Top tech news stories today: May 22, 2024

Top tech news stories today: May 22, 2024 is profiled by BTW Media because public-source evidence links it to internet infrastructure, governance, operational dependencies, or market visibility.

Discover Dell’s AI-powered PC launch, Samsung’s strategic leadership change, and Myriota’s game-changing IoT solutions. Stay ahead with insights into the innovations shaping the future of technology.

Blockchain

1. Cryptocurrencies gain as investors turn optimistic on ether ETFs

Ether saw its largest two-day gain in nearly two years, rising 8% to $3,775 amid speculation about U.S. spot ETF approvals. Bitcoin also approached a record high, up 2.2% at $71,000. (Reuters)

Internet governance

2. Announcing the 2024 ARIN grant selection committee

The 2024 ARIN Grant Selection Committee has been announced: Joe Westover (Chair), Michael Abejuela, Peter Harrison, Chris Tacit, Anthony Delacruz, and Kate Gerry. Applications for the ARIN Community Grant Program are open until 7 June. (ARIN)

IT infrastructure

3. Amazon’s cloud unit pauses orders of Nvidia’s most powerful chip, FT reports

Amazon Web Services has paused orders for Nvidia’s current superchip, opting to wait for the more powerful Blackwell model expected to ship later this year. AWS had fully transitioned its previous orders for Nvidia’s Grace Hopper chip. (WHTC)

4. European chip industry must expand supplier, R&D strengths, says imec CEO

The European chip industry should leverage its strengths in research and chipmaking equipment rather than attempting to create a cutting-edge chip manufacturer, said Luc Van den Hove, CEO of imec. (U.S. News)

5. European labs led by imec to receive $2.7 billion in Chips Act funding

Leading European research labs, including Belgium’s imec, will receive 2.5 billion euros under the European Chips Act to develop and test advanced computer chips. (Datafloq)

Tech trends

6. China’s Xpeng sees higher quarterly deliveries as promotions boost EV demand

Xpeng expects a 25% to 37.9% rise in second-quarter deliveries due to price cuts attracting more buyers, boosting its US-listed shares by 6% in premarket trading. The company anticipates delivering 29,000-32,000 vehicles, reflecting successful promotions and investments in AI and self-driving technology. (Business Day)

AI

7. Chinese tech giants slash prices of language models used to power AI chatbots

Chinese tech giants Alibaba and Baidu slashed prices for large-language models (LLMs) on Tuesday amid a price war in China’s cloud computing sector. Alibaba’s cloud unit reduced costs by up to 97%, while Baidu made its Ernie Speed and Ernie Lite models free for business users. (Reuters)

8. IBM makes more AI models open source and lands Saudi Arabia deal

IBM announced on Tuesday, May 21, that it will release its family of AI models as open-source software and assist Saudi Arabia in training an AI system in Arabic. Unlike rivals such as Microsoft, IBM’s strategy involves open access to AI models and monetising through customisation and deployment tools like Watsonx. (Rappler)

9. Scarlett Johansson says OpenAI chatbot voice ‘eerily similar’ to hers

OpenAI announced it will halt the use of one of its ChatGPT voices, Sky, after actress Scarlett Johansson claimed it sounded “eerily similar” to hers. Johansson had declined OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s request to lend her voice and expressed shock at the similarity. (Cleveland)

10. Samsung picks veteran executive to tackle ‘chip crisis’ amid AI boom

Samsung Electronics has replaced the head of its semiconductor division, appointing Young Hyun Jun to address the “chip crisis.” Jun, previously leading Samsung’s memory chip department, aims to bolster competitiveness in the booming AI chip market where Samsung lags behind peers. (The Indian Express)

11. Dell deepens AI push with new PCs, Nvidia-powered servers

Dell Technologies unveiled AI-enabled PCs powered by Qualcomm processors and announced a new server supporting Nvidia’s latest chips, available in the second half of 2024. (The Globe And Mail)

IoT

12. Subeca raises $6 million to scale water technology

IoT startup Subeca, specialising in affordable water technology, has secured $6M in Series A funding led by SUEZ, with contributions from Amazon’s Climate Pledge Fund and Burnt Island Ventures. (IoT insider)

13. Myriota rolls out satellite IoT developer platform

Myriota has launched FlexSense, a next-generation IoT hardware platform designed to rapidly deploy sensor-based solutions. Enabled by low-power satellite connectivity and advanced Bluetooth Low Energy, FlexSense supports diverse applications and can last over ten years on four AA batteries. (IoT Business News)