IT infrastructure
1. Google considering large data centre in Vietnam, source says, in nation’s first by US big tech
Alphabet’s Google is considering building a large data centre in Vietnam, a person briefed on the plans said, in what would be the first such investment by a big U.S. technology company in the Southeast Asian nation. (Reuters)
2. Huawei sees first-half earnings surge on smartphone renaissance
Chinese tech giant Huawei reported hefty jumps in first-half revenue and net profit on Thursday, with smartphone sales robust and its smart car components business also doing well despite U.S. sanctions. (MSN)
3. China invests $6.1 billion in computing data centre project, official says
China had by the end of June 2024 directly invested over 43.5 billion yuan (about 6.1 billion U.S. dollars) in the construction of eight computing hubs forming part of its mega data project dubbed “east data, west computing,” an official said Thursday. (ENGLISH GOV CN)
4. US senator presses Intel CEO on chips award after job cut plan
Republican Senator Rick Scott on Wednesday asked Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger for more details on the company’s plans to cut more than 15,000 jobs despite being set to receive nearly $20 billion in U.S. grants and loans to boost chip production. (US news)
5. SK Hynix develops sixth-gen DRAM chip that uses less power
SK Hynix, world’s second-largest memory chip maker, said on Thursday it had developed the industry’s first sixth-generation 10-nanometre dynamic random access memory (DRAM) chip with reduced power consumption than older models. (US news)
Tech trends
6. Samsung shows interest in Nokia mobile networks assets, Bloomberg News
Telecom equipment maker Nokia has been exploring options for its mobile networks business and has drawn interest from suitors including Samsung Electronics, Bloomberg News reported on Thursday, citing people familiar with the matter. (Market Screener)
7. Amazon workers to join Teamsters’ strikes against unfair labor practices in US
The Teamsters said on Thursday its strikes against unfair labor practices were expanding, with Amazon.com workers across several U.S. states joining the union in actions against the e-commerce giant. (Aol)
AI
8. Contentious California AI bill passes legislature, awaits governor’s signature
California lawmakers passed a controversial AI safety bill, SB 1047, which faces opposition from tech giants and some Democrats. The bill mandates safety testing, a “kill switch” for AI models, and third-party audits. (India Express)
9. OpenAI, Anthropic sign deals with US govt for AI research and testing
The first-of-their-kind agreements come at a time when the companies are facing regulatory scrutiny over safe and ethical use of AI technologies. (DeccanHerald)
10. Meta says its Llama AI models being used by banks, tech companies
Meta’s Llama artificial intelligence models are being used by companies including Goldman Sachs and AT&T for business functions like customer service, document review and computer code generation, the social media giant said in a statement on Thursday. (MarketSreener)
11. UK reshapes its AI strategy under pressure to cut costs
Britain’s Labour government is drawing up a new, cost-cutting artificial intelligence strategy ahead of a crunch autumn budget – prioritising public sector adoption of the technology over direct investment into industry. (MSN)
12. Salesforce gains as software firm bets on AI tools to power growth
Shares of Salesforce gained about 4% on Thursday as investors cheered the customer relationship management software maker’s upbeat quarterly results and its artificial intelligence push to drive growth. (US news)
13. CrowdStrike cuts forecasts as Windows outage weighs on new deals
Analysts expected the reputational hit could hurt CrowdStrike’s dominant position. (Business Standard)
