Microsoft's Azure Growth, Google's $15B Malaysia Investment

Key Takeaways

• Microsoft's Azure grew 48% last quarter, with commercial backlog reaching $677 billion, up 73%, and the company holds stakes in OpenAI and Anthropic.
• Google plans a $15 billion data center investment in Malaysia, adding over one gigawatt of clean energy capacity and supporting 9,000+ local jobs annually.
• Together AI achieved up to 2.6x higher transactions per second using self-tuning inference on open source models, serving trillions of tokens daily across 40+ production models.
• CrowdStrike launched new AI security tools that monitor agent behavior and use SafeMind AI models to simulate attacks on IT environments.
• S2W debuted XARVIS and QUAXAR at it-sa Expo in Germany, targeting government and business security with AI-powered intelligence platforms.
• Expedia beat Q3 expectations with $4.9B revenue but shares fell 7% on a soft Q4 outlook and AI competition concerns.
• A study finds reasoning text has simpler topological structure than non-reasoning text, with higher-quality reasoning being even simpler, suggesting applications for AI safety.
• ARTi, a Hong Kong AI investment research platform, covers 16,000+ securities with 3.8 million daily data points and nearly 100,000 users, valued at $30M after pre-Series A.
• A machine learning algorithm forecasts XRP at about $1.33 by November 30, 2026, with ChatGPT and Google Gemini offering separate price targets.
• SK hynix earned a Buy rating with 4.8x inventory turnover, while Micron has a $35.16 billion buyback authorization starting December 9, both benefiting from strong HBM demand.

Forthright Securities Debuts at Hong Kong FinTech Week 2026

Forthright Securities Company Limited made its debut at Hong Kong FinTech Week 2026. The company showcased its Smart Investment Terminal during the event. The announcement was released on November 3, 2026.

ARTi Showcases Verifiable AI Investment Research in Hong Kong

ARTi, a Hong Kong-based AI investment research platform, showed its verifiable research capabilities at Hong Kong FinTech Week 2026. The platform uses cross-validation across multiple data sources and a multi-agent framework to validate investment calls. It covers more than 16,000 securities and collects over 3.8 million data points daily. ARTi has nearly 100,000 users and completed a pre-Series A financing round at a $30 million valuation in June 2026.

SK hynix vs Micron: Investor Picks One AI Memory Stock

Investor Envision Research compared SK hynix and Micron, two major AI memory chip suppliers. SK hynix earned a Buy rating due to strong inventory turnover of about 4.8x, long-term customer agreements, and high spending on capacity. Micron is worth waiting on because of upcoming buyback activity starting December 9 and a large $35.16 billion authorization. Both companies reported record quarterly results driven by strong demand for high-bandwidth memory.

Microsoft Quietly Builds an AI Empire as a Magnificent 7 Stock

Microsoft trades at $522 with a Buy rating and a 12-month price target of $643 from 24/7 Wall St. Azure grew 48% last quarter, marking Microsoft's sixth straight earnings beat. Commercial backlog reached $677 billion, up 73%, and management forecast Azure growth of 49 to 50% next quarter. Microsoft holds stakes in OpenAI and Anthropic, and CEO Satya Nadella expressed strong confidence in long-term returns.

S2W Unveils AI Security Solutions at Germany's it-sa Expo

South Korean cybersecurity company S2W showed two AI-powered products at it-sa Expo & Congress 2026 in Nuremberg, Germany. XARVIS is a security intelligence platform for government organizations that analyzes data from the dark web, Telegram and social media. QUAXAR is a security solution for businesses that combines threat intelligence sources to assess attack risks. The three-day exhibition ran from October 27 to 29 and featured over 1,000 companies.

Guide for using AI agents to build sales lead pipelines

A practical guide explains how sales teams can use AI agents to handle lead generation tasks. It advises teams to map their current sales process and identify stages where work often falls through. The guide recommends writing clear briefs for agents and tracking signals like funding rounds or new hires. It also stresses verifying contact data before reaching out to protect email delivery.

Google plans $15 billion data center investment in Malaysia

Google announced a $15 billion plan to build data centers and infrastructure in Malaysia over the next two years. The investment aims to meet growing demand for AI services in Southeast Asia. Google pledged that the facilities will be energy efficient and will add more than one gigawatt of clean energy capacity. The company expects the centers to support over 9,000 local jobs per year.

Together AI says inference must now tune itself

Together AI reported that its system achieved up to 2.6x higher transactions per second on several open source AI models. The company says its new approach automatically adjusts inference settings instead of relying on fixed configurations. It also reported serving trillions of tokens per day and using more than 40 models in production. The company did not provide full details on cost or latency improvements across all hardware setups.

Machine learning algorithm sets XRP price for November 30, 2026

A Finbold predictive machine learning algorithm forecasts that XRP may rise 3.71 percent to about $1.33 by November 30, 2026. Several AI models, including ChatGPT and Google Gemini, each provided their own price targets for the same date. The forecast comes after XRP fell about 14 percent over the previous 30 days. The analysis is based on technical indicators such as moving averages and the relative strength index.

CrowdStrike expands AI security portfolio with new tools

CrowdStrike introduced new tools to detect and test malicious AI agents. One tool monitors AI agent behavior and pauses sensitive actions for review by security teams. Another tool uses the company's SafeMind AI models to simulate attacks on IT environments. The updates aim to help security teams protect systems as more organizations deploy AI agents in their workflows.

Expedia Q3 beats but shares fall on Q4 outlook and AI competition

Expedia reported strong Q3 results, beating expectations on revenue and profit. Total revenue reached $4.9B, up 12% year-over-year, and adjusted profit was $9.39 per share. However, shares fell 7% in after-hours trading due to a Q4 revenue outlook that missed consensus and concerns about AI-powered travel platforms. CEO Ariane Gorin highlighted the company's platform strength and growth opportunities. The company also announced a $0.48 quarterly dividend for shareholders.

Study finds reasoning text has simpler structure than other text

A new study explores the idea that reasoning text has a simpler co-occurrence topology than non-reasoning text. The researchers also found that higher-quality reasoning has an even simpler structure than lower-quality reasoning. The paper discusses potential applications for AI safety and AI evaluation. The hypothesis was formulated and tested through investigation of text topology patterns.

Sources

• Forthright Securities Debuts at Hong Kong FinTech Week 2026, Showcasing Smart Investment Terminal
• ARTi Showcases Verifiable AI Investment Research at Hong Kong FinTech Week  
• SK hynix vs. Micron: One AI Memory Stock Is Worth Buying, the Other Is Worth Waiting On, Says Top Investor
• This Magnificent 7 Stock Is Quietly Building an AI Empire
• S2W Unveils AI Security Solutions at Germany's it-sa Expo
• How to Build a Lead Generation Pipeline With AI Agents: A Practical Guide for Business Teams
• Google unveils $15 bn data centre investment in Malaysia
• Together AI says inference must now tune itself
• Machine learning algorithm sets XRP price for November 30, 2026
• CrowdStrike Extends Scope and Reach of AI Portfolio
• Expedia slides as Q3 beat overshadowed by Q4 sales outlook, AI disruption
• Reasoning is topologically simple