At the recent World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai, Chinese GPU developers seized the opportunity to showcase their products in Nvidia’s absence. Prominent companies such as Iluvatar Corex, Moore Threads, Enflame Technology, Sophgo, and Huawei’s Ascend were at the forefront, highlighting their advancements despite significant challenges in manufacturing and software ecosystems.
Enflame Technology emphasised the shift from foreign-dominated computing clusters to a mix of Chinese and foreign GPUs. The company, along with AI solutions firm Infinigence, is promoting compute resources that utilise a variety of chips from both Nvidia and Chinese manufacturers. However, US export restrictions have prevented Nvidia from selling its most advanced chips in China, and several Chinese firms, including Huawei, are struggling with manufacturing hurdles due to being blacklisted by the US.
Huawei’s booth was a major attraction, showcasing its Ascend 910B chips, which train numerous large language models in China. Meanwhile, Enflame presented its Cloudblazer T20 and T21 AI-training chips, benefiting from not being on the US trade blacklist, which allows it access to global foundries like TSMC.
Despite these efforts, Chinese GPUs still need to catch up with their global counterparts regarding performance. Nvidia remains a dominant player, with tailored chips for the Chinese market continuing to be popular. Nvidia is expected to deliver over 1 million H20 GPUs in China this year, generating $12 billion in sales. However, experts highlight that China’s in-house technology still needs to meet its substantial domestic AI demand.
Tech Mahindra has partnered with Microsoft to enhance workplace experiences for over 1,200 customers and more than 10,000 employees across 15 locations by adopting Copilot for Microsoft 365. The collaboration aims to boost workforce efficiency and streamline processes through Microsoft’s trusted cloud platform and generative AI capabilities. Additionally, Tech Mahindra will deploy GitHub Copilot for 5,000 developers, anticipating a productivity increase of 35% to 40%.
Mohit Joshi, CEO and Managing Director of Tech Mahindra, highlighted the transformative potential of the partnership, emphasising the company’s commitment to shaping the future of work with cutting-edge AI technology. Tech Mahindra plans to extend Copilot’s capabilities with plugins to leverage multiple data sources, enhancing creativity and productivity. The focus is on increasing efficiency, reducing effort, and improving quality and compliance across the board.
As part of the initiative, Tech Mahindra has launched a dedicated Copilot practice to help customers unlock the full potential of AI tools, including workforce training for assessment and preparation. The company will offer comprehensive solutions to help customers assess, prepare, pilot, and adopt business solutions using Copilot for Microsoft 365, providing a scalable and personalised user experience.
Judson Althoff, Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer at Microsoft, remarked that the collaboration would empower Tech Mahindra’s employees with new generative AI capabilities, enhancing workplace experiences and increasing developer productivity. The partnership aligns with Tech Mahindra’s ongoing efforts to enhance workforce productivity using GenAI tools, demonstrated by the recent launch of a unified workbench on Microsoft Fabric to accelerate the adoption of complex data workflows.
Meta, the owner of Instagram, has collaborated with Vodafone to optimise short-form video delivery on 11 of its European mobile networks. That effort aims to free up network capacity without compromising the viewing experience, addressing the increasing data usage driven by platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. According to Ericsson’s 2024 Mobility Report, global mobile traffic grew by 25% in the past year, with video accounting for 73% of all mobile traffic by the end of 2023.
Telecom operators, including Vodafone, have expressed concerns about the financial burden of upgrading networks while Big Tech companies benefit from the increased data usage. A recent EU initiative to have Big Tech contribute to 5G investment has stalled. Vodafone sees its partnership with Meta as a practical solution to address the issue of fair contribution, with Meta’s video optimisation efforts leading to more efficient network resource usage.
During an April trial on Vodafone’s British network, the optimisation resulted in a low double-digit reduction in Meta’s data traffic, freeing up capacity in busy areas such as shopping centres and transport hubs. Both Vodafone and Meta plan to continue collaborating to enhance network efficiencies further. Similarly, Spain’s Telefonica has also started working with Meta to optimise video traffic delivery on its networks.
IBM has launched its GenAI Innovation Center in Kochi, designed to help enterprises, startups, and partners explore and develop generative AI technology. The centre aims to accelerate AI innovation, increase productivity, and enhance generative AI expertise in India, addressing challenges organisations face when transitioning from AI experimentation to deployment.
The centre will provide access to IBM experts and technologies, assisting in building, scaling, and adopting enterprise-grade AI. It will utilise InstructLab, a technology developed by IBM and Red Hat for enhancing Large Language Models (LLMs) with client data, along with IBM’s ‘watsonx’ AI and data platform and AI assistant technologies. The centre will be part of the IBM India Software Lab in Kochi and managed by IBM’s technical experts.
IBM highlights that the centre will nurture a community that uses generative AI to tackle societal and business challenges, including sustainability, public infrastructure, healthcare, education, and inclusion. The initiative underscores IBM’s commitment to fostering AI innovation and addressing complex integration issues in the business landscape.
Why does it matter?
lBM’s new GenAI hub stems from a significant investment in advancing AI technology in India. This centre is set to play a crucial role in accelerating AI innovation, boosting productivity, and enhancing generative AI expertise, which is critical for the growth of enterprises, startups, and partners. By providing access to advanced AI technologies and expert knowledge, the centre aims to overcome the challenges of AI integration and deployment, thereby fostering a robust AI ecosystem. Furthermore, the initiative underscores the potential of generative AI to address pressing societal and business challenges, contributing to advancements in sustainability, public infrastructure, healthcare, education, and inclusion.
US tech giant Microsoft is committed to offering generative AI services in Hong Kong through educational initiatives, despite OpenAI’s access restrictions in the city and mainland China. Microsoft collaborated with the Education University of Hong Kong Jockey Club Primary School to offer AI services starting last year.
About 220 students in grades 5 and 6 used Microsoft’s chatbot and text-to-image tools in science classes. Principal Elsa Cheung Kam Yan noted that AI enhances learning by broadening students’ access to information and allowing exploration beyond textbooks. Vice-Principal Philip Law Kam Yuen added that in collaboration with Microsoft Hong Kong for 12 years, the school plans to extend AI usage to more classes.
Additionally, Microsoft also has agreements with eight Hong Kong universities to promote AI services. Fred Sheu, national technology officer of Microsoft in Hong Kong, reaffirmed Microsoft’s commitment to maintaining its Azure AI services, which use OpenAI’s models, further emphasising that API restrictions by OpenAI will not affect the company. Microsoft’s investment in OpenAI reportedly allows it to receive up to 49% of the profits from OpenAI’s for-profit arm. As all government-funded universities in Hong Kong have already acquired the Azure OpenAI service, they are thus qualified users. He also emphasised that Microsoft intends to extend this service to all schools in Hong Kong over the next few years.
The European Commission has opened the application process to fund cybersecurity and digital skills initiatives, exceeding a €210m ($227.3m) investment under the Digital Europe Programme (DEP). Established in 2021, the DEP aims to contribute to the digital transformation of the EU’s society and economy, with a planned total budget of €7.5bn over seven years. It funds critical strategic areas such as supercomputing, AI, cybersecurity, and advanced digital skills to advance this vision.
In the latest funding cycle, the European Commission will allocate €35m ($37.8m) towards projects safeguarding large industrial installations and critical infrastructures. An additional €35m will be designated for implementing cutting-edge cybersecurity technologies and tools.
Furthermore, €12.8m ($13.8m) will be invested in establishing, reinforcing, and expanding national and cross-border security operation centres (SOCs). The initiative aligns with the proposed EU Cyber Solidarity Act, which aims to establish a European Cybersecurity Alert System to enhance the detection, analysis, and response to cyber threats. The envisioned system will consist of cross-border SOCs using advanced technologies like AI to share threat intelligence with authorities across the EU swiftly.
Moreover, the DEP will allocate €20m to assist member states in complying with the EU cybersecurity laws and national cybersecurity strategies. That includes the updated NIS2 Directive, which mandates strengthening cybersecurity measures in critical sectors and requires it to be transposed into national legislation by October 2024.
Finally, the latest DEP funding round will also allocate €55m ($59.5m) towards advanced digital skills, supporting the design and delivery of higher education programs in key digital technology domains. Additionally, €8m ($8.6m) will be directed towards European Digital Media Observatories (EDMOs) to finance independent regional hubs focused on analysing and combating disinformation in digital media.
Ericsson has unveiled an ambitious plan to drive digital transformation in Thailand, leveraging its state-of-the-art 5G network solutions and extensive global expertise. At the heart of this initiative is the newly established 5G Innovation and Experience Studio at Thailand Digital Valley, developed in collaboration with the Royal Thai Government and the Digital Economy Promotion Agency (DEPA). The studio is a hub for co-creating and testing innovative 5G solutions. It showcases several innovative 5G applications, including Automated Mobile Robots (AMR), an Automated Production Machine developed in collaboration with Mitsubishi, and 360-degree wearable CCTV cameras.
Ericsson Thailand is committed to fostering collaboration with key stakeholders in the ecosystem, including partners, end-users, academia, and others. By working together, the company aims to develop new 5G use cases to drive digital transformation and benefit the Thai people, economy, and country. Anders Rian, President of Ericsson Thailand, emphasises, ‘5G is a platform for innovation. It enables new services for consumers, enterprises, and industry. We remain committed to fostering partnerships and innovations to ensure Thailand reaps the full benefits of a robust and sustainable 5G network.’
The initiative aligns with Ericsson’s global leadership in 5G networks, powering 162 networks in 69 countries. According to the Ericsson Mobility Report, 5G subscriptions in Southeast Asia and Oceania are forecasted to reach 560 million by 2029, driven by increased affordability of devices and expanded service offerings.
Japanese light rail and bus operator Yamaman Co has introduced facial recognition technology to its Jorudan Style Point&Pass ticketing system on the Yukarigaoka Line and local bus services. Passengers can now use the Eucalyptus Pass system by registering online with a photo and credit card details. At the stations, facial recognition cameras identify users, open barriers, and automatically charge their credit cards for the flat fare of ¥200 or a day ticket for ¥500.
Previously, passengers used magnetic tickets, but these machines are being updated to issue paper tickets with QR codes for occasional and non-registered travellers. The new technology builds on a successful 2021 pilot scheme on bus services, and suppliers J MaaS and Panasonic Connect aim to expand the system across Japan.
The implementation, costing around ¥60 million, was partially funded by a government subsidy and is expected to reduce ticketing costs by 30%. The koala theme of the transport services reflects the local presence of eucalyptus trees.
Chinese Premier Li Qiang has called for global cooperation and a more open mindset in the field of AI amid growing competition between China and the United States. Speaking at the World AI Conference (WAIC) in Shanghai, Li emphasised the importance of international collaboration, noting that each country has unique strengths in AI technology, data, and markets.
China has made significant strides in generative AI, with the UN reporting that Beijing has led the filing of generative AI patents globally. The progress has sparked concern in the US and other nations, who worry about potential espionage uses of Chinese technology. In April, the US revoked licenses for some chip exports after unveiling a Huawei computer powered by Intel AI technology.
Premier Li urged the promotion of cross-border data movement, free trade of equipment, and infrastructure connectivity to foster AI development. He also highlighted the need for international cooperation to address the risks associated with rapidly advancing AI technology, advocating for the establishment of global AI regulations and technical standards.
According to a European Commission report, the EU must catch up to its 2030 AI targets. The investigation into the EU’s Digital Decade project revealed that only 11% of the EU enterprises currently use designated AI technologies, far short of the 75% target set for 2030. At this rate, the Commission estimates it would take almost a century to achieve this goal.
The report also highlighted other areas for improvement, such as the EU being over a decade behind in producing the desired number of tech unicorns and spreading basic tech skills among the general public. Despite these setbacks, European Commission leaders remain optimistic, pointing out that the report offers a clear path forward. Margrethe Vestager, the EC’s competition commissioner, stressed the need for increased State-level investments to reach the digital transformation targets.
Thierry Breton, the EU’s digital chief, echoed these sentiments, emphasising the importance of investments, cross-border cooperation, and the completion of the Digital Single Market to boost the adoption of key technologies like AI. The findings come amid concerns that the EU’s stringent AI regulations could hinder its global competitiveness, especially compared to less regulated regions like the US and China.
