Follow us to see the latest tech news today. Dive into Wiki Finance Expo Hong Kong 2024 is coming in May, migration to LACNIC’s new RPKI system, Blue Planet launches industry’s only multi-cloud native OSS platform, Google’s Gemini 1.5 Pro just got ears, and Finnish startup Basemark secures €22 million to make driving safer with AR.
Fintech
1. Ethereum co-founder shows up at Web3 festival after sceptical Hong Kong comments
Vitalik Buterin, co-founder of the Ethereum blockchain, made a rare last-minute appearance at a Hong Kong crypto conference on Tuesday. (SCMP)
2. South Korea authorities investigate crypto hacking and illicit trading on exchanges
South Korea authorities are investigating cryptocurrencies hacking and illicit trading, focusing on cracking down on such practices, raising concerns about potential consequences for those involved. (blockchain news)
3. Wiki Finance Expo Hong Kong 2024 is coming in May
Taking place on May 17, 2024, Wiki Finance Expo Hong Kong 2024 is one of the largest and most influential fintech and digital finance events in Asia in 2024. Participation is completely free. The event ticket includes admission to sky100 observation deck for free. (The Crypto Times)
4. Binance Has Matured Since DOJ US$4.3 billion Settlement: CEO Richard Teng
Richard Teng, CEO of the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, Binance, believes the trading giant is past the cultural issues after it settled criminal charges from the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) with a US$4.3 billion fine. (cryptopotato)
Internet Governance
5. Call for NextGen@ICANN81 applications
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) is calling for applications for the NextGen@ICANN Program. ICANN wants to hear from university students ages 18-30 living and studying in the Asia Pacific region who are interested in the future of the Internet and participating in the ICANN81 Annual General Meeting. ICANN81 is scheduled to be held in Istanbul, Türkiye, from 9–14 November 2024. (ICANN)
6. Get ready for ARIN 53
ARIN is heading to beautiful Bridgetown, Barbados, for ARIN 53. Our spring Public Policy and Members Meeting takes place 14-17 April 2024 at the Hilton Barbados Resort and virtually via the Zoom webinar platform. (ARIN)
7. Migration to LACNIC’s new RPKI system
During the month of April, LACNIC will migrate to a new RPKI resource certification system, which has already reached a 50% adoption rate in IPv4 and nearly 40% in IPv6. LACNIC’s new RPKI system will be operational in the week of 15 to 22 April, incorporating elements of the standards defined by the IETF. (LACNIC)
IT infrastructure
8. Google announces Axion, its first custom arm-based data center processor
Google Cloud on Tuesday joined AWS and Azure in announcing its first custom-built Arm processor, dubbed Axion. Based on Arm’s Neoverse 2 designs, Google says its Axion instances offer 30% better performance than other Arm-based instances from competitors like AWS and Microsoft and up to 50% better performance and 60% better energy efficiency than comparable X86-based instances. (TechCrunch)
9. Blue Planet launches industry’s only multi-cloud native OSS platform
Ciena’s Blue Planet today announced a major enhancement to its intelligent automation software portfolio with the launch of what it is calling the industry’s only multi-cloud native OSS Platform. (Capacity)
Tech Trends
10. Google partners with European conglomerate bayer for new AI-powered solutions for radiologists
On Tuesday, Bayer AG and Alphabet Inc’s Google Cloud announced a collaboration to develop artificial intelligence (AI) solutions to support radiologists. (yahoo finance)
11. Elon Musk says his posts did more to ‘financially impair’ X than help it
Elon Musk said his posts on social media might have had a negative impact on X’s bottom line. In a deposition for a lawsuit against the billionaire, Musk addressed concerns about his posting habits on X. (BUSINESS INCIDER)
AI
12. Intel unveils latest AI chip as Nvidia competition heats up
Intel on Tuesday unveiled its latest artificial intelligence chip, called Gaudi 3, as chipmakers rush to produce semiconductors that can train and deploy big AI models, such as the one underpinning OpenAI’s ChatGPT. (CNBC)
13. Microsoft to invest US$2.9 billion to expand AI, cloud infra in Japan
Microsoft said on Tuesday it would invest US$2.9 billion over two years to expand its cloud and AI infrastructure in Japan, the latest in a series of overseas expansions by large tech firms to support the development of artificial intelligence. (Reuters)
14. Google’s Gemini 1.5 Pro just got ears
Gemini is Google’s rebranded bot, previously called Bard, and Gemini 1.5 Pro is the latest iteration of the model made available to a limited number of developers in February of this year. Gemini 1.5 Pro has the capability to process text, code, video, and now uploaded audio streams, including audio from video, which it can listen to, analyze, and extract information from without a corresponding written transcript. (lifehacker)
15. Symbolica raises US$31 million to develop AI systems to compete with OpenAI
Artificial intelligence startup Symbolica, which develops foundation models to compete with ChatGPT creator OpenAI, announced a US$31 million series A funding round led by Khosla Ventures on Tuesday. (AoI)
16. Asus’ new OLED laptops run on the latest AI-capable chips
Asus has released two new laptop models: the Asus Vivobook S series and the Zenbook 14 OLED. Along with offering OLED displays, the laptops run on some of the latest AMD and Intel processors. (The Verge)
AR/VR
17. Finnish startup Basemark secures €22 million to make driving safer with AR
Helsinki-headquartered Basemark has raised €22 million to bring its augmented reality (AR) “toolkit” to automakers across the globe. Basemark’s software, dubbed Rocksolid AR, is an AI-based computer vision system that enables carmakers to develop their own AR applications for Heads-up Displays (HUDs). (TNW)
18. Finance hub CEO outlines future of AR while appearing via Apple Vision Pro
In an innovative interview conducted via Apple’s Vision Pro, Roundtable anchor Rob Nelson and TradeZing CEO Jordan Edelson explored the frontiers of virtual presence and the evolving landscape of augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) technology. (The Street Roundtable)
IoT
19. First Korean-designed two-armed robot launched
Korea-based Rainbow Robotics has unveiled details of its latest robot, the RB-Y1. The new design is reportedly Korea’s first-ever bimanual mobile manipulator, with its wheeled, two-arm design intended to enable work across several environments. (IoT World Today)
20. BlackBerry launches next-gen robotic systems, embedded world 2024
BlackBerry has announced a new collaboration with AMD at this year’s Embedded World, taking place this week, April 9-11 in Nuremberg, Germany. (IoT World Today)
