles to subscription services and digital downloads on an array of devices.

Spencer also guided the Xbox team through acquisitions of Activision Blizzard, ZeniMax, and Minecraft.

Xbox boasts more than 500 million monthly users and a vast stable of game studios, along with a subscription gaming service.

"We are witnessing the reinvention of play," Sharma said in a blog post announcing the leadership changes.

"To meet the moment, we will invent new business models and new ways to play by leaning into what we already have: iconic teams, characters and worlds that people love."