Global Scans · Microsoft · Weekly Summary

• [New] Microsoft has revised its Windows 11 AI privacy policy to require explicit user consent before AI agents can access personal files, following backlash over concerns that AI features could reach sensitive data without clear permission. The AI Policy Newsletter
• [New] Microsoft's existing age verification for Xbox and Microsoft accounts may provide a technical foundation, but extending it across all services while maintaining privacy protections will require significant development. Compliance Hub Wiki
• [New] Most Australians remain persistently logged into Google or Microsoft accounts for email, cloud storage, and productivity tools, meaning age verification will effectively impact nearly all Australian internet users. Compliance Hub Wiki
• [New] If Amazon deepens its financial ties to OpenAI, it could create new strategic pressure on Microsoft (already a major OpenAI partner) and intensify the battle among the largest clouds to be the default home for AI workloads. Tech Startups - Tech News, Tech Trends & Startup Fundin
• [New] Consensus estimates for 2025 capital expenditures (capex) from the five hyperscalers - Alphabet, Amazon, Meta, Microsoft, and Oracle (ORCL) - in 2025 are expected to come in at $400 billion. Tortuga Wealth Management
• [New] Hyperscalers such as AWS, Google, and Microsoft are participating, and it is expected to become the de facto industry standard. Amiko Consulting
• [New] Constellation Energy, a major U.S. power company, last year partnered with Microsoft on a plan to reignite Unit 1 of Three Mile Island, the site of a major nuclear accident, by 2028. SightLine | U308
• [New] Tech giants Amazon, Meta, Alphabet, Microsoft, and Oracle have been investing billions of dollars in a race to build out their artificial intelligence ventures in the last year, further stoking Wall Street fears of a bubble capable of disrupting the entire economy. Harvard Gazette
• [New] The big U.S. hyperscale's - Amazon, Alphabet, Meta, and Microsoft - have spent hundreds of billions of dollars on AI infrastructure in 2025 and have continued to raise their investment guidance for 2026. WTW
• [New] For Microsoft 365 E5 customers, Intune Endpoint Privilege Management, Enterprise Application Management, and Microsoft Cloud PKI will enable IT teams to safeguard AI use and strengthen security by mitigating risk, maintaining compliance, and delivering more secure user experiences. Microsoft 365 Blog
• Microsoft predicts that organizations will be forced to confront something more fundamental: whether they can embrace the change that AI agents bring as they take on increasingly prominent roles in the workplace. Techzine Global
• Microsoft says it will spend $7.5 billion over the next two years to build new digital and artificial intelligence infrastructure in Canada-infrastructure that the United States tech giant claims will support Canadian digital sovereignty. Sophic Capital
• Google, Amazon, Microsoft and Meta will spend more than $400bn on data centers in 2026, on top of more than $350bn in 2025, as they battle for supremacy in artificial intelligence. McAlvany Financial Group
• Firms like NVIDIA, with its dominance in AI accelerators, Microsoft through its Azure AI services and OpenAI investments, and Google with its extensive AI research and cloud offerings, are seeing their valuations soar based on the transformative potential of AI. FinancialContent
• Companies such as NVIDIA, Microsoft, and Meta Platforms are being priced based on future AI potential, sparking concerns about an AI bubble. FinancialContent
• If Microsoft or Google simply adopt AAIF standards and bundle them, niche players might struggle unless they offer clear value-add. IntuitionLabs
• Companies heavily invested in AI, like Nvidia and Microsoft, will need to continuously innovate and demonstrate real-world applications to maintain investor confidence. FinancialContent
• Companies like Microsoft and Alphabet that integrate AI into their products and services are expected to see continued growth. FinancialContent
• In two years, they expect the center of gravity to flip, with tools like Microsoft Agent 365 acting as the hub where human goals and agent capabilities actually meet. Binary Verse AI
• Microsoft will provide in-country data processing for Microsoft 365 Copilot interactions in 15 countries over the next two years, in a move aimed at enhancing local control and regulatory compliance for customers in government and highly regulated industries. IT Brief Asia
• The four-year spending plan starts in 2026 and would give Microsoft the largest cloud-computing presence in India. Just Security

Last updated: 28 December 2025