Global Scans · GAFA et al · Weekly Summary

• [New] The primary artificial intelligence hyperscalers - Alphabet, Amazon, Meta, Microsoft, and Oracle - are projected to spend $520 billion to build out AI infrastructure in 2026, potentially 30% above 2025 levels. The Plan Advocate
• [New] Google Meta, Microsoft, and Amazon are pledging even more money in 2026. Wired
• [New] Amazon recently announced it will invest $50 billion in AI infrastructure to support US government agencies. Nasdaq
• [New] Amazon will invest up to 50 billion dollars to build advanced AI and supercomputing infrastructure for AWS government regions, expanding capacity and supporting federal agencies across all classification levels. Vavoza
• [New] Hitachi Rail will deploy Google Cloud's cybersecurity and AI technologies to boost operational efficiency, sustainability and progress toward a fully autonomous rail network. Global Railway Review
• [New] Apple will ship 247.4 million iPhones in 2025, up just over 6% year-on-year, IDC has forecast. CNBC
• [New] Apple is prepping a major Vision Pro upgrade in 2025, leaning into mixed reality and productivity; expect refinements not repositioning. Glass Almanac
• [New] Apple's shipments will reach 19.4% in 2025, which would make Apple the world's leading smartphone manufacturer for the first time since 2011. Fox Business
• [New] Global smartphone shipments will rise by 3.3% year over year in 2025, with much of the gain driven by Apple. Fox Business
• [New] Google advanced its artificial intelligence ambitions with new efforts to expand the reach of its custom chips, while Bitcoin and major altcoins rallied on increasing confidence that the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates in December. Invezz
• [New] Podcast advertising is projected to be worth more than $4 billion by 2025, with more marketers, including behemoths like Amazon, Macy's, and Capital One, pouring money into podcast advertising. Podsqueeze
• [New] Google could execute rapid specialization through existing domain-specific Gemini variants in Workspace, Search, and YouTube, leveraging existing products rather than building new architecture. Art of Strategy
• [New] The greater the TPU volumes Google sells, the more GPU capex its rivals avoid, suggesting Google could evolve into a de facto merchant silicon vendor and intensify the GPU-TPU pricing contest. AIWebbiz
• [New] Google Cloud and Amazon Web Services are partnering up for a step toward a more open cloud environment with a jointly engineered multicloud networking solution that they claim will enable faster interoperability and interconnectivity. Silicon Republic
• [New] Capital expenditure plans exceeding $380 billion for AI infrastructure buildouts in 2025, with Microsoft, Amazon, Meta, and Alphabet all substantially increasing their spending forecasts. BearNetAI - Bytes to Insights
• [New] The UK could become an AI superpower, whilst reports suggest that OpenAI, Microsoft and Google are all expanding their UK presence. Verdict
• [New] Mass adoption of Worldcoin's identity system, regulatory approval in major markets, and successful partnerships with companies like Microsoft or Google could propel WLD toward $10. CryptoRank
• [New] Projects in environmentally sensitive areas, such as roads and other large-scale works in the Amazon, could be carried out quickly and without environmental safeguards, increasing Brazil's greenhouse gas emissions, in direct contradiction with the COP 30 agenda. Instituto Socioambiental - ISA
• [New] Capital investment from the five primary hyperscalers - Alphabet, Amazon, Meta, Microsoft, and Oracle is expected to increase 62% in 2025 and another 32% in 2026 based on recent consensus estimates, putting mid-teens earnings growth next year within reach if everything goes right. Hackman Financial Group
• [New] The dark pattern avoidance checklist matters more than ever - regulators just hit Amazon with a $2.5 billion settlement for manipulative design, and the California Privacy Protection Agency explicitly warns that dark patterns are about effect, not intent. Secure Privacy
• [New] Google and NextEra signed a 25-year PPA to finance the restart of a 615 MW Iowa nuclear plant by 2029 (Axios). New Energy Industrial Strategy (NEIS) Newsletter
• [New] Alphabet Inc.'s Google plans to invest $40 billion in three new Texas data centers. Last Week in ConTech

Last updated: 07 December 2025