Nvidia Nears $20 Billion OpenAI Investment as AI Funding Race Intensifies 
U.S. Stock Futures Edge Higher as Tech Rout Deepens on AI Concerns and Earnings 
TrumpRx Website Launches to Offer Discounted Prescription Drugs for Cash-Paying Americans 
SpaceX Pushes for Early Stock Index Inclusion Ahead of Potential Record-Breaking IPO 
Rio Tinto Shares Hit Record High After Ending Glencore Merger Talks 
Japanese Pharmaceutical Stocks Slide as TrumpRx.gov Launch Sparks Market Concerns 
Asian Markets Slip as AI Spending Fears Shake Tech, Wall Street Futures Rebound 
Anthropic Eyes $350 Billion Valuation as AI Funding and Share Sale Accelerate 
Once Upon a Farm Raises Nearly $198 Million in IPO, Valued at Over $724 Million 
Oil Prices Slip as U.S.–Iran Talks Ease Supply Disruption Fears 
Oil Prices Slide on US-Iran Talks, Dollar Strength and Profit-Taking Pressure 
Gold and Silver Prices Slide as Dollar Strength and Easing Tensions Weigh on Metals 
Instagram Outage Disrupts Thousands of U.S. Users 
Alphabet’s Massive AI Spending Surge Signals Confidence in Google’s Growth Engine 
Gold Prices Slide Below $5,000 as Strong Dollar and Central Bank Outlook Weigh on Metals 
South Korea’s Weak Won Struggles as Retail Investors Pour Money Into U.S. Stocks 
South Korea Assures U.S. on Trade Deal Commitments Amid Tariff Concerns 
Microsoft bought AT&T Inc.'s advertising division, Xandr, and this was revealed on Tuesday, Dec. 21. The telecommunication company headquartered in Dallas, Texas, is partly moving away from the business that seems to have become expensive to operate and maintain.
The tech company further said that the deal builds on a decade-long relationship between Xandr and Microsoft in the industry. AT&T's ad unit was established in 2018 through the purchase of ad exchange and a TV ad tech firm to make use of data gathered from TV services, the internet, and phone to target the consumers.
According to Reuters, AT&T invested billions to set up a firm that houses a media company, an advertising platform, and a satellite TV provider. However, the plan was met with criticisms from investors as the company also struggled to lessen debt.
Microsoft is generating a large part of its revenue by licensing its Office and Windows software. It also operates several other lucrative ventures such as advertising-supported businesses, including its MSN News, LinkedIn, and Bing search engine.
"Microsoft can accelerate the delivery of its digital advertising and retail media solutions, shaping tomorrow's digital ad marketplace into one that respects consumer privacy preferences, understands publishers' relationships with consumers and helps advertisers meet their goals," Microsoft president of web experiences, Mikhail Parakhin, said in a statement.
In any case, Microsoft will be acquiring AT&T's Xandr unit to step up its delivery of digital advertising as well as retail media solutions. Then again, it was clarified that the advertising sales business supporting DirecTV is not included in the deal.
The financial details of the acquisition were not revealed to the public and the transaction is still subject to regulatory review. AT&T's shares also increased by around 1.4% in early trading after the news came out.
Finally, on Dec. 21, Microsoft stated in a blog post, "Today, Microsoft is announcing that we have entered an agreement to acquire Xandr from AT&T. Xandr provides a data-enabled technology platform with tools that help power a diverse ecosystem connecting marketers and media owners through first-party, data-led advertising solutions across its network."
