AI data centres and defence tech lead investment wave July 30, 2026 Data centres, energy, and military technologies are the main investment channels tech buyers want to pour money into, according to new research. Law firm A&O Shearman’s latest outlook for technology investment said demand was growing for the infrastructure needed to build and run AI, while software companies faced greater scrutiny over whether AI could replace [...]
Microsoft ‘back on track’, whilst Meta spending leaves investors ‘nervous’ July 30, 2026 Microsoft saw strong growth over the last quarter as demand for its AI products continued to climb, while Meta’s rising spending on AI overshadowed record sales and sent its shares lower. The two US tech giants reported quarterly results after the closing bell on Wednesday, offering investors a clear picture of whether billions of dollars [...]
While rivals scramble to merge, the world’s biggest law firm is playing the long game July 30, 2026 While rival law firms grapple with mergers and headline tie‑ups, Dentons, the world’s largest law firm by size, is quietly betting that an ‘already there’ strategy will play in its favour. Dentons’ global chief executive Kate Barton told City AM the firm, like much of Big Law, is focused on globalised client relationships: “We have [...]
Michael Dell, Lord Johnson and the ‘gun to the head’ meeting that ended a £15bn AI project July 30, 2026 In December, billionaire Michael Dell opened an alarming email. “My trust in Mr Bellamy has been undermined by the way he has operated”, the email read, “and I cannot be certain the information he shared with you is accurate or complete”. The mysterious missive was sent by Patrick Hughes, the co-founder of a major new [...]
PwC thought leadership reports ‘100 per cent AI generated’ July 29, 2026 The Big Four giant PwC has been found to have published four ‘thought leadership’ reports that show a pattern of irresponsible AI usage, including hallucinated citations and fabricated claims. A probe by GPTZero, a company that makes AI detection software, focused on four reports published between 2024 and 2026 by PwC Middle East and found [...]
Glencore and Rio Tinto strike gold on high commodity prices July 29, 2026 Rio Tinto and Glencore have posted near-record updates thanks to this year’s sky-high commodity prices and the uncertainty wrought by the Middle East conflict. Mining juggernaut Rio Tinto notched a 43 per cent jump in profit over the first six months of the year, pointing to persistently elevated metals prices and the ambitious efficiency programme [...]
Ofgem targets speculative AI data centres to free up Britain’s energy grid July 29, 2026 Ofgem has announced plans to stop speculative AI data centre projects clogging up Britain’s electricity grid, after applications for new power connections more than tripled in less than a year. The energy regulator is consulting on a new upfront commitment fee for large data centre developers, alongside tougher rules requiring projects to prove they are [...]
Sage accelerates AI expansion as revenue grows July 29, 2026 Sage said it is accelerating the roll-out of AI across its product lines on Wednesday as it reported another quarter of double-digit revenue growth, fuelled by a boost in demand for its cloud accounting software. The FTSE 100 software company said revenue rose 11 per cent to £2.06bn in the nine months to 30 June, [...]
John Healey returns to a City that has outgrown his mid-2000s rulebook July 29, 2026 As Chancellor John Healey returns to the Treasury, he must recognise that the City’s competitive landscape has fundamentally shifted from the exchange-focused concerns of the mid-2000s toward a modern model where investment banks increasingly rely on shared, industrialised infrastructure, says Joe Channer As John Healey arrives at the Treasury – this time, to everyone’s surprise, [...]
Students urged to rethink idea of a ‘safe job’ as Labour pledges major education reform July 28, 2026 A Cabinet minister has warned young people against depending on “safe and secure jobs” as Andy Burnham announced that children as young as 14 will get access to technical education. Pat McFadden, the work and pensions secretary, has said that changes to the education system were “more urgent” given disruption to the jobs market from [...]