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French Antitrust Authority Investigating Microsoft Over Bing Access

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France’s antitrust authority has launched an investigation into Microsoft, scrutinizing allegations that the tech giant is diminishing the quality of search results for smaller competitors who pay to use Bing’s technology in their own search engines. According to a Microsoft spokesperson, the company is fully cooperating with the investigation led by the Autorité de la concurrence, France’s competition regulator.

While Microsoft does not hold a dominant share of the general search engine market, it is a key player in the search-engine syndication sector. The investigation, which could lead to formal charges and a potential fine, comes after concerns were raised about Microsoft’s practices potentially harming competition and impacting the user experience of smaller search engine providers.

The French competition authority has yet to comment on the specifics of the investigation.

EDP Renewables Signs Virtual Power Purchase Agreement with Microsoft for Solar Projects

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EDP Renewables North America announced on Monday that it has successfully delivered three large-scale solar projects and entered into a long-term virtual power purchase agreement (VPPA) with Microsoft (MSFT.O). The agreement highlights the growing trend among tech giants to secure cleaner energy sources to power their operations, especially data centers, as they continue to invest heavily in artificial intelligence.

The three solar projects, located in Illinois and Texas, will collectively generate around 400 megawatts (MW) of electricity. Under the terms of the VPPA, Microsoft will purchase approximately 389 MW of electricity and renewable energy credits, contributing to the tech company’s sustainability goals.

The Illinois-based projects include a 140 MW solar installation in Jacksonville and a 110 MW solar park near Jerseyville, both of which began operations in November. Additionally, a 150 MW solar facility near Austin, Texas, came online in December 2024.

This agreement brings the total number of solar projects EDP Renewables has developed for Microsoft in the U.S. to five, further strengthening the partnership between the two companies in their pursuit of clean energy solutions.

Capgemini CEO Criticizes EU’s AI Regulations as Too Restrictive

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Aiman Ezzat, CEO of Capgemini, expressed concerns that the European Union has overreached with its artificial intelligence regulations, making it more challenging for global companies to deploy AI in the region. In an interview, Ezzat highlighted the difficulties businesses face as they navigate different AI laws across multiple countries. His remarks come ahead of the AI Action Summit in Paris and amidst growing frustration from the private sector regarding AI regulations.

The EU’s AI Act, which is touted as the world’s most comprehensive AI law, has been criticized by some companies for stifling innovation. Ezzat commented, “In Europe, we went too far and too fast on AI regulation,” emphasizing that the absence of global AI standards has made the regulatory landscape increasingly complex.

Capgemini, one of Europe’s largest IT services firms, partners with major companies like Microsoft, Google Cloud, and Amazon Web Services (AWS), and serves clients such as Heathrow Airport and Deutsche Telekom. At the upcoming summit in Paris, AI policy frameworks are expected to be discussed, and Ezzat anticipates efforts to align global policy on AI.

While the AI Act won’t be fully implemented for several years, concerns have already arisen regarding privacy law violations by AI actors. Several European data protection authorities are reviewing DeepSeek, a Chinese startup that has drawn attention for its ability to compete with U.S. companies at a fraction of the cost. Despite DeepSeek’s open-source model, Ezzat noted its transparency limitations, such as the lack of access to the datasets used to train the models.

Capgemini is in the early stages of exploring the integration of DeepSeek’s models with clients, according to Ezzat.