Cloud · Top stories
AWS Lambda Replaces Network Flow Capture System with eBPF and Rust for MicroVM Logging
AWS Lambda has replaced its legacy network flow capture system with a new pipeline built using eBPF and Rust to log network activity across thousands of microVMs per host. This change addresses the need for complete and accurately attributed network records for short-lived workloads, improving incident response, auditing, and metering for Lambda's serverless platform.
Microsoft Introduces Time Limits for Xbox Game Pass Cloud Streaming
Microsoft recently implemented time limits of 5-15 hours per month for cloud gaming on Xbox Game Pass, depending on the subscription tier. This move raises questions about the long-term viability of cloud gaming as a standalone service, following previous failures like Google Stadia and OnLive.
Growing Public Opposition to Datacenter Development Emerges as a Political Issue
Local opposition to new datacenter construction is increasing across the United States, with three-quarters of Americans now opposing local datacenter development. This backlash has led to over 500 bans or moratoria in counties and municipalities and is influencing political races, indicating a significant shift in public sentiment regarding tech infrastructure.
Twilio Implements Time-in-Queue Metric for Apache Hudi Data Lake Pipelines
Twilio developed a "time-in-queue" metric to accurately measure data freshness in its petabyte-scale Apache Hudi data lake pipelines, addressing limitations of traditional Kafka offset lag metrics. This new metric allows pipeline owners to define and enforce custom freshness SLAs, improving visibility into data staleness.
EVPN/VXLAN and OpenPERouter enable KubeVirt VM live migration between clusters
KubeVirt virtual machines face networking challenges when attempting live migration between Kubernetes clusters, primarily due to the need for a stretched Layer 2 domain and a dedicated migration path. EVPN/VXLAN, managed by OpenPERouter as Kubernetes Custom Resources, provides a solution to these networking requirements, allowing VMs to retain their IP and MAC addresses during migration.
OpenAI Ends NDAs with Public Officials for Data Center Projects
OpenAI announced it will no longer use non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) with public officials involved in its data center projects. This change is part of new community commitments, which also include covering full electricity costs and publishing job creation plans, following public opposition to data center expansion.
Ypsilanti Township Passes Moratorium on Electrical Infrastructure to Oppose Data Center
Ypsilanti Township in Michigan passed a six-month moratorium on major electrical utility infrastructure, a tactic to delay the construction of a $1.2 billion data center. The data center is a partnership between the University of Michigan and Los Alamos National Laboratories for nuclear weapons research, and residents have expressed concerns about its environmental impact and the need for new substations.
Google Public Sector Summit Highlights AI and Cloud Innovations for Government
Google Public Sector held its annual summit in Washington D.C., gathering government leaders and industry partners to discuss technology applications in the public sector. The event showcased how organizations are using Google's AI and cloud services, including Gemini for government and enterprise search on Google Distributed Cloud, to address public sector missions.
Mercari adopts Chrome Enterprise Premium and Chromebooks for customer service security
Mercari implemented Chrome Enterprise Premium and Chromebooks in its customer service environment to secure sensitive data and reduce operational costs. This shift from a legacy VDI system to browser-layer data control addresses inefficiencies and protects personally identifiable information (PII). The company projects a 50%+ cost reduction and improved data loss prevention.
Nammu21 Automates Syndicated Loans on Google Cloud Universal Ledger in PoC
Nammu21 partnered with Google Cloud for a proof-of-concept to automate syndicated loan lifecycles. The project uses Nammu21's AI platform to convert legal agreements into smart contracts on Google Cloud Universal Ledger (GCUL), aiming to reduce settlement times and improve market efficiency. This addresses challenges in corporate finance markets constrained by manual processes and slow settlements.
Google Data Center in Hermantown, Minnesota Approved After Delays and Concessions
Google received approval for a data center in Hermantown, Minnesota, after the city council unanimously voted in favor of the project. The decision followed public opposition and required Google to reduce the number of buildings, cap their height, monitor private wells, and withdraw a request for property tax breaks, now generating $3 million annually in property tax.
AWS Named a Leader in 2026 Gartner Magic Quadrant for CCaaS for Fourth Consecutive Year
AWS has been recognized as a Leader in the 2026 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Contact Center as a Service (CCaaS) for its Amazon Connect service. This marks the fourth consecutive year AWS has received this designation, which the company attributes to its focus on personalized, intelligent customer experiences.
Amazon QuickSight Layer Maps Now Support GeoJSON Point and LineString Geometries
Amazon QuickSight layer maps now support GeoJSON Point and LineString geometry types, in addition to existing custom shape layers. This update allows users to visualize specific locations like store sites and routes such as delivery paths directly on maps within QuickSight. The new capabilities help businesses analyze location-based patterns by plotting individual points and connections between them.
Microsoft expands Sovereign Cloud offerings for digital sovereignty
Microsoft is expanding its Sovereign Cloud offerings to provide more control and choice for organizations, particularly those in government, critical infrastructure, and regulated industries. This initiative addresses concerns about data residency, access, protection of digital assets, and operational continuity in cloud and AI deployments.
U.S. Hunger uses Amazon QuickSight for data analysis and organizational insights
U.S. Hunger, a nonprofit that delivers meals, adopted Amazon QuickSight to analyze organizational data. This allows the lean team to directly explore financial information and family circumstances, supporting their growth and mission.
Developer Seeks to Build California's Largest AI Datacenter in Imperial Valley
Sebastian Rucci is planning to construct a nearly 1 million-square-foot AI datacenter in Imperial, California, a project that would be the largest in the state. The proposed facility faces challenges including high desert temperatures, water scarcity, and local skepticism, despite potential economic benefits for the rural area.
Local Data Center Moratoriums Have Minimal Impact on US Buildouts
Over 300 local data center construction moratoriums have delayed only three projects, totaling 2.3 GW out of 21 GW in moratorium areas. SemiAnalysis reports that the overall US data center buildout forecast remains largely unchanged, with 38 GW projected to come online by 2027.
Alteryx Live Query Integrates with Google Cloud BigQuery for Unstructured Data Workflows
Alteryx Live Query now integrates with Google Cloud BigQuery, allowing businesses to process unstructured data directly within the data warehouse. This integration enables SQL pushdown and uses Google AI models like Gemini to extract information from documents, reducing manual data handling.
Microsoft Expands Azure Circular Centers and Details Hardware Efficiency Improvements
Microsoft has opened new Azure Circular Centers in Newport, Wales, and Sydney, Australia, to manage the lifecycle of its cloud hardware. These centers aim to recover components and maximize value from existing infrastructure, while Azure's hardware has also seen significant efficiency gains, with cores per rack increasing 13-fold since 2014 and power consumption for tasks decreasing by 90%.
Microsoft Adopts Biomimicry for Data Centers to Address Community Pushback
Microsoft is implementing "biomimicry" in its data center designs to mitigate local community opposition regarding construction, pollution, and noise. This approach involves integrating data centers more harmoniously with natural landscapes and investing in ecosystem repair, aiming to reduce the environmental and social impact of these facilities.
Amazon QuickSight Introduces Hierarchy Filter for Simplified Dashboard Drill-Down
Amazon QuickSight has launched a new hierarchy filter feature, allowing dashboard authors to create multi-level filtering controls within a single interface. This update aims to reduce visual clutter and guide users through data exploration more efficiently by presenting data in a logical, hierarchical path.
PayPal Migrates Analytics Workloads to Google's Managed Service for Apache Spark
PayPal migrated its analytics workloads from on-premise Hadoop to Google's Managed Service for Apache Spark. This move addresses challenges with scalability and operational overhead in PayPal's previous analytics environment.
Kevin O'Leary's Utah Data Center Project Faces Local Backlash, Claims of Chinese Interference
Kevin O'Leary's "Wonder Valley" data center project in rural Utah, planned to be the world's largest, is facing significant local opposition. O'Leary publicly claimed that Chinese agents were behind the online criticism of the 40,000-acre development, which includes a 9-gigawatt gas power plant.
AWS names three new AWS Heroes for September 2026
AWS recognized Avinash Shashikant Dalvi, Joanne Skiles, and Xiaofei Li as new AWS Heroes for September 2026. These individuals are acknowledged for their contributions to the AWS community through knowledge sharing, mentorship, and community building.
Cloudflare Registrar updates domain search and API for agents
Cloudflare Registrar introduced an updated domain search interface and expanded its API capabilities. These changes aim to simplify domain discovery and registration for users and enable programmatic interaction for AI agents.
Microsoft Azure Introduces New Virtual Machine Lifecycle Policy
Microsoft Azure has introduced a new Virtual Machine (VM) lifecycle policy to provide transparency, predictability, and guidance for managing VM transitions. This policy aims to help customers plan and adopt newer technologies as Azure infrastructure evolves.
NorthPoint Development offers $10,000 per household for data center approval in Pennsylvania
NorthPoint Development proposed paying $10,000 to 4,500 households in Hazle Township, Pennsylvania, to gain approval for a 1,300-acre data center. Residents largely oppose the offer, citing concerns over noise, property values, and distrust of developers and local government. This direct payment approach is a new tactic by developers to secure local support.
Oracle must pay data center investors even if site lacks electricity
Oracle is contractually obligated to pay investors for a data center in Virginia, despite the facility lacking a power connection. This situation highlights the challenges of data center development and the financial commitments involved in large-scale infrastructure projects.
Google Cloud Named a Leader in Forrester Wave™: Public Cloud Platforms, Q3 2026 Report
Google Cloud was recognized as a Leader in The Forrester Wave™: Public Cloud Platforms, Q3 2026 report, achieving the highest overall score among evaluated providers. This recognition highlights Google Cloud's performance across 30 criteria, including AI development, database, analytics, and security services.
Microsoft's Physical Security Team Scales Hybrid Operations with Azure Arc and Azure Virtual Desktop
Microsoft's physical security engineering team implemented Azure Arc and Azure Virtual Desktop to manage security systems across its global datacenters. This integration provides a unified operational foundation for distributed infrastructure, addressing challenges of scale and consistency in hybrid environments.
Orange Implements "FinOps Clean Days" to Improve Cloud Cost Accountability
Orange, a multinational telecom provider, has introduced "FinOps Clean Days" and gamified hackathons to foster cloud cost accountability among engineering teams. These initiatives aim to address the industry challenge of getting engineers to take action on FinOps recommendations, promoting shared responsibility and accelerating AI adoption ROI.
Ypsilanti Township Residents Oppose Proposed Nuclear AI Data Center from U of M and LANL
Residents of Ypsilanti Township expressed strong opposition at a town hall regarding a proposed $1.2 billion hyperscale data center, a partnership between the University of Michigan and Los Alamos National Laboratories. Concerns include electricity costs, water usage, noise, and the data center's potential role in nuclear weapons research.
AvioBook uses Amazon Bedrock AgentCore to develop turnaround insights from operational data
AvioBook, a Thales Group company, is using Amazon Bedrock AgentCore to build "Connected Analytics" for its AvioBook Connect platform. This integration aims to transform operational data from airline turnarounds into actionable insights, helping airlines reduce delays and associated costs.
Proxylity Introduces Serverless DTLS Listeners for Encrypted UDP Applications
Proxylity has launched DTLS Listeners, providing TLS-style encryption and authentication for UDP applications without altering the datagram transport model. This allows applications like RADIUS and IoT protocols to use encrypted UDP transport while maintaining datagram boundaries.
Google Finance Engineering automates Spanner dual-write migrations with Antigravity CLI
Google's Finance Engineering team developed an automated refactoring pipeline using Antigravity CLI to migrate legacy data layers to Spanner. This automation addresses the challenge of manually rewriting dual-write logic across Data Access Objects (DAOs) for high-throughput production services, which is prone to error and time-consuming. The solution accelerates migration velocity while maintaining data parity during the transition.
Azure Virtual Desktop Hybrid Reaches GA, Licensing Details and Windows Server Support Unclear
Microsoft has made Azure Virtual Desktop Hybrid generally available, allowing session hosts to run on customer hardware connected via Azure Arc, while brokering remains in Azure. However, the required service licensing details are not yet published, and Windows Server support is limited to those with Software Assurance, which may restrict adoption.
AWS completes OSPAR 2026 assessment, expanding scope to 167 services in Singapore
AWS has completed its annual Outsourced Service Provider’s Audit Report (OSPAR) assessment for 2026, now covering 167 services in the AWS Asia Pacific (Singapore) Region. This certification helps financial institutions in Singapore meet regulatory compliance requirements for cloud services.
BigQuery introduces identity columns for automatic sequential ID generation
BigQuery has launched identity columns, a new feature that automatically generates sequential 64-bit integer values for tables. This simplifies data ingestion and reduces pipeline complexity by shifting unique identifier generation to BigQuery.
Loudoun County, VA, begins to restrict data center construction after resident complaints
Loudoun County, Virginia, a region with over 250 data centers, is starting to limit new data center construction due to increasing complaints from local residents. This shift occurs despite data centers contributing significantly to the county's revenue and enabling lower property taxes and funding for public services.
AWS to Open New Builder Lofts in Berlin, Hyderabad, and São Paulo
AWS announced plans to open new permanent Builder Lofts in Berlin, Hyderabad, and São Paulo. These spaces will offer free workshops, networking, and co-working areas for developers, students, and tech professionals, expanding on the existing San Francisco location.