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☆ Amazon to use Falcon 9 rockets of SpaceX for Project Kuiper
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

REUTERS/Joe Skipper/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsDec 2 (Reuters) - Amazon (AMZN.O) has signed an agreement with SpaceX to launch three of Elon Musk's Falcon 9 rockets to support deployment plans for its Project Kuiper, the ecommerce giant said on Friday. Kuiper is Amazon's low Earth orbit satellite broadband network designed to accommodate multiple launch providers and vehicles. The company announced the project in 2019, the year SpaceX began deploying its first operational Starlink spacecraft. It aims to build Kuiper as a constellation of 3,236 satellites in low Earth orbit. The Falcon 9 launches are targeted to lift off beginning mid-2025, Amazon said.

Persons: Joe Skipper, Elon, Amazon, Harshita Mary Varghese, Arsheeya, Arun Koyyur Organizations: SpaceX, International Space, Kennedy Space Center, REUTERS, Elon Musk's Falcon, Thomson Locations: Cape Canaveral , Florida, U.S

☆ Dell misses quarterly revenue estimates on slow PC market recovery
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( Harshita Mary Varghese | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The company's client solutions group, which includes its consumer and enterprise personal computer business, posted revenue of $12.28 billion for the third quarter, a near 11% fall compared to a year earlier. However, Dell has more impact than its competitors due to the weakness in the business PC market, which is a core market (for the company)," said Mikako Kitagawa, analyst at Gartner. Dell's servers and networking business revenue was up 9% from the second quarter, fueled by customer interest in generative artificial intelligence, Chief Operating Officer Jeff Clarke said. Revenue for the third quarter came in at $22.25 billion for Dell, missing estimates of $23 billion, according to LSEG data. The PC market is expected to bank on demand from AI boost, according to research firm Canalys, as it projects adoption of AI-capable PCs to accelerate from 2025 onward, with such devices accounting for around 60% of all PCs shipped in 2027.

Persons: Brendan McDermid, lockdowns, Dell, Mikako Kitagawa, Jeff Clarke, Harshita Mary Varghese, Maju Samuel Organizations: Dell, Dell Inc, REUTERS, UNITED STATES, Dell Technologies, Gartner, Nvidia, Revenue, Intel, AMD, Thomson Locations: New York

☆ US compels Saudi fund to exit Altman-backed AI chip startup - Bloomberg News
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Nov 30 (Reuters) - The Biden administration has forced a Saudi Aramco venture capital firm to sell its shares in a Silicon Valley AI chip startup backed by OpenAI co-founder Sam Altman, Bloomberg News reported on Thursday. Altman-backed Rain Neuromorphics, a startup designing chips that mimic the way the brain works and aims to serve companies using artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms, raised $25 million in 2022. The agency, the primary U.S. watchdog for deals with national security implications, instructed the Saudi fund to unwind that deal sometime over the past year, the report said. Altman and the U.S. Treasury, which oversees the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) process, did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. The US has taken action that could block AI development in the Middle East.

Persons: Biden, OpenAI, Sam Altman, Altman, Aramco's, Harshita Mary Varghese, Chris Sanders, Arun Koyyur, Sherry Jacob, Phillips, Deepa Babington Organizations: Bloomberg, Foreign Investment, Saudi, U.S . Treasury, Department of Treasury, US, Nvidia, Devices, Thomson Locations: Saudi Aramco, United States, U.S

☆ ChatGPT one year on: From viral AI bot to OpenAI's boardroom battle
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNov 30 (Reuters) - We asked ChatGPT, OpenAI's viral chatbot, how it felt on its first birthday. The generative AI craze has disrupted several industries from cloud computing and customer service to movie editing and screenplay writing. Reuters GraphicsCHATGPT APP DOWNLOADSSix months after ChatGPT's website launch, OpenAI introduced the chatbot application to Apple's (AAPL.O) iOS in May and later on Android in July. With these applications running mostly on the cloud, vendors of cloud computing services, including Microsoft, Amazon and Alphabet, have also seen their shares surge. Microsoft (MSFT.O) and Alphabet (GOOGL.O) have invested billions to improve their cloud computing capabilities and take on more AI workloads as businesses embrace such tools.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, ChatGPT, Sam Altman, chatbots, Bard, Anthropic's Claude, Character.AI, Microsoft's, OpenAI, John Grisham, George R.R, Martin, Jonathan Franzen, Akash Sriram, Harshita Mary Varghese, Zaheer Kachwala, Jaspreet Singh, Sweta Singh, Saumyadeb Organizations: REUTERS, Microsoft, Reuters, Android, Nvidia, Nasdaq, TECH, Thomson Locations: Bengaluru

Nov 29 (Reuters) - Synopsys (SNPS.O) on Wednesday forecast first-quarter revenue above Wall Street expectations, as artificial intelligence (AI) adoption boosted demand for the company's chip designing software. Synopsys forecast current-quarter revenue between $1.63 billion and $1.66 billion, above analysts' average estimate of $1.60 billion. The rise in custom chip design efforts by firms like Microsoft (MSFT.O) and Alphabet (GOOGL.O) has also boosted demand. "You need a very specific silicon in order to power that (AI) training," Sassine Ghazi, the company's president and chief operating officer, said of the boom in AI chips in an interview. Ghazi told Reuters that increased use of Synopsys AI services helped boost the value of some of its contracts by 20% at renewal time.

Persons: Sassine Ghazi, Ghazi, Aart de Geus, Synopsys, Harshita Mary Varghese, Shailesh Kuber, Deepa Babington Organizations: Design, Microsoft, Intel, Mercedes, Benz, Reuters, Revenue, Thomson Locations: Sunnyvale , California

☆ NetApp lifts annual profit forecast on upbeat cloud service demand
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Nov 28 (Reuters) - NetApp (NTAP.O) raised its annual profit forecast on resilient demand for its cloud-based data solutions as companies push on digital transformation projects, sending its shares up 10% after the bell on Thursday. Rise of artificial intelligence applications has also boosted spending on cloud computing, including storage solutions like the ones provided by NetApp. The company expects full-year adjusted profit per share between $6.05 and $6.25 compared with $5.65 to $5.85 it had previously projected. NetApp forecast net revenue for the third quarter to be between $1.51 billion and $1.67 billion, the mid-point of which was above analysts' estimate of $1.56 billion. It expects adjusted profit between $1.64 and $1.74 per share, above market expectation of $1.53.

Persons: George Kurian, Harshita Mary Varghese, Arun Koyyur Organizations: NetApp, Web Services, Google, Thomson Locations: Bengaluru

REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration//File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNov 28 (Reuters) - ChatGPT owner OpenAI is not expected to offer Microsoft (MSFT.O) and other investors including Khosla Ventures and Thrive Capital seats on its new board, a person familiar with the matter told Reuters on Tuesday. In a few tumultuous days last week, OpenAI ousted its CEO and founder Sam Altman without any detailed cause, setting off alarm bells among investors and employees. Microsoft, which has invested more than $10 billion in OpenAI, is one of the biggest backers of OpenAI that operates ChatGPT, its viral generative AI chatbot. In response to a question on the OpenAI board, a Microsoft spokesperson said, "We will wait until the board officially says something." OpenAI and Thrive did not immediately respond to requests for comment, while Khosla declined to comment.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, OpenAI, Sam Altman, Thomas Hayes, Bret Taylor, Larry Summers, Adam D'Angelo, D'Angelo, Altman, Satya Nadella, Khosla, Zaheer Kachwala, Mary Varghese, Kenneth Li, Arun Koyyur Organizations: REUTERS, Microsoft, Khosla Ventures, Reuters, CNBC, Thomson Locations: OpenAI, Bengaluru

☆ Rivian launches leasing for R1T electric pickup truck in some US states
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

R1T is seen outside startup Rivian Automotive's electric vehicle factory in Normal, Illinois, U.S. April 11, 2022. Picture taken April 11, 2022. REUTERS/Kamil Krzaczynski/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNov 27 (Reuters) - Rivian Automotive (RIVN.O) on Monday announced the launch of leasing for its R1T electric pickup truck for customers in select U.S. states. The $7,500 federal tax credit for electric vehicle purchases also applies to customers who prefer to lease, boosting demand. Rivian, earlier this month, raised its production forecast for the full year by 2,000 vehicles to 54,000 units on the back of sustained demand.

Persons: Kamil Krzaczynski, Tesla, Harshita Mary Varghese, Shailesh Organizations: REUTERS, Rivian, Monday, Thomson Locations: Normal , Illinois, U.S, California , New York , Florida, Texas

☆ Broadcom closes $69 billion VMware deal after China approval
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-22 | by ( Harshita Mary Varghese | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Broadcom Limited company logo is pictured on an office building in Rancho Bernardo, California May 12, 2016. REUTERS/Mike Blake/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNov 22 (Reuters) - Broadcom (AVGO.O) on Wednesday closed its $69 billion acquisition of cloud-computing firm VMware (VMW.N) after receiving regulatory approval in last major market China and ending a months-long saga. The deal, one of the biggest globally when announced in May 2022, was the latest in CEO Hock Tan's efforts to boost the chipmaker's software business. However, the transaction faced tough regulatory scrutiny across the world and the companies had delayed the closing date three times. Big Tech mergers such as Microsoft's (MSFT.O) now-closed $69 billion purchase of the "Call of Duty" publisher Activision have faced heightened regulatory pressure from the U.S. Federal Trade Commission under its Chair Lina Khan.

Persons: Mike Blake, Hock, Xi Jinping, Joe Biden, Danni Hewson, AJ Bell, Cabot Henderson, Lina Khan, Harshita Mary Varghese, Sriraj Organizations: Broadcom, REUTERS, VMware, U.S, European Commission, Marvell Technology, Markets Authority, CMA, Activision, Big Tech, U.S . Federal Trade Commission, Thomson Locations: Rancho Bernardo, California, China

☆ Broadcom plans to close $69 billion VMWare deal on Wednesday
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] 3D printed clouds and figurines are seen in front of the VMware cloud service logo in this illustration taken February 8, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration Acquire Licensing RightsNov 21 (Reuters) - Broadcom (AVGO.O) said it planned to close its $69 billion acquisition of cloud computing firm VMWare (VMW.N) on Wednesday, wrapping up one of the biggest takeover deals in the technology industry that was closely scrutinized by regulators globally. Some investors in the companies had feared about the outcome of the deal after reports said last month that rising Sino-U.S. tensions could lead China's regulator to scuttle the deal. Broadcom shares were down more than 1%, while VMware was down 4.6%. The deal was previously expected to close by Nov. 26.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Biden, Bernstein, Zaheer Kachwala, Mary Varghese, Siu, Anil D'Silva, Shounak Organizations: VMware, REUTERS, Broadcom, VMWare, Thomson Locations: China, U.S, Beijing, Washington, Bengaluru, Hong Kong

☆ Apple's iPhone 14 users get another year of free satellite SOS access
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The Apple iPhone 14 Pro is seen at the Apple Fifth Avenue store in Manhattan, New York City, U.S., September 16, 2022. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNov 15 (Reuters) - Apple (AAPL.O) said on Wednesday iPhone 14 users would get free access to its emergency SOS feature for another year. Introduced a year earlier, the feature allows users to share their location through satellite from areas without network by using Apple's FindMy app and send messages to emergency services. Users of the iPhone 15 line-up will continue to have two years of free access to the service, provided through a partnership between Apple and satellite operator Globalstar (GSAT.A). Apple also introduced a roadside assistance feature earlier this year, helping its smartphone users to connect via satellite to the American Automobile Association for help in the United States.

Persons: Andrew Kelly, Apple, Harshita Mary Varghese, Devika Organizations: Apple, REUTERS, American Automobile Association for, Thomson Locations: Manhattan , New York City, U.S, United States, Canada

☆ Chinese EV maker Xpeng's operating loss widens on costs tied to production ramp-up
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A sign of Chinese electric vehicle (EV) maker XPeng Motors is pictured at its booth in a shopping mall in Beijing, China November 3, 2023. Its year-earlier operating loss was 2.18 billion yuan. Revenue for the quarter came in at 8.53 billion yuan, missing analysts' estimates of 8.55 billion yuan. Chinese EV makers have been exporting vehicles to Europe where they get higher prices on their cars than in the domestic market. ($1 = 7.2423 Chinese yuan renminbi)Reporting by Harshita Mary Varghese in Bengaluru; Editing by Anil D'SilvaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Tingshu Wang, Xpeng, Harshita Mary Varghese, Anil D'Silva Organizations: XPeng, REUTERS, HK, U.S, Tesla, Visible Alpha, Revenue, EV, European Commission, Thomson Locations: Beijing, China, Europe, Bengaluru

☆ China's Tencent Music beats revenue estimates on paid subscriber growth
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The logo of China's Tencent Music Entertainment Group is seen next to an earphone in this illustration picture taken March 22, 2021. REUTERS/Florence Lo/Illustration/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNov 14 (Reuters) - China's Tencent Music Entertainment (1698.HK) beat estimates for third-quarter revenue on Tuesday, helped by steady growth in paid subscriptions on its music streaming platform. Tencent Music, which includes platforms such as QQ Music, Kugou Music, Kuwo Music and WeSing, has won listeners over by bundling everything from karaoke platforms to live concert streaming services. Total revenue of the Tencent Holdings Ltd-controlled (0700.HK) company, however, fell to 6.57 billion yuan ($900.9 million) in the third quarter. Net profit attributable to equity holders of the company rose to 1.71 billion yuan, from 1.06 billion yuan a year earlier.

Persons: Florence Lo, Harshita Mary Varghese, Akash Sriram, Pooja Desai Organizations: Entertainment, REUTERS, HK, Kugou, Tencent Holdings, Thomson Locations: Bengaluru

☆ Elon Musk biopic rights clinched by A24, Darren Aronofsky to direct - source
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNov 10 (Reuters) - A biopic on Elon Musk is in the works at New York-based studio A24 with "Black Swan"-filmmaker Darren Aronofsky as the director, according to a source familiar with the matter. A24 secured the rights to Walter Isaacson's biography on the world's richest person, according to the source, who added the Musk biopic will be produced by Aronofsky's production company, Protozoa Pictures. He is one of the best," Musk said in an X post on Friday. The book on Musk was released by private equity firm KKR-owned book publishing powerhouse Simon & Schuster in September. The billionaire bought social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, last year for $44 billion after a six-month saga.

Persons: Elon Musk, Porte, Gonzalo Fuentes, Darren Aronofsky, Walter Isaacson's, Darren, Musk, Brendan Fraser, Walt Disney, Steve Jobs, Michael Fassbender, Simon, Simon & Schuster, Dawn Chmielewski, Harshita Mary Varghese, Akash Sriram, Shinjini Organizations: Elon, SpaceX, Tesla, Twitter, Viva Technology, Porte de, REUTERS, Walt, Apple, Universal, KKR, Simon &, Reuters, Boring Company, Thomson Locations: Paris, France, New York, Los Angeles, Bengaluru

☆ Roblox beats bookings estimates on higher in-game spending, shares jump
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( Harshita Mary Varghese | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/ File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNov 8 (Reuters) - Roblox (RBLX.N) beat quarterly bookings estimates as in-game spending jumped and summer break drove more users to its online gaming platform for titles including "Adopt Me!" and "Murder Mystery 2", sending its shares over 17% higher on Wednesday. Net bookings, generated from in-game purchases of Roblox's virtual currency "Robux", came in at $839.5 million, beating estimates of $830.2 million, according to LSEG data. It also recorded over 15 million downloads in October from Sony's (6758.T) PlayStation devices after launching in the previous month. In February next year, Roblox will reveal its forecasts for full-year 2024 and the first quarter, it said.

Persons: Brendan McDermid, Roblox, Michael Guthrie, Harshita Mary Varghese, Shinjini Ganguli Organizations: New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, Electronic Arts, Thomson Locations: New York, U.S, Europe, Asia, Sony's

☆ CDW misses third-quarter revenue estimates as customers lower tech spending
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Nov 1 (Reuters) - CDW (CDW.O) reported third-quarter revenue below estimates on Wednesday on lower demand for the company's information technology solutions as customers struggling with high borrowing costs cut back spending and defer projects. The company, however, beat third-quarter profit estimates on the back of higher margins and reduced discretionary spending. CDW posted adjusted earnings of $2.72 compared with analysts' estimates of $2.60 per share. The Vernon Hills, Illinois-based company reported lower sales from its corporate and small business segments and also at its UK and Canadian operations. Its public unit was the only outlier, with healthcare and education customers driving sales up 1.5% compared to the year before.

Persons: CDW, Harshita Mary Varghese, Tasim Zahid Organizations: Thomson Locations: Vernon Hills , Illinois

☆ Broadcom expects $69 bln VMware deal to close before November deadline
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] A smartphone with a displayed Broadcom logo is placed on a computer motherboard in this illustration taken March 6, 2023. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsOct 30 (Reuters) - U.S. chipmaker Broadcom (AVGO.O) expects its $69 billion buyout of cloud-computing firm VMware (VMW.N) to close before the November deadline, the companies said on Monday, amid investor concerns about securing China's approval for the deal. The companies did not disclose details regarding China's approval on Monday, but said there was "no legal impediment" to the deal closing under U.S. merger regulations. Broadcom has received legal merger clearance in Australia, Brazil, Canada, the European Union, Israel, Japan, South Africa, South Korea, Taiwan and the United Kingdom, along with foreign investment control clearance in all necessary jurisdictions. The deal, Broadcom's largest ever, received EU antitrust approval after the company offered remedies to help rival Marvell Technology (MRVL.O).

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Joe Biden's, Harshita Mary Varghese, Devika Organizations: Broadcom, REUTERS, chipmaker Broadcom, VMware, China's, Administration of, Financial Times, U.S, European Union, Marvell Technology, Thomson Locations: Australia, Brazil, Canada, Israel, Japan, South Africa, South Korea, Taiwan, United Kingdom

☆ Seagate forecasts revenue below estimates amid weak memory chip demand
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Oct 26 (Reuters) - Computer hard drive maker Seagate Technology (STX.O) forecast second-quarter revenue below estimates on Thursday, a sign that demand stays weak for its data storage products amid a PC market slump. Seagate expects revenue for the current quarter to be $1.55 billion, plus or minus $150 million, the midpoint of which was below estimates of $1.61 billion, according to LSEG data. The June-September period, which analysts say is usually a weak quarter, saw revenue of $1.45 billion, compared with $2.04 billion, a year earlier. Seagate reported a net loss of $184 million, or 88 cents per share, compared with a profit of $29 million, or 14 cents per share, a year ago. It expects a second-quarter adjusted loss of 10 cents per share, plus or minus 20 cents, compared with analysts' estimates of a loss of 1 cent.

Persons: Harshita Mary Varghese, Shweta Agarwal Organizations: Seagate Technology, Seagate, Western, Thomson Locations: China

☆ Payroll processor ADP tops profit estimates as strong job market aids demand
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Oct 25 (Reuters) - Payroll processor Automatic Data Processing (ADP.O) beat first-quarter profit estimates on Wednesday, on higher demand for its employee management services in a strong job market. The U.S. job market has stayed strong this year even in the face of an uncertain economic outlook. "First-quarter revenue growth and margin performance exceeded our expectations, as we benefited from solid new business bookings growth, strong client revenue retention and higher client funds interest revenue," said ADP's finance chief Don McGuire. The company saw a 9% increase in revenue from its mainstay employer services business, which provides human resource outsourcing. Interest on funds held for clients also rose 43% to $202 million.

Persons: Don McGuire, ADP's, Harshita Mary Varghese, Shilpi Majumdar Organizations: Thomson Locations: U.S

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