Tag - computers

 
 

COMPUTERS

Increased reliance on AI and digital technology is weakening cognitive skills, such as critical thinking and problem-solving, as people depend more on machines for tasks that once required mental effort.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 25, 2025
‘Use it or lose it’ — a grim mantra for the AI age
In sum, “excessive dependence on AI without concurrent cultivation of fundamental cognitive skills may lead to underutilization and subsequent loss of cognitive abilities.”
An electronic dictionary section at a mass retailer in Tokyo's Shinjuku Ward in 2005
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 13, 2025
Electronic dictionary market shrinking in Japan
Sales of electric dictionaries are falling in Japan amid declining birthrates and widespread use of smartphone apps.
Jins' new device, called the "Jins Assist," allows users to click and move the cursor of a computer via head movements.
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 27, 2025
Eyeglass company Jins' new device lets people use a PC via head movements
Weighing only 4 grams, Jins' device can help people with hand or arm disabilities navigate a computer through small head movements.
Futures markets for computing power, driven by increasing demand from AI and other sectors, could help stabilize price volatility and create new investment opportunities, similar to how oil futures manage fluctuations in the energy market.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 25, 2025
Computing power is going the way of oil in markets
One of the purposes of futures markets is to draw financial investors into the production process of commodities.
Tokyo police have arrested the president of a computer retailer in the capital for allegedly having Chinese students studying in Japan buy MacBooks using a student discount at Apple Stores for the purpose of reselling them overseas.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Feb 20, 2025
Police arrest computer retailer head over MacBook student discount scheme
Zhao Zhicheng, 35, allegedly had students from China studying in Japan buy the Apple computers at a discount for the purpose of reselling abroad.
Microsoft's Majorana 1 quantum computing chip
BUSINESS / Tech
Feb 20, 2025
New Microsoft chip signals quantum computers in 'years, not decades'
Quantum computing holds the promise of carrying out calculations that would take today's systems millions of years.
Core machinery orders, excluding orders for ships and power equipment, totaled ¥899.6 billion ($5.77 billion) in November, the Cabinet Office said.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jan 20, 2025
Japan's core machinery orders up 3.4% in November
Orders totaled ¥899.6 billion ($5.77 billion), the Cabinet Office said, marking a second consecutive month of growth.
Most of the grant funding for U.S. President Joe Biden's ambitious Chips and Science Act has been awarded, and the initiative has spurred more than $400 billion in planned company investments. But much of the job remains unfinished — and broader upheaval in the chip industry will only add to the challenges.
BUSINESS / Tech / FOCUS
Jan 18, 2025
Biden’s chips team hands off $52 billion program to a skeptical Trump
Before the election, Donald Trump described the Chips Act as "so bad” and suggested tariffs would be a better solution.
The U.S. Treasury Department said Monday that a Chinese state-sponsored actor was behind a hack resulting in access to some of its workstations earlier this month, according to a letter to Congress.
BUSINESS
Dec 31, 2024
U.S. Treasury says it was breached by Chinese hackers in 'major' incident
The hackers were able to remotely access certain Treasury workstations and "certain unclassified documents maintained by those users.”
While ByteDance faces a possible TikTok ban in the U.S. and China targets Nvidia, tensions escalate, posing risks for global tech companies caught in the conflict.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 19, 2024
From TikTok to Nvidia, the tech war is getting uglier
While ByteDance faces a possible TikTok ban in the U.S. and China targets Nvidia, tensions escalate, posing risks for global tech companies caught in the conflict.
The goal of the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden, building on years of evolving trade restrictions, is to slow China’s domestic development of advanced semiconductors and artificial intelligence systems that may help its military.
BUSINESS / Tech
Dec 3, 2024
U.S. tightens curbs on China’s access to AI memory and chip tools
The new measures included exemptions for key allies such as Japan and the Netherlands.
The Fugaku supercomputer at Riken Center for Computational Science in Kobe City, Hyogo Prefecture
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 19, 2024
Japan's Fugaku supercomputer takes top spot in two rankings for 10th time
Fugaku marked better performance than in the previous rankings, in May, following an improvement to its software.
Jensen Huang (left), co-founder and CEO of Nvidia, and Masayoshi Son, chairman and CEO of SoftBank Group, during a fireside chat at the Nvidia AI Summit Japan on Wednesday
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 13, 2024
SoftBank plans first supercomputer with Nvidia Blackwell chips
Nvidia’s chips have become a prized commodity for the world’s biggest tech companies, which use the components to develop and run AI models.
Nojima will purchase about 93% of Vaio's outstanding shares from investment fund Japan Industrial Partners.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 12, 2024
Nojima to acquire PC company Vaio for ¥11.2 billion
Sony will continue to hold a 4.7% stake in Vaio.
U.S. President Joe Biden announces a preliminary agreement with Intel for a major CHIPS and Science Act award, during a visit to the Intel Ocotillo Campus, in Chandler, Arizona, in March.
BUSINESS / Tech / FOCUS
Nov 9, 2024
Trump’s win sets off race to complete chip subsidy deals
The Biden administration is aiming to shore up one of its signature initiatives before President-elect Donald Trump enters the White House.
The guidance provided in the White House’s first-ever National Security Memorandum on artificial intelligence is bound to have implications for U.S. allies and partners, some of which are already struggling to keep up with the fast pace of technological change.
WORLD / ANALYSIS
Nov 4, 2024
New U.S. AI guidance puts pressure on allies — and rivals — to adopt tech
The extent to which these guidelines will be fully implemented in Washington may ultimately depend on one important factor, however: Tuesday's presidential election.
Chipmaker Nvidia will replace rival Intel in the 128-year-old Dow Jones Industrial Average prior to the start of trading on Nov. 8.
BUSINESS / Tech
Nov 2, 2024
Nvidia to replace Intel in the Dow Jones Industrial Average
The company will replace rival Intel in the 128-year-old Dow Jones Industrial Average prior to the start of trading on Nov. 8.
A subcommittee of Japan's Fiscal System Council proposed Friday that the government provide efficient support over multiple years to the sector, which is growing in importance from the perspective of economic security.
BUSINESS / Tech
Nov 2, 2024
Japan panel calls for medium-term chip sector aid strategy
The subcommittee said the government provide efficient support over multiple years to the sector, which is growing in importance.
A custom-made split keyboard at Yusha Kobo.
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 29, 2024
Make a one-of-a-kind mechanical keyboard at this Akihabara shop
At Yusha Kobo, customers pick switches, keycaps and all the other components needed to fashion one-of-a-kind keyboards that meet their exacting needs.
Intel, once the world’s largest chipmaker, has become the target of takeover speculation since a rapid deterioration of its business this year.
BUSINESS / Tech
Sep 28, 2024
Arm is rebuffed by Intel after inquiring about buying product unit
Intel, once the world’s largest chipmaker, has become the target of takeover speculation since a rapid deterioration of its business this year.

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