Artur Ślesik

Artur Ślesik is a technology and financial markets journalist at Bez-kabli.pl, covering artificial intelligence, semiconductors, technology stocks and emerging innovations. A graduate of Warsaw University of Technology, he combines a technical background with market analysis to explain how new technologies are shaping industries, businesses and investment trends worldwide.

EU hits China’s Goldwind with fresh subsidy probe as wind turbine battle in Europe widens
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EU hits China’s Goldwind with fresh subsidy probe as wind turbine battle in Europe widens

On Tuesday, the European Commission launched a detailed probe into Goldwind Science & Technology. The Chinese wind turbine maker is suspected of gaining an unfair advantage in the EU through foreign subsidies. This move is significant as Brussels doubles down on a relatively new trade and competition tool while Europe works to rebuild its wind supply chain and defend it against cheap imports. Wind power sits at the heart of the bloc’s energy goals, yet European manufacturers warn that shrinking margins are slowing down projects.
February 3, 2026
Waymo’s $16 Billion Cash Haul Pushes Valuation to $126 Billion — Here’s What Changes Now
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Waymo’s $16 Billion Cash Haul Pushes Valuation to $126 Billion — Here’s What Changes Now

SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 3, 2026, 09:11 PST Alphabet’s self-driving division Waymo announced it secured $16 billion in new funding, pegging its post-money valuation at $126 billion. The financing round was spearheaded by Dragoneer Investment Group, DST Global, and Sequoia Capital. Other participants included Mubadala Capital, Andreessen Horowitz, and T. Rowe Price. https://www.reuters.com/business/waymo-valued-126-billion-latest-financing-2026-02-02/
February 3, 2026
China’s ‘Hidden’ Door Handle Ban Targets Tesla-Style Designs From 2027
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China’s ‘Hidden’ Door Handle Ban Targets Tesla-Style Designs From 2027

BEIJING, Feb 4, 2026, 01:11 Starting in 2027, China’s industry ministry plans to outlaw "hidden" car door handles—those flush designs Tesla made famous and that Chinese automakers like Xiaomi have adopted. The move comes amid growing safety concerns. https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/china-ban-hidden-car-door-handles-address-safety-fears-2026-02-03/
February 3, 2026
Supreme Court of India to WhatsApp: Stop ‘playing’ with privacy as Meta data-sharing ban looms
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Supreme Court of India to WhatsApp: Stop ‘playing’ with privacy as Meta data-sharing ban looms

On Tuesday, India’s highest court threatened to reinstate a ban on WhatsApp, owned by Meta, for sharing user data with its affiliated companies. Chief Justice Surya Kant described WhatsApp’s privacy policy as “very cleverly designed to mislead users,” two lawyers attending the hearing reported. The bench directed Meta and WhatsApp to submit an affidavit clearly stating that user data won’t be shared for advertising purposes and warned it might intervene if they fail to comply. It set a deadline, scheduling the next hearing for Feb. 9, and brought the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology into the case.
February 3, 2026
Spain targets TikTok, X and Instagram with under-16 ban plan and exec liability push in Spain
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Spain targets TikTok, X and Instagram with under-16 ban plan and exec liability push in Spain

Spain plans to introduce a bill next week aiming to hold social media executives responsible for illegal and hate speech content, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced Tuesday. The government also intends to ban social media use for anyone under 16. https://www.reuters.com/world/spain-hold-social-media-executives-accountable-illegal-hateful-content-2026-02-03/?utm_source=chatgpt.com This development ramps up pressure on tech companies already under tighter scrutiny in Europe, where authorities accuse apps of designing addictive features and exposing kids to dangerous content. It comes amid the European Union’s Digital Services Act, which demands platforms crack down on illegal content, clashing with free-speech issues. The controversy reignited this month following reports that Elon Musk’s Grok chatbot produced nonconsensual sexual images, some involving minors.
February 3, 2026
Google Cloud lands Liberty Global in five-year Gemini AI deal across Europe
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Google Cloud lands Liberty Global in five-year Gemini AI deal across Europe

London, 3 February 2026, 15:15 Google Cloud and Liberty Global have struck a five-year deal to roll out Google’s Gemini AI models and other cloud technologies across Liberty’s European cable operations, the companies announced Tuesday. The partnership aims to boost new consumer offerings, including AI-driven search and discovery features on Liberty’s Horizon TV platform, along with automating customer service. https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/google-cloud-liberty-global-strike-five-year-ai-partnership-2026-02-03/?utm_source=chatgpt.com
February 3, 2026
Elon Musk’s $1.25 trillion mash-up: SpaceX buys xAI as IPO plans sharpen
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Elon Musk’s $1.25 trillion mash-up: SpaceX buys xAI as IPO plans sharpen

Elon Musk said SpaceX has acquired his artificial-intelligence startup xAI in a deal valuing the combined company at $1.25 trillion, tying his AI push to the world’s most valuable private space company. The transaction values SpaceX at $1 trillion and xAI at $250 billion, a person familiar with the matter said. https://www.reuters.com/business/musks-spacex-merge-with-xai-combined-valuation-125-trillion-bloomberg-news-2026-02-02/?utm_source=chatgpt.com The tie-up lands as SpaceX readies a public stock offering this year, a step that would open the closely held rocket builder to daily market pressure for the first time. Two people familiar with the plan said the IPO could value SpaceX at more than $1.5 trillion; an IPO is when a firm sells shares to the public for the first time.
February 3, 2026
Siemens Energy’s $1 billion U.S. bet: new Mississippi switchgear plant taps AI power boom
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Siemens Energy’s $1 billion U.S. bet: new Mississippi switchgear plant taps AI power boom

Siemens Energy is set to pump $1 billion into expanding its U.S. production of power-grid and gas-turbine parts, responding to a surge in demand from AI-focused data centres. The investment includes a new power-grid equipment plant in Mississippi, which CEO Christian Bruch described as the company’s largest globally, with completion targeted for 2028. While Big Tech continues to pour hundreds of billions into data centres, the sector faces equipment shortages and permitting delays, driving a flurry of power-related deals. The investment comes as utilities and policymakers race to model data-centre energy demands. According to a Congressional Research Service report, data centres consumed roughly 176 terawatt-hours in 2023—about 4.4% of total U.S. electricity use—with some forecasts suggesting that could climb to
February 3, 2026
Chinese chip designer Montage Technology targets top-end price for $902 million Hong Kong listing
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Chinese chip designer Montage Technology targets top-end price for $902 million Hong Kong listing

Montage plans to price its Hong Kong share sale at the top of its marketed range, potentially raising up to HK$7.04 billion, according to two sources familiar with the matter. The offer price should be finalized by Feb. 5 and announced the following day, with shares scheduled to begin trading on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange on Feb. 9, per its prospectus. The deal comes after a January surge that put Hong Kong back in the spotlight for major listings, although not all debuts have been spectacular. IPOs and secondary listings pulled in roughly $5.5 billion during the month—the strongest January since 2021, according to LSEG data. Kenny Ng, securities strategist at China Everbright Securities International, noted that investors have
February 3, 2026
Tesla adds $41,990 Model Y AWD in U.S. as tax-credit hit bites
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Tesla adds $41,990 Model Y AWD in U.S. as tax-credit hit bites

Tesla has introduced a new all-wheel-drive Model Y variant in the United States priced at $41,990, according to the company’s website. The new AWD version sits above the cheaper rear-wheel-drive “Standard” model. https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/tesla-introduces-new-model-y-variant-us-priced-41990-2026-02-03/ The timing matters because the U.S. electric-vehicle market has cooled since September, after the Trump administration ended the $7,500 federal tax credit that had helped keep sticker shock down for buyers. Tesla has been leaning on price and trim changes to keep demand moving. https://za.investing.com/news/stock-market-news/tesla-introduces-new-model-y-variant-in-us-priced-at-41990-4091727
February 3, 2026
NXP’s upbeat forecast hints industrial-chip bottom — but telecom slump knocks shares
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NXP’s upbeat forecast hints industrial-chip bottom — but telecom slump knocks shares

Eindhoven, Netherlands, Feb 3, 2026, 14:09 CET NXP Semiconductors projected first-quarter revenue that beats Wall Street’s expectations, fueling speculation the industrial-chip slump might be stabilizing. Despite this, its shares dipped in after-hours trading, weighed down by ongoing telecom-related softness. https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/nxp-semiconductors-forecasts-upbeat-quarter-signaling-industrial-market-bottom-2026-02-02/
February 3, 2026
Amazon AWS data center expansion in Europe hits seven-year power grid queues
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Amazon AWS data center expansion in Europe hits seven-year power grid queues

Amazon.com’s cloud division faces multi-year waits for power grid hookups across Europe, the company revealed to Reuters on Tuesday. These delays are throwing a wrench into its plans to ramp up data center capacity.https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/boards-policy-regulation/power-grid-delays-challenge-amazons-data-center-expansion-europe-2026-02-03/?utm_source=chatgpt.com The bottleneck hits at a tricky time. Energy-hungry sectors are urging the European Union to ramp up grid investments, stressing that reliable power access could determine the location of new plants and infrastructure.
February 3, 2026
Trump unveils $12B ‘Project Vault’ minerals stockpile as U.S. moves to blunt China leverage
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Trump unveils $12B ‘Project Vault’ minerals stockpile as U.S. moves to blunt China leverage

President Donald Trump announced Project Vault on Monday, a $12 billion initiative aimed at creating a strategic reserve of critical minerals. The move targets reducing China’s dominance over key resources vital to sectors like electric vehicles and advanced weaponry. The timing highlights a supply chain issue that’s no longer hypothetical. China dominates roughly 70% of rare earth mining and about 90% of processing. Last year, during trade talks linked to tariffs, it limited exports, squeezing the supply of materials crucial for jet engines, radar systems, electric vehicles, and consumer electronics.
February 2, 2026
Musk says Starlink clampdown is working as Ukraine rolls out whitelist to block Russian drones
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Musk says Starlink clampdown is working as Ukraine rolls out whitelist to block Russian drones

Elon Musk said on Sunday that SpaceX had taken steps to stop Russia’s “unauthorised” use of its Starlink terminals in Ukraine, after Kyiv raised concerns about the system being fitted to attack drones. Ukrainian Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov said officials were working on a system to prevent future use. It matters because Ukraine leans on Starlink for battlefield communications, and for some drone missions, in a war where seconds and signal bars both count. Any Russian access risks turning a critical lifeline into an advantage for the attacker.
February 2, 2026
Notepad++ hit by months-long update hijack blamed on China-linked hackers — what users need to know
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Notepad++ hit by months-long update hijack blamed on China-linked hackers — what users need to know

Notepad++ revealed on Monday that its software update process was compromised last year, allowing attackers to push malicious downloads to a limited group of users. Researchers have tied the campaign to hackers linked to the Chinese government. The open-source text editor enjoys broad use on Windows PCs, especially within corporate environments. When software updates are compromised—a supply-chain attack where hackers exploit a trusted distribution channel—it provides a stealthy entry point for attackers into networks.
February 2, 2026
India Budget 2026 gives Apple a 5-year tax shield for iPhone factory gear in India
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India Budget 2026 gives Apple a 5-year tax shield for iPhone factory gear in India

India has introduced a five-year income tax exemption allowing foreign firms to provide manufacturing equipment to Indian contract manufacturers in special bonded zones. This move directly tackles a persistent issue that Apple had flagged. This change is significant because Apple is ramping up iPhone production in India to cut down its dependence on China. The new rule eases a key cost and tax barrier for that expansion. According to Counterpoint Research, iPhones hold about 8% of India’s smartphone market, and India now accounts for around 25% of global iPhone shipments.
February 2, 2026
Bank of England eyes card-free checkout option as it launches payments consultation
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Bank of England eyes card-free checkout option as it launches payments consultation

The Bank of England announced Monday it plans to start a public consultation in the next few months about the future of consumer payments. The focus includes exploring ways for people to pay electronically without relying on debit or credit cards. Deputy Governor Sarah Breeden said the goal is to enable shoppers to pay retailers directly from their bank accounts, offering an alternative to card networks like Mastercard and Visa. The move gains urgency as cash slips out of regular use. In 2024, cash accounted for under 10% of payments, according to UK Finance data. Card payments dominated, making up 64% of all UK transactions. Debit cards led the pack, with 26.1 billion payments—roughly half of the total.
February 2, 2026
India’s UPI could soon link with Alipay+ for overseas payments as talks surface
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India’s UPI could soon link with Alipay+ for overseas payments as talks surface

New Delhi, 2 February 2026, 22:57 IST India is negotiating with Ant International to connect the digital payments platform Alipay+ with its Unified Payments Interface for cross-border transactions, according to two government sources. UPI handles nearly 18 billion transactions monthly, while Alipay+ is active in over 100 markets, the sources added.
February 2, 2026
Snowflake’s $200 million OpenAI deal plugs GPT-5.2 into Cortex AI as enterprise agents move closer to data
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Snowflake’s $200 million OpenAI deal plugs GPT-5.2 into Cortex AI as enterprise agents move closer to data

Snowflake said on Monday it has struck a $200 million partnership with OpenAI to bring the ChatGPT maker’s models into Snowflake’s data cloud products, including Cortex AI and Snowflake Intelligence. The deal lands as cloud data platforms — where companies store a lot of their most sensitive information — become a battleground for generative AI. Snowflake said customers are moving from basic chatbots to AI agents, software that can take steps across systems, and they want that automation tied to governed data, meaning access is controlled and auditable. Rival Databricks has been building its own agent tools and recently raised $4 billion at a $134 billion valuation, Reuters reported.
February 2, 2026
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