Global Scans · GAFA et al · Weekly Summary

• [New] Amazon will keep moving more UPS and USPS 'glide down' parcels in-house while growing Amazon Shipping, widening its lead in U.S. package delivery in 2026. Logistics Management
• [New] Places like Australia and South-East Asia, central and southern Africa, India and the Amazon rainforest will face the risk of heatwaves, drought and wildfires. New Scientist
• [New] Former Chief Scientist for Quantum Hardware at Google, The fusion of AI with quantum computing holds the profound potential to revolutionise data processing frameworks, vastly increasing computation efficiency. BUSINESS 2.0 NEWS
• [New] Companies including Block, Amazon, Dow, UPS, Pinterest and Target have cut jobs while citing AI's productivity potential, leaving remaining staff under pressure to produce more with tools they were never trained to use. Outsource Accelerator
• [New] Google Cloud will deliver 5 GW of compute to Anthropic over five years, starting in 2027 (CNBC; TechCrunch). Asanify
• [New] Google-parent Alphabet, which continues to dominate digital advertising and cloud, is projected to deliver EPS of $2.62 and revenue of $106.8 billion, with analysts closely watching for evidence that AI integration is driving incremental growth across its key business lines. investing.com
• [New] Google plans to invest $40 billion into Anthropic in what could be viewed as a circular deal with the AI startup (and frequent competitor). Engadget
• [New] Amazon will invest $5 billion in Anthropic and up to an additional $20 billion tied to certain commercial milestones, on top of the $8 billion Amazon previously invested. Amazon News
• [New] Companies like Microsoft, Amazon, Alphabet, and Meta are ramping up investments in data centers and electricity generation to power new AI models and services, betting that more energy will be needed to keep up with future AI-drive products. CNN
• [New] Amazon will invest $5 billion immediately in AI startup Anthropic, with $20 billion in additional funding tied to performance milestones, bringing its total commitment to $33 billion. Tech Startups - Tech News, Tech Trends & Startup Fundin
• [New] If Google broadens its supplier base, it gains leverage, reduces single-partner risk, and sharpens its pitch that TPUs can be a real alternative in the next stage of enterprise AI deployment. Tech Startups - Tech News, Tech Trends & Startup Fundin
• [New] Amazon will invest another $5 billion immediately and could add $20 billion more over time, while Anthropic commits to spending more than $100 billion on Amazon Web Services over the next decade. Tech Startups - Tech News, Tech Trends & Startup Fundin
• [New] Broadcom signs long-term Google AI chip agreement Reuters reported that Broadcom signed a long-term deal with Google to develop and supply future generations of custom AI chips and related components for Google's AI racks through 2031. Prompt Injection
• [New] Anthropic expands compute deal with Google and Broadcom Anthropic announced a new agreement with Google and Broadcom for multiple gigawatts of next-generation TPU capacity expected to come online from 2027. Prompt Injection
• [New] Amazon buys Globalstar in USD 11.5 billion bid to rival Starlink: Amazon has announced its much-anticipated deal to purchase Globalstar to bolster its effort to build a low-earth-orbit satellite business as a rival to Space X's Starlink. Fieldfisher
• [New] Google has signed a strategic partnership with company Commonwealth Fusion Systems, which is racing to build a donut-shaped machine called a tokamak that could eventually generate 10 million times the energy of coal or natural gas, all without greenhouse gas emissions. CNN
• [New] Google Cloud's 2026 Forecast warns we may witness the first major AI-driven breach as adversaries automate exploit development outpacing traditional defences. Saptang Labs
• [New] Amazon Leo is promising to maintain Globalstar's constellation for Apple while deploying its own D2D satellite constellation by 2028. Ookla
• [New] Google's expansion of Gemini into Google Classroom, which is already in beta in several US districts and could fundamentally change how teachers set and assess homework. Tech Dads Life
• [New] Expect to see dedicated student mode AI assistants built into devices from Samsung, Lenovo, and Apple, with parental dashboards that let you see how AI tools are being used. Tech Dads Life
• [New] Leaders could be more willing to increase their Google Cloud spend in the knowledge that they can still protect assets in other cloud environments, which would allow Google to undermine the USPs of competitors such as AWS and Microsoft Azure. IT Pro
• [New] If Google Cloud can demonstrate that TPUs are the best choice for low-cost deployment of AI agents - and potentially low-effort, through platforms like Vertex AI Agent Builder - it will win hefty business investment. IT Pro

Last updated: 03 May 2026