Rest of World

War in the Gulf could tilt the cloud race toward China

Strikes on U.S. data centers highlight the risks of concentration and the growing role of geopolitics in cloud competition.

By Kinling Lo

A busy tech event with people interacting, featuring signs that read "sarvam for Speech," "sarvam for Impact," "AI for all," and "sarvam for Content."

Innovation

India’s frugal AI models are a blueprint for resource-strapped nations

The new book "LeanSpark" examines frugal innovation in India, including how startups Sarvam AI and Krutrim overcome cost and infrastructure constraints.

By Jaideep Prabhu, Priyank Narayan and Mukesh Sud

Global

Support Our Global Journalism

Nearly four billion Internet users live outside the West, building and using tech products & platforms that most Americans have never heard of.

By Rest of World Staff

A detailed model of a futuristic city layout, with people observing and discussing around it at an exhibition.

Tech Giants

“Data embassies” and safeguarding digital assets during wartime

To avoid collateral damage, countries consider ditching giant server hubs for smaller, distributed ones—especially now that military and civilian data live side-by-side.

By Rina Chandran

View from a motorcycle with hands on the handlebars, looking at a neon pink sign reading "10-MIN DELIVERY" at a busy intersection.

Tech Giants

Amazon is betting on speed in a market that may not need it

Quick commerce promises instant convenience, but it’s driven more by deep discounts and habit-building than real need.

By Ananya Bhattacharya

Police officers monitor multiple surveillance screens in a control room, overseeing various areas for security. — Adriana Zehbrauskas for Rest of World

Features

A Mexican surveillance giant you’ve never heard of is now watching the U.S. border

Grupo Seguritech quietly built a $1.27 billion surveillance empire. Now it's expanding into the U.S. and across Latin America.

By José Olivares

A world of tech in your inbox

Exclusive stories, on-the-ground reporting, and analysis from our global newsroom — twice a week, every week. See the full picture of how technology is shaping the world.

In his new book, “Computing in the Age of Decolonization: India’s Lost Technological Revolution,” researcher Dwaipayan Banerjee argues that a focus on technical solutions has made the country dependent on big tech firms and failed to solve fundamental social problems.

By Dwaipayan Banerjee

Editor's picks

2025

2024

2023

An artistic collage featuring three men's faces and a satellite dish, overlaid with text about Starlink terms and policies.

🏆 Society for News Design

A collage of images taken from a group on WhatsApp, showing a man holding a candle against a purple background. The images are set against a green background used on WhatsApp.

Inside the BJP's WhatsApp Machine

How India’s ruling party uses the app to campaign free from public scrutiny

May 14, 2024

A black and white illustration with aqua highlights showing a large protest being surveilled by CCTV cameras and a drone.

The changing face of protest

Mass protests used to offer safety in numbers. Facial recognition technology changes the equation

March 27, 2024

🏆 Society for News Design

A photo of a man sitting on a motorbike on a busy street in Lahore, Pakistan.

Riders in the Smog

After equipping gig riders across South Asia with pollution monitors, the readings were off the charts

February 27, 2024

An illustration showing emoji characters sitting on a blue text bubble laughing hysterically.

How different languages laugh online

Laughter is universal, but lol is not

December 18, 2023

🏆 National Magazine Award

A photo showing a cluster of Shein shipping bags laid out on a yellow background.

China, the World's Shopping Cart

E-commerce platforms like Shein and Temu are going global with big ambitions

November 14, 2023

🏆 National Magazine Award

A photo collage showing a grid of square images with portraits of people, exteriors of buildings, city streets, and plates of food.

How AI is reducing the World to Stereotypes

3,000 AI images analyzed to show how image generators see cultures

October 10, 2023

🏆 Online Journalism Award

40 Companies Beating the West

Faster, smarter, more adaptable: The emerging market pioneers outmaneuvering Silicon Valley

October 5, 2023

🏆 National Magazine Award

A photo of a woman with red hair drinking from a cup with a straw while seated at a computer in an internet cafe.

Inside the World's last internet cafes

Documenting them before they vanish

July 25, 2023

Welcome to the Ambaniverse

It's Mukesh Ambani's world — we're just living in it

November 15, 2022

🏆 Society for News Design

Chinese citizens use puns to get past internet censors

Chinese social media companies and users are locked in a never-ending battle

October 11, 2022

🏆 Society for News Design

How to Buy

E-commerce isn't the same around the globe

May 31, 2022

In the dark

60 countries, 935 internet shutdowns: How authoritarian regimes found an off switch for dissent

April 26, 2022

🏆 Society for News Design

Charts

A view of Rest of World through all our charts and graphics.

Explore charts >

30 March 2026

Unitree's Revenues and Profits (million yuan)

See details >

Unitree's Revenues and Profits (million yuan)
Where Unitree’s humanoid robots are deployed
U.S.-based startups received 64% of global VC funding in 2025
Quick commerce startups by country, 2015-2026
Number of quick commerce startups founded globally by year
Top AI investors prefer to bet on U.S. companies over other countries
The U.S. produces more AI startups than the rest of the world combined
Mexican Subsidiaries of Grupo Seguritech
Smart CCTV cameras deployed in African nations by 2025
African nations' suppliers for smart city surveillance tech
Mobile and internet penetration in African nations that will pilot $40 smartphones in 2026
Chinese EV makers delay payments to suppliers longer than their Western peers

War in the Gulf could tilt the cloud race toward China

A Mexican surveillance giant you’ve never heard of is now watching the U.S. border

Winners of the 2026 Photo Contest

India’s frugal AI models are a blueprint for resource-strapped nations

“Data embassies” and safeguarding digital assets during wartime

Amazon is betting on speed in a market that may not need it

Nations priced out of Big AI are building with frugal models

In the Gulf, GPS jamming leaves delivery drivers navigating blind

“This is unprecedented”: America’s AI boom is leaving the rest of the world behind

Workers around the world are not getting what they want from AI

The world’s largest humanoid robot maker is going public

EVs were meant to bypass oil. Now they’re stuck at the Strait of Hormuz

War in the Gulf could tilt the cloud race toward China

India’s frugal AI models are a blueprint for resource-strapped nations

Support Our Global Journalism

“Data embassies” and safeguarding digital assets during wartime

Amazon is betting on speed in a market that may not need it

A Mexican surveillance giant you’ve never heard of is now watching the U.S. border

A world of tech in your inbox

War in the Gulf could tilt the cloud race toward China

“Data embassies” and safeguarding digital assets during wartime

EVs were meant to bypass oil. Now they’re stuck at the Strait of Hormuz

Meta’s Oversight Board races to govern the AI surge

Countries are outlawing online gambling ads. Meta is selling them anyway

Indigenous creators are clashing with YouTube’s and Instagram’s sensitive content bans

“This is unprecedented”: America’s AI boom is leaving the rest of the world behind

The Gulf was Silicon Valley’s bet on the future. Trump has put it in the crosshairs

Africa pours $2 billion into controversial Chinese surveillance tech

Death of an Indian tech worker

Big bets and broken unicorns: Tiger Global’s rise and reckoning

When Musk joined Trump, countries rolled out the red carpet for Starlink

EVs were meant to bypass oil. Now they’re stuck at the Strait of Hormuz

Fire risks and ugly designs are stalling EV charger adoption

Why are Chinese EVs cheaper than Tesla?

India’s tech sovereignty is built on digital dependence

Family deepfakes help people celebrate and grieve in India

AI sovereignty won’t come from renting Big Tech’s models

War in the Gulf could tilt the cloud race toward China

Africa pours $2 billion into controversial Chinese surveillance tech

China prioritizes investments outside the U.S.

Editor's picks

After Musk joined Trump, countries rolled out the red carpet for Starlink

When the world connected on Skype

Digital Divinity

Inside the BJP's WhatsApp Machine

The changing face of protest

Riders in the Smog

How different languages laugh online

China, the World's Shopping Cart

How AI is reducing the World to Stereotypes

40 Companies Beating the West

Inside the World's last internet cafes

Welcome to the Ambaniverse

Chinese citizens use puns to get past internet censors

How to Buy

In the dark

The Global Gig Workers

The war in Gaza is reshaping moderation rules

Meta, YouTube verdict can ripple through social media markets worldwide

The global struggle over how to regulate AI

The app going against Uber by putting people over algorithms

In Chinese data factories, workers teach humanoid robots boring tasks

How do you compete with Chinese e-commerce giants? A Vietnamese company is deploying housewives

Charts

Unitree's Revenues and Profits (million yuan)

Unitree's Revenues and Profits (million yuan)

Where Unitree’s humanoid robots are deployed

U.S.-based startups received 64% of global VC funding in 2025

Quick commerce startups by country, 2015-2026

Number of quick commerce startups founded globally by year

Top AI investors prefer to bet on U.S. companies over other countries

The U.S. produces more AI startups than the rest of the world combined

Mexican Subsidiaries of Grupo Seguritech

Smart CCTV cameras deployed in African nations by 2025

African nations' suppliers for smart city surveillance tech

Mobile and internet penetration in African nations that will pilot $40 smartphones in 2026

Chinese EV makers delay payments to suppliers longer than their Western peers

India’s frugal AI models are a blueprint for resource-strapped nations

Nations priced out of Big AI are building with frugal models

The global tech boom is over. American AI companies won