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CNN —Tech tycoon Elon Musk joined a call between US President-elect Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky the day after the presidential election, according to a source with knowledge of the situation. Zelensky previously said on X that he called Trump on Wednesday and congratulated him on “his historic landslide” win. Strong and unwavering US leadership is vital for the world and for a just peace,” Zelensky wrote at the time. CNN is reaching out to Musk and Trump’s teams about the call, which was first reported by Axios. Questions about Musk’s influence in the war also began to mount amid a rise in Ukrainian sightings of Russian uses of the satellite internet service.

Persons: Elon Musk, Donald Trump, Volodymyr Zelensky, Zelensky, “, Strong, ” Zelensky, Axios, Vladimir Putin, Musk, –, Starlink, Walter Isaacson, Isaacson, Dmitry Peskov Organizations: CNN — Tech, US, Ukrainian, CNN, Trump, PAC, NASA, SpaceX, Pentagon, Starlink, Russian, Putin Locations: Kyiv, Russia, Ukraine, Crimea, Crimean, Ukrainian, American

☆ NASA chief and Democratic lawmakers urge investigation into reports of Musk-Putin conversations
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-27 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The Wall Street Journal reported that Elon Musk and Vladimir Putin have shared secret calls since 2022. A former DoD analyst said that a relationship like this could pose national security concerns. Because of his work with the federal government via SpaceX, Musk holds a security clearance that gives him access to some classified information. "The security clearance adjudication process looks at several factors, and undue foreign influence is just one of those factors," Stransky, now a partner at Thompson Hine law firm, said. The existence of an ongoing Musk-Putin relationship would be further complicated by the billionaire tech leader's recent foray into US politics.

Persons: Elon Musk, Vladimir Putin, —, Bill Nelson, Musk, Putin, Nelson, Semafor, Adam Smith, aren't, Sen, Jeanne Shaheen, Smith, Shaheen, Dmitry Peskov, Steven Stransky, Thompson, Stansky, Robert English, Xi, Trump, he's, Tesla Organizations: Street Journal, Washington, Service, Democratic, SpaceX, Business, NASA, Department of Defense, House Armed Services Committee, Politico, Defense Department, New, New Hampshire Democrat, Senate Foreign Relations, Senate Armed Services Committee, DoD, National Reconnaissance Office, astronautics, Pentagon, Department of Homeland Security, National Security Council, Central, University of Southern, Trump Locations: New Hampshire, University of Southern California, Taiwan

☆ Putin once asked Elon Musk to not activate Starlink over Taiwan as a favor to Xi Jinping: report
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-25 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Vladimir Putin asked Elon Musk to withhold Starlink from Taiwan as a favor to China, per The Wall Street Journal. Musk has been in regular contact with Putin since 2022, the Journal reported, citing officials. AdvertisementRussian leader Vladimir Putin once asked Elon Musk to withhold Starlink access from Taiwan as a favor to China's Xi Jinping, The Wall Street Journal reported. AdvertisementThe Journal reported that in late 2023, Musk received his first request from the Kremlin to refrain from activating Starlink over Taiwan. Musk, SpaceX, the Pentagon, and NASA also did not respond to similar comment requests.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Elon Musk, Musk, Putin, —, Xi, Defense Department —, Ian Bremmer, Per Bremmer, Dmitry Peskov, Peskov, Musk's, Donald Trump, Karoline Leavitt, there's, it's President Trump, Leavitt, Trump Organizations: Street, Service, Street Journal, SpaceX, Pentagon, NASA, The New York Times, Defense Department, Business, New York Times, Eurasia Group, Kremlin, Putin, Trump, it's, Republican Locations: Starlink, Taiwan, China, Moscow, Beijing, Europe, Russia, Russian, Washington, Ukraine, Crimea

☆ NASA chief calls for investigation into report that Musk and Putin have spoken regularly
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-25 | by ( Shania Shelton | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —NASA Administrator Bill Nelson on Friday called for an investigation into a Wall Street Journal report that SpaceX founder and Donald Trump ally Elon Musk and Russian President Vladimir Putin have been in “regular contact” since late 2022. Musk also held his own town halls last week in Pennsylvania, where he urged voters to support Trump and promoted several debunked conspiracy theories about the 2020 election. The two have publicly discussed a potential government role for Musk. In recent days, Musk also offered splashy, $1 million daily sweepstakes for swing-state voters that has drawn scrutiny from the US Justice Department. Despite a warning from the Justice Department that the payments might be illegal, Musk’s super PAC awarded two $1 million prizes to registered voters in Michigan and Wisconsin on Thursday.

Persons: Bill Nelson, Donald Trump, Elon Musk, Vladimir Putin, ” Nelson, Semafor’s Burgess Everett, “, Putin, Musk, Xi Jinping, ” Musk, John Kirby, ”, Dmitry Peskov, Tesla, Trump, CNN’s Jackie Wattles Organizations: CNN, NASA, Journal, SpaceX, Department of Defense, White, Putin, National Security, Pentagon, Defense Department, Trump, US Justice Department, Justice Department, Musk’s Locations: Russian, Russia, Taiwan, Butler , Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin

☆ Big 4 giant EY delayed start dates for some new hires for the 2nd consecutive year
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-14 | by ( Polly Thompson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

EY has delayed start dates for some of its new hires for a second consecutive year. The consulting giant said the move reflected "the current M&A environment and our business needs." AdvertisementThe accounting and consultancy giant EY has delayed the start of jobs for some of its new hires amid an industry slowdown. It's the second year running that the Big Four firm has delayed start dates for new hires. EY pushed back start dates twice in 2023 and also made at least 300 job cuts in its advisory wing.

Persons: EY, — Organizations: Service, Financial Times, Big, Deloitte, PwC, KPMG, Global

☆ OpenAI Says It Has Begun Training a New Flagship A.I. Model
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-28 | by ( Cade Metz | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

OpenAI said on Tuesday that it has begun training a new flagship artificial intelligence model that would succeed the GPT-4 technology that drives its popular online chatbot, ChatGPT. The San Francisco start-up, which is one of the world’s leading A.I. The new model would be an engine for A.I. OpenAI also said it was creating a new Safety and Security Committee to explore how it should handle the risks posed by the new model and future technologies. “While we are proud to build and release models that are industry-leading on both capabilities and safety, we welcome a robust debate at this important moment,” the company said.

Persons: OpenAI, San Francisco, Apple’s Siri Organizations: Security Committee Locations: San

☆ This is the word of the summer on Wall Street
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-28 | by ( Nicole Goodkind | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

New York CNN —Bifurcation is the word of the summer. Or it’s the word of the summer among investors, at least. It’s a word that the market gets hung up on and then all you do is hear that word. But I think that’s nearing an end, and so I would expect a slowdown in consumer spending. I’m not so sure that’s going to happen this time because their balance sheets and cash flows aren’t as strong.

Persons: Bell, Scott Wren, I’ve, We’ve, You’ve, you’ve, they’ve, That’s, hasn’t, you’re, I’m, Elon Musk’s, Elon Musk, Anna Cooban, Andreesen Horowitz, Saudi Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal, xAI, Musk, Grok, Laura He, Xi Jinping’s Organizations: CNN Business, Bell, New York CNN, Nvidia, Fed, Elon, Investors, Sequoia Capital, xAI, Worth, China Construction Bank, China Integrated Circuit Industry Investment Fund, National Enterprise Locations: New York, United States, Wells Fargo, Silicon, Saudi, OpenAI, China, ICBC, Beijing

☆ Elon Musk’s xAI firm valued at $24 billion as investors pledge more money
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-27 | by ( Anna Cooban | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

London CNN —The AI firm founded by Elon Musk has raised another $6 billion from investors, including Silicon Valley venture capitalists and a Saudi prince, boosting its valuation to $24 billion. Investors providing the second-round funding included Sequoia Capital, Andreesen Horowitz, and Saudi Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal, xAI announced in a blog post on Sunday. Investors, lured by the potential for AI to revolutionize the way people live and work, have thrown huge sums of money at AI companies in recent years. Microsoft (MSFT) is OpenAI’s biggest stakeholder, with a $13 billion investment in the firm. Last year, Amazon (AMZN) announced it would invest up to $4 billion in Anthropic AI in exchange for partial ownership of the company.

Persons: Elon Musk, Andreesen Horowitz, Saudi Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal, xAI, Musk, Grok Organizations: London CNN, Elon, Sequoia Capital, xAI, London . Investors, Microsoft, Google Locations: Silicon, Saudi, OpenAI, Palo Alto, San Francisco, London

☆ Musk’s A.I. Firm Raises $6 Billion in Race With Rivals
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-27 | by ( Jason Karaian | More About Jason Karaian | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence company, xAI, said on Sunday that it has raised $6 billion, helping to close the funding gap with OpenAI, Anthropic and other rivals in the red-hot industry. Mr. Musk, who founded xAI in July, said in a social media post the funding round valued the company at $18 billion, not including the new money. Investors included the Silicon Valley heavyweights Andreessen Horowitz and Sequoia Capital, along with Saudi Arabia’s Prince Alwaleed bin Talal. Investors and large tech companies like Google, Meta and Microsoft have poured billions into the businesses developing A.I. systems, which require huge amounts of processing power to generate text, sounds and images.

Persons: Musk, Andreessen Horowitz, Prince Alwaleed bin Talal Organizations: Elon, xAI, Sequoia Capital, Saudi, Investors, Google, Meta, Microsoft

☆ 'We shall overcome everything together': Putin tells his people that the West is trying to defeat Russia
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-29 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

In this pool photograph distributed by Russian state agency Sputnik, Russia's President Vladimir Putin addresses the audience during the Future Technologies Forum at the World Trade Center in Moscow on February 14, 2024. Russian President Vladimir Putin said Russia is united as it faces the threats of "international terrorism" and challenges to its sovereignty posed by the "colonial West" that, he said, was trying to "bring discord to our home." "We shall overcome everything together," Putin said as he introduced his address, according to a BBC feed. He praised Russian citizens, industries and businesses, and the country's troops in Ukraine, for their efforts in defending "the Motherland." "We have proven that we are prepared to solve the most difficult tasks and rise to the most difficult challenges," Putin said.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Putin, Russia's Organizations: Sputnik, Future Technologies, World Trade Center, Russian, West, NATO, Moscow, U.S Locations: Russian, Moscow, Russia, Ukraine, Nazi

☆ Inside Apple’s chip lab, home to the most ‘profound change’ at the company in decades
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( Katie Tarasov | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +13 min

Its most advanced silicon is primarily manufactured by one vendor, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company. "We built what we call the unified memory architecture that is scalable across products," Srouji said. Apple's silicon team has grown to thousands of engineers working across labs all over the world, including in Israel, Germany, Austria, the U.K. and Japan. The primary type of chip Apple is developing is known as a system on a chip, or SoC. Apple's senior director of hardware validation Godfrey D'Souza shows off an M3 SoC in an Apple chip lab in Cupertino, California, on November 14, 2023.

Persons: John Ternus, Srouji, we're, Katie Tarasov, Andrew Evers, Ben Bajarin, Bajarin, Apple, Apple there's, Pro Max, Kaiann Drance, That's, who's, Ternus, Nvidia —, Tesla, Stacy Rasgon, Apple's, Godfrey D'Souza, Sydney, they've, Rasgon, Apple's Srouji, It's Organizations: AMD, MU, Apple Watch, U.S, Apple, Intel, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Microsoft, CNBC, Apple's, Amazon, Google, Tesla, Semiconductor, Creative, Pro, Triple, MacBook Air, Qualcomm, Nvidia, Bernstein Research, Sydney Boyo, Bluetooth, Broadcom, Samsung, Micron, Thursday Apple Locations: Cupertino , California, Israel, Germany, Austria, Japan, Silicon Valley, San Diego, Austin , Texas, AirPods, Taiwan, China, Arizona, Peoria , Arizona, Asia, Europe, U.S

☆ Japan's Advantest lowers profit outlook as smartphone softness lingers
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

TOKYO, Oct 31 (Reuters) - Japanese chip testing equipment company Advantest Corp (6857.T) on Tuesday downgraded its full-year operating profit forecast by 24% compared to July as recovery in the smartphone market takes longer than expected. Advantest sees operating profit of 80 billion yen ($532 million) in the year ending in March, down 52%, pointing to softer demand for leading-edge test systems and higher costs. The company said it expects investment in generative artificial intelligence to boost tester demand over the medium term. "We will sustain our investment to address future technologies," CEO Yoshiaki Yoshida told an earnings briefing. Industry bright spots include demand for high bandwidth memory (HBM) chips which has boosted South Korea's SK Hynix (000660.KS) with rivals circling.

Persons: Advantest, Yoshiaki Yoshida, Douglas Lefever, Sam Nussey, Jason Neely Organizations: Advantest Corp, South Korea's SK Hynix, Thomson Locations: TOKYO, HBM

casey newton[CHUCKLES]:: And it would be so funny if the AI actually already was deceptive and was just like, oh, yeah, Kevin, you’ve already figured us out. But I also think it’s part of this sort of undercurrent of the conversation, especially around AI right now. Marc Andreessen — he is clearly so angry at all of the people who criticize technology, technology companies, tech investors. And he is just really, really going after that crowd with this piece. brent sealesYou know I don’t really know.

Persons: kevin roose Casey, casey newton What’s, kevin roose, casey newton, hasn’t, kevin roose I’m, I’m, KEVIN, casey newton Yes, Kevin Roose, ” casey newton, Casey Newton, Marc Andreessen, Casey, we’ve, kevin roose Totally, Claude chatbot, Claude, Anthropic’s, chatbot, Anthropic hadn’t, Anthropic, Kevin, — they’re, roose, Meta, it’s, I’ve, Bard, casey newton It’s, there’s, you’ve, casey newton Yeah, didn’t, Kevin — I’m, it’ll, Kevin —, Andreessen Horowitz, Uncle Marc, ”, “ you’re, Tucker Carlson, Jesus Christ, casey newton Well, kevin roose Oh, he’s, McCarthy, —, Nick Land, casey newton Totally, You’re, Daron Acemoglu, Simon Johnson, It’s, Marc Andreessen —, they’re, Nietzschean supermen, Nietzschean, Marc, casey newton Heck, Andreessen, Marc Andreessen decries, Marc Andreessen’s, CASEY, kevin roose That’s, you’re, Nat Friedman, who’s, Daniel Gross, John, Patrick Collison, Toby Lutke, Shopify, Aaron Levie, Brent Seales, — casey newton, There’s, Luke Farritor, ” brent seales, brent seales, that’s, Seales, haters, brent seales That’s, you’ll, casey newton Yep, brent seales —, brent seales We’d, brent seales They’re, They’re, Luke, Brent, brent seales Pliny, Elder, Jesus, brent seales What’s, casey newton Right, we’re Organizations: YouTube, The New York Times, Facebook, Google, Intelligence, America, AIs, Stanford, Communist, Netscape, Fox News, Communist Party, Technology, Venture, Twitter, acc, kevin roose Venture, Companies, Meta, University of Kentucky, British Locations: ”, Anthropic, China, Florida, California, United States, Europe, Romanian, interpretability, Valley, America, Silicon, Silicon Valley, Vesuvius, Rome, Greece, Herculaneum, Venice, Roman

It follows Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the loss of Moscow's cheap natural gas — an unprecedented shock to Germany’s energy-intensive industries, long the manufacturing powerhouse of Europe. The loss of cheap Russian natural gas needed to power factories “painfully damaged the business model of the German economy,” Kullmann told The Associated Press. One hotly debated solution: a government-funded cap on industrial electricity prices to get the economy through the renewable energy transition. However, squabbling among the coalition government over the energy price cap and a law barring new gas furnaces has exasperated business leaders. “The perception of Germany's underlying strength may also have contributed to the misguided decisions to exit nuclear energy, ban fracking for natural gas and bet on ample natural gas supplies from Russia,” he said.

Persons: “, Christian Kullmann, Kullmann, ” Kullmann, Evonik, Robert Habeck, Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Angela Merkel, —, Biden, Scholz, Evonik's Kullmann, Gerhard Schroeder, Holger Schmieding, ”, ” Schmieding, Schmieding Organizations: Jobs, International Monetary Fund, European Union, Evonik Industries, Associated Press, Greens Party, Social Democrat, Free Democrats, Companies, Schott AG, ” Locations: ESSEN, Germany, Ukraine, Europe, Europe's, Essen, Russia, Moscow, China, Bavarian, U.S, Lafayette , Indiana, Brussels, Berlin, Chile, Qatar, ” Germany, Berenberg

☆ This global chip giant is set for an 'outsized' growth opportunity from A.I., fund manager says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( Weizhen Tan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

One global chipmaker is set to benefit from an "outsized growth opportunity" on the back of the artificial intelligence trend, says Richard Clode, fund manager at Janus Henderson Investors. "Ultimately, when you look out in three years time, your iPhone is going to have to have a huge amount of AI capability. Clode manages the Horizon Global Technology Leaders Fund and the Horizon Sustainable Future Technologies Fund. Top holdings in his funds include chipmakers Nvidia and TSMC , payments giants Mastercard and Visa and a range of Big Tech stocks. The Horizon Global Technology Leaders Fund was up around 34% in the six months to the end of June, while the Horizon Sustainable Future Technologies Fund was 25% higher.

Persons: Richard Clode, Janus Henderson, CNBC's, Clode Organizations: Janus Henderson Investors, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Horizon Global Technology, Fund, Technologies, Nvidia, Mastercard, Visa, Big Tech, Nasdaq, Global Technology

☆ CNBC Pro Talks: Fund manager to reveal his top tech picks, says 'big is beautiful' in the sector right now
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( Cnbc.Com Staff | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

From Alphabet to Meta , Richard Clode, portfolio manager at Janus Henderson Investors, is a fan of Big Tech — but his interest in the sector goes beyond the behemoths. Clode, who manages the Horizon Global Technology Leaders Fund and the Horizon Sustainable Future Technologies Fund, will reveal how he selects stocks that he judges to be underappreciated by the market. Top holdings in his funds include chipmakers Nvidia and TSMC , payments giants Mastercard and Visa and a range of Big Tech stocks. Join CNBC Pro Talks here on Wednesday, June 19, at 1:30 p.m. SGT / 6:30 a.m. BST / 1:30 a.m. Learn more from our previous Pro Talks: This U.S. biotech stock is up 90% this year and will continue to soar, fund manager says Aging populations are creating major opportunities, fund manager says.

Persons: Richard Clode, Janus Henderson, Koulouris, Clode, Goldman Sachs Organizations: Janus Henderson Investors, Big Tech, Horizon Global Technology, Fund, Technologies Fund, Nvidia, Mastercard, Visa, Nasdaq, Global Technology, Technologies, Moore, Pioneer Investments, Pro, UBS Locations: Gartmore

☆ Rivian reports a narrower-than-expected quarterly loss, reaffirms EV production target
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( John Rosevear | In Jrosevear | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Electric vehicle maker Rivian Automotive on Tuesday reported a first-quarter loss that was narrower than expected and said it's still on track to meet a 50,000-vehicle production target for 2023. Here's how the company did as per consensus analyst estimates by Refinitiv:Loss per share: $1.25 adjusted vs. $1.59 expected. Revenue: $661 million vs. $652.1 million expected. Rivian's net loss narrowed to $1.35 billion, or $1.45 per share, from $1.59 billion, or $1.77 per share, during the year-earlier period. Rivian said on April 3 that it built 9,395 EVs in the first quarter and delivered 7,946 vehicles to customers.

☆ How Vodafone-Three can woo competition regulators
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, May 4 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Vodafone (VOD.L) hopes that three will be its magic number. A merger of Vodafone’s domestic unit with Three UK, the Hong Kong conglomerate’s British business, would shrink the number of mobile operators to three from four. Mobile operators throughout Europe have long lamented antitrust authorities’ preference for keeping at least four players in a market to ensure price competition. Yet Vodafone’s case would be easier to defend if UK operators hadn’t hiked their tariffs in unison by about 11% last spring, a move they seem likely to repeat again this year. That would place the competition watchdog with a tougher choice: slick 5G networks, or four low-priced operators.

☆ Nvidia, Microsoft and more: CNBC's 'Halftime Report' traders answer your questions
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Christina Falso | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

On Thursday's "Ask Halftime," our traders answered questions from CNBC Pro subscribers about stocks and ETFs during this period of heightened market volatility, including whether to buy, sell or hold individual companies. Bryn Talkington of Requisite Capital Management discussed Nvidia and Microsoft . She explained why these two stocks are the best ways to invest in artificial intelligence for now. Chevy Chase Trust's Amy Raskin said she sees gold going higher as long as the dollar continues to go down. Finally, Jim Lebenthal of Cerity Partners highlighted industrials and materials as the two top sectors to invest in for the remainder of the year.

☆ Six Future Technologies That Will Change Your Health
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( Ariana Perez-Castells | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Innovative devices and technologies are coming that will change the way patients get care and stay healthy, doctors and healthcare experts say. Here, a look ahead at some of the most promising potential advances, including wearable devices to improve quality of life, new applications of artificial intelligence, and expanding options for treatment at home.

☆ The US Army is getting a new vehicle to replace the armored personnel carrier it has used since before the Vietnam War
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-20 | by ( Drew F. Lawrence | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The AMPV is a tracked armored vehicle with gearing and suspension similar to the M2 Bradley. The Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle, or AMPV, is a tracked armored vehicle with similar gearing and suspension as the M2 Bradley Fighting Vehicle, 60 of which are on their way to Ukraine amid Russia's renewed invasion. The US Army's Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle compared to the M113 armored personnel carrier. The M113 has been a staple in the Armored Brigade Combat Team, the Army's premier armored formation, for decades. Related: Army Set to Receive First Armored Vehicles to Replace Vietnam-Era M113

☆ United Airlines, five other companies launch effort to develop sustainable aviation fuel
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( Phil Lebeau | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

A United Airlines passenger plane takes off from Frankfurt Airport. The United Airlines Ventures Sustainable Flight Fund will start with $100 million invested by United Airlines, Air Canada , Boeing , GE Aerospace, JPMorgan Chase and Honeywell . The United Airlines Ventures Sustainable Flight Fund will allow United and the other inaugural investors the chance to play a larger role in startups developing and expanding access to SAF. Since then, United Airlines Ventures has invested in startups focused on decarbonization and new fuel sources. In announcing the United Airlines Ventures Sustainable Flight Fund, Kirby reiterated his belief the path to lower emissions requires developing new ideas and technology.

☆ Saudi Arabia says tech giants to invest more than $9 billion in kingdom
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

RIYADH, Feb 6 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia has attracted more than $9 billion in investments in future technologies, including by U.S. giants Microsoft (MSFT.O) and Oracle Corp (ORCL.N), which are building cloud regions in the kingdom, a government minister said on Monday. Saudi Minister of Communication and Information Technology Abdullah Alswaha said Microsoft will invest $2.1 billion in a global super-scaler cloud, while Oracle has committed $1.5 billion to build a new cloud region in Riyadh. Saudi officials have pressed international companies to invest in the kingdom and move their regional headquarters to Riyadh in order to benefit from government contracts. The minister said China's Huawei (HWT.UL) will also invest $400 million in cloud infrastructure for its services in Saudi Arabia and another cloud region in partnership with oil giant Aramco (2222.SE). An additional $4.5 billion was invested in global and local assets across multiple sectors at the forum, Alswaha added.

☆ Audi's new EV is a luxury SUV with augmented reality that doubles as a pickup
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Michael Wayland | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The rear glass of the "Activesphere" vehicle can slide forward, opening the flatbed trunk of the SUV and creating an open-air space for hauling objects. Audi's calling the modular open cargo bed an "active back," but consumers shouldn't necessarily expect to see a production vehicle with the unique feature anytime soon. The augmented reality glasses are used to view the gauges, controls and other elements that would typically be displayed via screens. Augmented reality glasses layer things over actual things as opposed to virtual reality, which is an all-encompassing separate environment. Audi emphasized that it has no plans to make its own augmented reality glasses.

☆ Longer Battery Life, Better Screens: New Display Tech From Apple, Google, Others Is Just Around the Corner
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-21 | by ( Christopher Mims | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

American adults spend the majority of their waking hours looking at screens—and yet most of those screens, including the one you’re probably reading this on now, are based on the same LCD display tech that made its debut in the 1980s. Soon, however, all that could change. A raft of new display technologies are on the way and promise a variety of benefits, from significantly extending the battery life of our wearables, mobile devices and laptops to making them slimmer, lighter and easier to read in full sunlight. At least one of these new types of displays could also enable future technologies that are impossible now, like lightweight augmented-reality smart glasses that project digital interfaces on top of what we see.

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