FTI Consulting News Bytes – 26 September 2025

FTI Consulting News Bytes

This week, we look at some of the biggest moves shaping the tech industry. We start by looking at Nscale’s funding boost, positioning the UK start-up as a rising European AI infrastructure powerhouse. We then turn to The World Security Report launched this week by G4S, where corporate security chiefs warn that the threat of violence to company executives is on the rise. We then take a look at the controversy over the H-1B visa fee, raising alarms about a potential tech talent exodus from the US. On the policy front, we look at the US TikTok deal, the Murdochs’ potential involvement and Oracle’s strategic role. In regulatory news, Apple pushed back against the EU’s Digital Markets Act, defending its practices. 

This week’s news

Nscale scores $1.1bn

UK-based AI infrastructure start-up Nscale has raised $1.1bn in one of the largest funding rounds ever for a European tech company, backed by Norwegian industrial group Aker. This backing will support Nscale’s expansion of AI-ready data centres across Europe, the US, and the Middle East. According to the Financial Times, the company positions itself as a “sovereign” AI infrastructure provider, delivering locally controlled, secure computing for businesses and governments. Nokia, among others, is joining the round as a strategic investor and preferred networking partner, providing advanced data centre switching, IP routing, and optical technologies to support Nscale’s scalable, high-performance AI infrastructure. The news signals that AI is no longer just about software or chips – it’s about building the physical platforms to host and scale this technology. If Nscale executes well, it could become a cornerstone of Europe’s AI ecosystem.

Executive protection is on the rise

This week, Allied Universal and G4S launched the second edition of the World Security Report, collecting insights from 2,352 Chief Security Officers (CSO’s) from medium and large, global companies across 31 countries, with total annual revenue exceeding $25 trillion. Alongside perspectives from 200 global institutional investors managing over $1 trillion in assets. On CNBC Ashley Almanza, executive chairman of G4S conveyed the global findings that concerns around the safety of business leaders have risen sharply. The Company has seen a 40-fold, that’s a 4,000% increase, in inbound inquiries from companies looking for additional security resources to put in place, executive protection programs. Reuters noted that with threats of violence against company executives on the rise, the U.S. technology sector was the worst affected. Closer to home, CityAM noted the UK findings that British businesses are bolstering security measures for their chief executives faster than any other country in Europe. The threat of violence towards company executives in Britain has surged over the past two years amid a rise in activism and misinformation campaigns. This escalating risk is underscored by investors, with 97% of global institutional investors highlighting the importance of investing in security for their executives.

$100K H-1B fee sparks tech exodus fears

The Trump administration’s proposed $100,000 fee for new H-1B visas has shaken the US tech sector, which relies heavily on foreign talent to drive innovation. Some executives, like Netflix’s Reed Hastings and OpenAI’s Sam Altman, welcomed the change as a way to prioritise high-value roles. Meanwhile, critics such as Y Combinator’s Garry Tan called the policy a “massive gift” to Canada, Europe, and Asia, where governments and companies are eager to absorb disillusioned talent. The White House later clarified the fee applies only to new visas, not renewals, but uncertainty remains, potentially deterring international students and disrupting research, also affecting the start-up ecosystem. According to the Financial Times and CNBC, experts caution the policy risks undermining America’s global tech leadership by eroding its long-standing advantage as a magnet for skilled workers – especially in AI, where talent is global and mobile. 

TikTok’s new US chapter 

The White House announced the terms of a deal around the sale of TikTok this week, noting that the app’s algorithm will be copied and retrained by Oracle and that it will be operated under a joint venture between investors. Oracle already manages the data collected by TikTok about its US users, under an arrangement nicknamed ‘Project Texas’, so Oracle’s involvement in the deal marks a logical next step. Oracle will receive a licensed copy of TikTok’s algorithm and undertake an audit of the app’s source code and content recommendation function, which has been behind the US’s national security concerns, writes the BBC. A White House spokesperson said the algorithm will then be retrained on US user data, with Oracle continuously monitoring how content is being pushed to users. Outlets report that investors in the joint venture will include Oracle, Andreessen Horowitz and Silver Lake Management. Rupert Murdoch’s Fox Corp. is reportedly considering an investment in TikTok as well, in a bid to reach younger audiences and redeem the family’s disastrous investment in MySpace 20 years ago. 

Apple bites back at EU tech law

Apple has urged the EU to reconsider its landmark Digital Markets Act (DMA), arguing that the rules compromise user privacy, stifle innovation, increase security risks, and hinder its landmark Digital Markets Act (DMA). According to Bloomberg, the company argued that requirements such as sideloading apps, enabling third-party payments, and sharing user data, compromises the seamless experience Apple products are known for. While Apple insists it is complying, it warns that the DMA is benefiting competitors more than consumers. The EU, meanwhile, has already fined Apple €500 million under the law, with penalties that can rise to 20% of global revenue for repeat violations. The Financial Times notes that Apple’s move comes at a time of heightened transatlantic tensions over the EU’s digital rule book. The real test will be whether EU regulators double down on enforcement or whether Apple’s privacy-first defence resonates with European consumers who have historically valued both security and choice.

Top Tweets of the Week

• Saritha Rai, Asia AI Reporter at Bloomberg: A staggering $800 billion global shortfall in AI infrastructure spend is foreseen by 2030, according to a new report by Bain, and that could hamper AI’s progress @business. https://t.co/HvwybrC1aD
• TechCrunch: While the industry’s biggest players cement ever-tighter partnerships, Google is hellbent on capturing the next generation of AI companies before they become too big to court. https://t.co/pDUzAIdvOh 
• Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft: “An important breakthrough from our teams: a new approach to liquid cooling that uses microfluidics, opening the door to more efficient, sustainable, and power-dense datacenters than conventional methods.” https://t.co/hCbOpDPWWA 

Number of the week

3bn  The number of monthly users that Instagram has reached, according to Bloomberg, cementing the platform as one of the most popular consumer apps of all time.