Tag - tech

 
 

TECH

A Rapidus factory construction site in Chitose, Hokkaido, in December
BUSINESS / Tech
Feb 21, 2024
Japan’s chip spree aims to kick economy into high gear
The government’s chip strategy aims to triple domestic chip sales to around ¥15 trillion by 2030.
When SoftBank Group founder Masayoshi Son bought Arm in 2016 for $32 billion, he had grand plans for the company to dominate the nascent market for connected devices, also known as the Internet of Things.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Feb 21, 2024
Softbank’s Arm is not the AI play most people think it is
Today, GPUs are the gold standard for AI development and thus the equivalent of toilet paper during the pandemic.
ASML engineers walk past a High NA EUV tool at ASML’s headquarters in Veldhoven, Netherlands, on Nov. 20, 2023.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 20, 2024
Dutch say China seeks military advantage from ASML tools
Netherlands-based ASML, Europe's largest tech firm, dominates the world market for lithography systems, needed by computer chipmakers.
A model of the next-generation fighter jet set to be built by Japan, Britain and Italy is seen at the DSEI defense event in London last September.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 18, 2024
Japan looks to limit third-country defense exports to next-gen fighter jet
Tokyo plans to limit — at least for now — exports of finished defense equipment co-developed with others to the jet being built with Italy and Britain.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.'s first Kumamoto plant in the town of Kikuyo, Kumamoto Prefecture, on Feb. 10
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 16, 2024
Japan boosts aid to chip projects amid global race
Prompted by concerns, the government acted swiftly to prevent the potential loss of domestic production bases.
Fans of virtual YouTuber Selen Tatsuki and VTubers in general took to social media to express their outrage over major agency Nijisanji terminating Tatsuki’s contract.
LIFE / Digital / Japan Pulse
Feb 16, 2024
High-profile shakeups prompt scrutiny of virtual YouTuber industry
As VTubers enter a new era defined by prestige, Selen Tatsuki and Mikeneko's recent dramas demonstrate how complicated getting famous can be.
TSMC’s surge propelled Taiwan’s benchmark index to a record high, as expectations of booming demand for artificial intelligence technology drove investor sentiment.
BUSINESS / Tech
Feb 15, 2024
TSMC soars most since 2020, lifting Taiwan on AI optimism
The company’s surge propelled Taiwan’s benchmark index to a record high, as expectations of booming demand for AI technology drove investor sentiment.
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang attends a session of the World Governments Summit in Dubai on Monday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 15, 2024
Nvidia overtakes Alphabet, one day after eclipsing Amazon
The AI frenzy has boosted tech stocks associated with the field, but Nvidia stands out for its significant revenue growth.
Sony trimmed its revenue forecast after sales of its flagship PlayStation 5 in the December quarter came in roughly a million units lower than analysts’ estimates.
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 15, 2024
Sony dives most in two years after cutting PS5 sales outlook
Shares fell as much as 8.4% in early Tokyo trading, the biggest intraday fall since February 2022.
OpenAI has announced that it will add a memory feature to its AI-powered chatbot, ChatGPT.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 15, 2024
The perils of giving ChatGPT more memory
ChatGPT developer OpenAI is rolling out a memory feature that, it says, will improve the bot. But not if it ends up replicating the biases of social media.
Masayoshi Son, chairman and chief executive officer of SoftBank Group. One of SoftBank's primary objectives will be to harvest returns from its huge portfolio rather than priming unprofitable startups for growth.
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 14, 2024
SoftBank’s Vision Fund swaps splashy bets for ‘timid’ investing
As other tech investors have heaped money into new artificial intelligence firms, Vision Fund has stayed out of the fray.
Nvidia's shares slipped 0.17% on Tuesday, leaving its stock market value at $1.78 trillion, eclipsing Amazon's $1.75 trillion value after the online shopping and cloud-computing heavyweight's stock declined 2.15%.
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 14, 2024
Nvidia market cap threatens Alphabet after overtaking Amazon
The chipmaker's stock market value at the end of Tuesday's trading session was $1.78 trillion, while that of Google's owner was $1.81 trillion.
Amazon CEO And Blue Origin Founder Jeff Bezos
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 14, 2024
Jeff Bezos sells $4 billion of Amazon stock, avoiding $288 million levy
Moving to Florida, after Washington imposed a 7% gains tax, the world’s second-richest person offloaded 24 million shares over just four trading days.
Paolo Benanti, a Franciscan friar and a professor at the Gregorian, the Harvard of Rome's pontifical universities, in his office at the university in Rome on Jan. 29. Benanti advises the Vatican and the Italian government on navigating the tricky questions — moral and otherwise — raised by artificial intelligence.
WORLD / Society
Feb 14, 2024
The friar who became the Vatican’s go-to guy on AI
Father Paolo Benanti, an ethics professor and self-proclaimed geek, spends his days thinking about the Holy Ghost and the ghosts in the machines.
Bart Andre, who joined Apple in 1992, told colleagues this month that he is retiring. He helped create the aesthetic for Apple products released over the past three decades.
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 14, 2024
Apple’s longest-serving designer to depart, adding to exodus
Bart Andre, who joined Apple in 1992 alongside Jony Ive, told colleagues this month that he is retiring.
Flags fly at Union Station in Washington on June 27. With the U.S. presidential election approaching, caution is being urged over the widespread proliferation of propaganda.
COMMENTARY / World / Geoeconomic Briefing
Feb 13, 2024
The battle to tackle U.S. election propaganda heats up
The race is set to become more and more intense amid increased political polarization and pluralistic values.
Wang Xiuting chats with her virtual boyfriend on Wantalk — an AI chatbot created by Chinese tech company Baidu, on her phone in Beijing.
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Feb 13, 2024
'Better than real men': Young Chinese women turn to AI boyfriends
Users say they are driven by a desire for companionship because China's fast pace of life and urban isolation make loneliness an issue for many.
U.S. President Joe Biden in Washington on Monday. Biden's re-election campaign has launched a TikTok account in a bid to reach younger voters, a move that comes as the popular short-form video platform confronts concerns over its ties to China.
BUSINESS / Tech
Feb 13, 2024
Biden’s TikTok foray triggers bipartisan angst over app's China ties
The bipartisan leaders of a House committee charged with curbing China's influence expressed concern Monday at President Joe Biden’s campaign on TikTok.
The first unit of H3 rocket carrying the Earth observation satellite Daichi-3 is launched from the Tanegashima Space Center in Kagoshima Prefecture in March last year.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Feb 12, 2024
JAXA to give second shot at H3 rocket launch Thursday
During last year's launch, the second-stage engine of the first unit failed to ignite due to an electrical problem.
Monet Technologies' robotaxi service, partly designed to address serious shortages of taxi drivers, will use vehicles based on Toyota's Sienna minivan.
BUSINESS / Tech
Feb 11, 2024
Toyota affiliate to start Robotaxi service in Tokyo
The new robotaxi service, partly designed to address serious shortages of taxi drivers, will use vehicles based on Toyota's Sienna minivan.

Longform

Construction takes place on the Takanawa Gateway Convention Center in Tokyo, slated to open in 2025.
A boom for business tourism in Japan?