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Microsoft to pour $10B into Japan for AI expansion, cyber defense, and talent development

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Microsoft said on Friday it plans to invest $10 billion in Japan over the next four years, focusing on artificial intelligence data centres and supporting infrastructure.

Summary

  • Microsoft to invest $10 billion in Japan over four years to expand AI data centres, cybersecurity partnerships, and train one million engineers.
  • Initiative builds on a prior $2.9 billion commitment and includes collaborations with SoftBank, Sakura Internet, NTT, and NEC.
  • Microsoft also launched new multimodal AI models, positioning them as lower-cost alternatives while continuing its partnership with OpenAI.

The announcement followed a meeting between Microsoft President Brad Smith and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in Tokyo. Smith described the move as a “response to Japan’s growing need for cloud and AI services.”

Companies across Japan, the world’s fourth-largest economy, are accelerating efforts to strengthen their position in the evolving AI sector. However, expansion of data centres in the country has been slowed by land constraints and relatively high electricity costs.

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Microsoft said it will work with SoftBank Group and Sakura Internet to scale domestic digital infrastructure. The new commitment follows a $2.9 billion investment announced in 2024 aimed at boosting Japan’s AI capabilities and reinforcing cyber defences.

Alongside infrastructure, the latest plan allocates funding to deepen cybersecurity cooperation with government agencies and to train one million engineers. The initiative will be carried out with major telecom and technology firms, including NTT and NEC.

The surge in data centre construction across the Asia-Pacific region, particularly in India and Southeast Asia, has also raised environmental concerns. These facilities place growing pressure on electricity grids — many still dependent on fossil fuels — and require significant water resources to cool high-performance servers.

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In a parallel development, Microsoft’s AI division unveiled three new foundational models capable of generating text, voice, and images, signalling a continued push to expand its in-house capabilities.

The models are now available through Microsoft Foundry, with some also accessible via the MAI Playground testing environment. Pricing has been positioned as a competitive advantage, with Microsoft stating the tools are cheaper than comparable offerings from Google and OpenAI.

The rollout underscores Microsoft’s dual-track strategy: building its own AI systems while maintaining its long-standing partnership with OpenAI.

The company has invested more than $13 billion into the collaboration and continues to integrate OpenAI’s models across its products, even as it develops alternatives internally.

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Disclosure: This article does not represent investment advice. The content and materials featured on this page are for educational purposes only.

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Riot Platforms Offloads 3,778 BTC Worth Over $250M

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TLDR

  • Riot Platforms sold 3,778 Bitcoin for more than $250 million during the first quarter of 2025.
  • The company reduced its total Bitcoin holdings to 15,680 BTC after the sale.
  • Riot Platforms achieved an average selling price of over $76,000 per Bitcoin.
  • The firm has now sold Bitcoin in consecutive quarters after raising nearly $200 million late last year.
  • CEO Jason Les said earlier that sales were intended to fund ongoing growth and operations.

Riot Platforms sold more than $250 million in Bitcoin during the first quarter of 2025. The company confirmed it sold 3,778 BTC at an average price above $76,000. As a result, the firm reduced its total holdings to 15,680 BTC by the end of March.

Riot Platforms Cuts Bitcoin Holdings as Sales Extend Into Second Quarter

Riot Platforms reported that it sold 3,778 Bitcoin during the first quarter of 2025. The company achieved an average sale price above $76,000 per coin. Consequently, it reduced its Bitcoin reserves to 15,680 BTC at quarter’s end. The remaining holdings now carry a market value near $1.04 billion. Bitcoin traded at $66,844 at the time of valuation.

The Colorado-based miner has now sold Bitcoin in consecutive quarters. During November and December, it generated nearly $200 million from Bitcoin sales. The company has not yet disclosed detailed allocation plans for the recent proceeds. A company representative did not respond to a request for comment. However, earlier in 2025, CEO Jason Les addressed the purpose of prior sales.

Les stated that earlier Bitcoin sales aimed to “fund ongoing growth and operations.” He connected those operations to expanding infrastructure and computing capacity. The company outlined these objectives in its latest strategic business update. Riot Platforms has focused on increasing its data center capabilities. It also continues to adjust its capital structure through asset sales.

Riot Platforms Shifts Strategy Toward Data Center Development

Riot Platforms confirmed that it intends to expand beyond traditional Bitcoin mining. The firm stated that it plans to unlock its nearly two-gigawatt power portfolio. It aims to deploy that capacity for high-demand data center infrastructure. Les said, “2025 marked a watershed year for Riot.” He added that the company has transformed its future trajectory.

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The company explained that it previously used most of its power portfolio for Bitcoin mining. Now, it seeks to reallocate that capacity toward data center development. Riot Platforms stated that its long-term goal is “to fully utilize our power portfolio for data center development.” This shift aligns with ongoing operational restructuring. The firm continues to balance mining output with infrastructure planning.

An activist investor, Starboard Value, urged the company to accelerate its transition strategy. Starboard Value stated that the opportunity could add as much as $21 billion to Riot’s valuation. The investor called for a “renewed sense of urgency” in pursuing this plan. Meanwhile, shares of RIOT closed up 2.47% on Thursday. The stock recently traded at $12.86.

Over the past six months, RIOT shares have fallen more than 33%. During the same period, Bitcoin has declined 47% from its all-time high of $126,080. The company continues to report updates through formal filings and public statements. Riot Platforms has not announced further Bitcoin sales beyond the first quarter.

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Kalshi Onboards Ex-Democratic Strategist amid Legal Troubles

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Law, United States, Policy, Kalshi, Prediction Markets

Stephanie Cutter will join the prediction markets company as a policy adviser, having previously worked in Democratic lawmakers’ campaigns.

Predictions market platform Kalshi announced that a former staffer of US President Barack Obama had joined the company as a policy adviser.

In a Thursday notice, Kalshi said Stephanie Cutter would join the prediction markets company from Precision Strategies, a communications firm she co-founded in 2013. Kalshi said the addition of Cutter came as the company planned to “deepen its relationships in DC and across the country.”

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Law, United States, Policy, Kalshi, Prediction Markets
Source: Stephanie Cutter

According to Kalshi co-founder and CEO Tarek Mansour, Cutter’s experience allowed her to “get [the] message to the right people,” highlighting her background in government and politics. The predictions market already has staff with ties to the US government, including the appointment of the president’s son, Donald Trump Jr., as a strategic adviser in January 2025, the week before his father took office.

In the last year, Kalshi has come under scrutiny from many US state-level authorities, who have filed lawsuits against the platform and other companies offering event contracts on prediction markets for sports, alleging that they constituted illegal bets.

Under Trump nominee Michael Selig, the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has claimed that the agency has the “exclusive jurisdiction” to oversee such markets, filing lawsuits against state gaming regulators.

Related: Polymarket expands into equities and commodities with Pyth price feeds

Lawsuits and proposed legislation

Many Democrats in US Congress have also called for scrutiny into prediction markets after what they called “suspicious trades” related to the country’s invasion of Iran. Although Kalshi and Polymarket announced plans in March to implement guardrails to prevent accounts from using insider information, some lawmakers introduced legislation that could ban politicians from engaging in such bets on prediction markets.

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As of Friday, none of the bills proposed in Congress had been signed into law, and it was unclear what the outcome would be for many of the state-level lawsuits.

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