Google gains unconditional EU approval for $32B Wiz acquisition

The approval, which clears a significant regulatory hurdle for the deal, comes as Google is engaged in a massive capital expenditure program to support its artificial intelligence ambitions. According to The Register, the tech giant has committed to a $185 billion spending spree, a portion of which is being directed toward securing immense computational power. This includes a recent power purchase agreement in Texas for 1 gigawatt of solar energy from TotalEnergies, enough electricity to supply 28 terawatt-hours over 15 years to fuel its data centers.

This aggressive investment in energy infrastructure underscores the colossal resources required to compete in the high-stakes AI sector, where companies like Google are vying for dominance. The context of this spending highlights the strategic rationale behind the Wiz acquisition: integrating advanced cybersecurity is becoming a non-negotiable prerequisite for managing the vast, sensitive datasets and mission-critical cloud infrastructure that underpin AI services. Securing these assets is paramount, making a firm like Wiz an attractive target.

Further illustrating the intense competition in the AI space, Google has moved to solidify its product offerings. VentureBeat reported that Google launched its production-ready Gemini 2.5 AI models, a direct challenge to OpenAI's enterprise dominance. This launch is a critical component of Google's strategy to monetize its AI investments and capture market share, necessitating a robust and secure underlying architecture that the Wiz acquisition is poised to provide.

The scale of this computational arms race is not confined to Google. According to a report from Ars Technica, OpenAI and its partners are also constructing a massive AI data center in Texas. This parallel development indicates a broader industry trend where major tech players are converging on energy-rich regions to power an insatiable demand for processing power, turning states like Texas into key battlegrounds for the future of computing.

While Google expands its capabilities, it continues to navigate a complex global regulatory landscape. In a separate but related development noted by Hacker News, Google and Apple have pledged to the UK’s competition watchdog to avoid discriminating against third-party apps that compete with their own products. This type of regulatory scrutiny is commonplace for large technology firms, making the unconditional EU approval for the Wiz deal a notable and comparatively smooth regulatory outcome.

Not all of Google's ventures are proceeding without friction. According to a Fosstodon AI Timeline post, Autodesk has filed a lawsuit against Google over the name of its "Flow AI" videomaker, alleging trademark infringement. This minor legal dispute serves as a reminder of the myriad challenges large tech companies face as they rapidly expand and brand their growing suites of AI-powered products.

The unconditional approval from EU regulators suggests that officials did not foresee the Wiz acquisition significantly reducing competition in the cybersecurity market, a sector where numerous players operate. This clears the path for Google to integrate Wiz's cloud security technologies, potentially offering more deeply embedded protection for its cloud and AI services. The move is widely seen as a defensive and offensive play to bolster its cloud infrastructure business, making it a more secure and attractive platform for enterprise clients wary of escalating cyber threats, particularly those associated with complex AI workloads. The integration of Wiz is expected to be a key part of Google's strategy to ensure its $185 billion investment in AI is built upon a secure and resilient foundation.