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☆ Micron shares surge after upbeat first-quarter forecast due to AI demand for memory chips
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-25 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Micron Technology shares surged roughly 14% in after-hours trading after the memory maker forecast higher-than-expected first-quarter revenue due to the thirst for its memory chips used in artificial intelligence computing. HBM is a space-saving, power-efficient type of dynamic random access memory chip, or DRAM, crucial for AI-focused graphics processing units, that aid in processing vast amounts of data. "Demand from data center customers continues to be strong and customer inventory levels are healthy," Micron CEO Sanjay Mehrotra said on a conference call with analysts. The AI boom has also helped Micron cushion the hit from a memory chip inventory glut in PC and smartphone markets. Personal computers infused with AI technologies are expected to have more memory chips, helping firms such as Micron.

Persons: Sanjay Mehrotra, Wall, Kinngai Chan, Sumit Sadana Organizations: Micron Technology, Micron, South Korea's SK Hynix, Samsung, Nvidia Locations: U.S

☆ Intel matters to US chipmaking. Its tangled relationship with China makes things complicated.
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-24 | by ( Hasan Chowdhury | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

As things stand, Intel is the only US chip firm with plants, known as fabs, that are capable of making advanced semiconductors. TSMC is set to open a fab in Arizona next year, while reports suggest Sam Altman is seeking to raise funds to create chip manufacturing plants. Intel's customers in China include Alibaba and TikTok parent company ByteDance, which have been subject to scrutiny from the US government. "Intel's ties to key businesses in China are typical for a high-tech firm," he said. As Intel and the US consider plans to increase manufacturing capacity at home, the company's China ties will loom large in the global chip race.

Persons: —, Joe Biden, Biden, Forrester's, Alvin Nguyen, HWA CHENG, Sam Altman, Pat Gelsinger, Gelsinger, Forrester's Nguyen, it's, Stacy Rasgon, Bernstein, Rasgon Organizations: Service, Intel, Business, Qualcomm, Street Journal, Bloomberg, China Intel, HWA, Getty, Nvidia, AMD, New York Times, The Times, South Korea's SK Hynix, Intel Capital, Financial, Financial Times, Yahoo Locations: chipmaking, Washington, Intel's Arizona, China, AFP, Taiwan, Arizona , New Mexico, Oregon, Arizona, Chengdu, Dalian, South, Beijing

☆ Nvidia supplier SK Hynix to build $6.8 billion chip plan in South Korea
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-26 | by ( Arjun Kharpal | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

SK Hynix logo displayed on a phone screen as seen in this illustration photo taken in Krakow, Poland on January 30, 2023. Memory chip giant SK Hynix on Friday said it plans to invest 9.4 trillion Korean won ($6.8 billion) to build a new semiconductor manufacturing plant in an emerging chip hub in South Korea. Earlier this year, SK Hynix committed 120 trillion won to build 4 fabs in the Yongin cluster. South Korea is also home to Samsung, the world's biggest memory chip maker. SK Hynix has been riding the AI wave and its partnership with Nvidia, this week reporting that second-quarter profit came in at its highest level in six years.

Persons: SK Hynix Organizations: SK Hynix, SK Hynix's, South Korea's SK Hynix, Nvidia, SK, Samsung Locations: Krakow, Poland, South, Seoul, South Korea

☆ ‘Substantial upside’: Morgan Stanley portfolio manager loves this memory stock — and it's among analysts' top picks for 2024
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-31 | by ( Amala Balakrishner | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

One investor, however, has set his sights on another company offering a "value angle" on both semiconductors and artificial intelligence. Micron makes dynamic random access memory chips and NAND flash memory chips. DRAM, or dynamic random access memory, is a type of semiconductor memory needed for data processing. Micron is the third-largest player in the memory sector, coming after just South Korea's SK Hynix and Samsung , he added. Wolfe Research said Micron will likely benefit from a strong recovery in 2025 in both the DRAM and NAND space.

Persons: Aaron Dunn, CNBC's, Dunn, Morgan Stanley, you've, Goldman Sachs, Wolfe Organizations: Nvidia, Google, Micron Technology, Micron, Morgan, Value, South Korea's SK Hynix, Samsung, MU, UBS, Bank of America, Wolfe Research Locations: Morgan Stanley's

☆ CNBC Daily Open: Fed rate cut timing in focus
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-30 | by ( Sumathi Bala | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

A trader reacts as a screen displays the Fed rate announcement on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, U.S., December 13, 2023. This report is from today's CNBC Daily Open, our international markets newsletter. CNBC Daily Open brings investors up to speed on everything they need to know, no matter where they are. [PRO] SK Hynix analysts' top callSouth Korea's SK Hynix, the world's second-largest memory chipmaker, is getting a lot of attention. Analysts are bullish on the stock and expect SK Hynix to drive the next generation of AI growth.

Persons: Dow, Elon Musk's Tesla, Erek Barron Organizations: New York Stock Exchange, CNBC, CSI, Big Tech, Nasdaq, China EV, DOJ, SEC, of Justice, Securities and Exchange Commission, SK Hynix, South Korea's SK Hynix Locations: New York City, U.S, Hong Kong, Asia, China, Maryland

☆ SK Hynix swings to fourth-quarter profit on strong AI chip demand
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-25 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

The SK Hynix Inc. logo is displayed on a glass door at the company's office in Seoul, South Korea, on Monday, Jan. 27, 2014. SK Hynix aims to select a U.S. site for its advanced chip packaging plant and break ground there around the first quarter of next year. South Korea's SK Hynix on Thursday posted its first quarterly profit in a year on robust demand for high-end chips used in artificial intelligence and restocking orders from Chinese mobile clients. The results compared with expectations for a 192 billion won operating loss, according to 23 analysts' views compiled by LSEG SmartEstimate, weighted toward analysts who are more consistently accurate. SK Hynix last posted an operating profit in the third quarter of 2022.

Persons: LSEG SmartEstimate Organizations: SK Hynix Inc, SK Hynix, South Korea's SK Hynix, Revenue Locations: Seoul, South Korea, U.S

☆ Sapeon, backed by South Korea's SK Group, launches new AI chip
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSEOUL, Nov 16 (Reuters) - Sapeon, an artificial intelligence (AI) chip startup backed by South Korea's telecom-to-chip conglomerate SK Group, has launched its latest chip for data centres, the company said on Thursday, joining the global race to develop AI chips with bigger rivals like Nvidia (NVDA.O). The new Sapeon X330 chip "represents roughly twice the computational performance and 1.3 times better power efficiency" than competitors' products launched this year, the company said in a statement, without elaborating further on the competitors. Sapeon designs AI semiconductors for data centres, which require huge amounts of data processing. The X330 chip is manufactured by TSMC (2330.TW), the world's largest contract chipmaker, Sapeon said. SK Telecom (017670.KS), South Korea's top telco company, is Sapeon's parent.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Sapeon, Simon Cameron, Moore Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, SK Group, Nvidia, TSMC, SK Telecom, telco, SK Hynix, Thomson Locations: Rights SEOUL, South

☆ Nvidia upgrades flagship chip to handle bigger AI systems
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-13 | by ( Stephen Nellis | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The H200, as the chip is called, will overtake Nvidia's current top H100 chip. The primary upgrade is more high-bandwidth memory, one of the costliest parts of the chip that defines how much data it can process quickly. Nvidia dominates the market for AI chips and powers OpenAI's ChatGPT service and many similar generative AI services that respond to queries with human-like writing. The H200 has 141-gigabytes of high-bandwidth memory, up from 80 gigabyte in its previous H100. Nvidia also buys memory from Korea's SK Hynix (000660.KS), which said last month that AI chips are helping to revive sales.

Persons: OpenAI's, Stephen Nellis, Sam Holmes Organizations: Nvidia, Google, Oracle, Nvidia's, Micron Technology, Korea's SK Hynix, Amazon Web Services, Microsoft, Oracle Cloud Infrastructure, Lambda, Thomson Locations: San Francisco

☆ Polestar signs deal with South Korea's SK On for Polestar 5 EV
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

The logo of the new Volvo Polestar 2 is displayed at the 89th Geneva International Motor Show in Geneva, Switzerland March 5, 2019. REUTERS/Pierre Albouy/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNov 6 (Reuters) - Electric vehicle maker Polestar (A4N1y.F) said on Monday that it had signed an agreement with South Korean battery manufacturer SK On for the supply of battery cell modules for its upcoming Polestar 5 EV. Reporting by Gokul Pisharody in Bengaluru; Editing by Sonia CheemaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Pierre Albouy, Gokul, Sonia Cheema Organizations: Volvo, 89th Geneva, REUTERS, South Korean, SK, Thomson Locations: Geneva, Switzerland, Bengaluru

☆ 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

☆ Japan Inc is only winner in nixed chip deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-27 | by ( Anshuman Daga | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

But this failed tie-up does have a winner of sorts: Japan Inc.That’s precious little consolation for the others involved. Reuters Graphics Reuters GraphicsThe nixed deal also complicates Bain Capital’s exit strategy from Kioxia. Yet Western Digital was set to be the majority partner in the proposed deal. The Nikkei business daily also said that Kioxia and Western Digital were unable to agree on conditions with top Kioxia shareholder Bain Capital. The news sent Western Digital shares down 9%.

Persons: Elliot, Bain, Nobuo Hayasaka, –, Antony Currie, Thomas Shum Organizations: Reuters, Japan Inc, Western Digital, Elliot Investment Management, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Toshiba, SK Hynix, Western Digital’s, Development Bank of Japan, Sumitomo Mitsui Financial, –, Western, South Korea's SK Hynix, U.S, Nikkei, Bain Capital, Thomson Locations: HYDERABAD, India, Japan, Tokyo

☆ SK Hynix says AI boom will drive profits after third-quarter loss narrows
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-26 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

SK Hynix logo displayed on a phone screen as seen in this illustration photo taken in Krakow, Poland on January 30, 2023. South Korea's SK Hynix said a boom in artificial intelligence will drive chip profits after posting a sharply narrower third quarter loss than it did in the previous quarter. Strong demand for advanced chips used in AI helped ease the impact of a prolonged slowdown in demand for commodity chips used in smartphones and computers in the three months to the end of September, the world's second-biggest memory chipmaker said on Thursday. SK Hynix said it swung to a 1.8 trillion won, or $1.33 billion, third-quarter operating loss from a profit of 1.7 trillion won a year earlier. It was its fourth consecutive quarterly loss, but improved from a trough of a 3.4 trillion won loss in the first quarter and a 2.9 trillion won loss in the second quarter.

Persons: South Korea's SK Hynix, chipmaker, SK Hynix, LSEG SmartEstimate Organizations: SK Hynix, South Korea's SK, SK, Revenue Locations: Krakow, Poland

The logo of SK Hynix is seen at its headquarters in Seongnam, South Korea, April 25, 2016. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSEOUL, Oct 26 (Reuters) - South Korea's SK Hynix (000660.KS) said a boom in artificial intelligence will drive chip profits after posting a sharply narrower third quarter loss than it did in the previous quarter. SK Hynix said it swung to a 1.8 trillion won ($1.33 billion) third-quarter operating loss from a profit of 1.7 trillion won a year earlier. It was its fourth consecutive quarterly loss, but improved from a trough of a 3.4 trillion won loss in the first quarter and a 2.9 trillion won loss in the second quarter. SK Hynix was ahead of rivals in developing HBM3 chips and securing AI-chip leader Nvidia (NVDA.O) as a client.

Persons: Kim Hong, chipmaker, SK Hynix, LSEG SmartEstimate, 1,351.6200, Joyce Lee, Heekyong Yang, Shri Navaratnam, Jamie Freed Organizations: SK Hynix, REUTERS, Rights, Korea's SK Hynix, SK, Revenue, Samsung Electronics, Analysts, SK Hynix's, Nvidia, Thomson Locations: Seongnam, South Korea, Rights SEOUL, KS

☆ SK Hynix denies report about approaching SoftBank on Kioxia merger
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Memory chips by South Korean semiconductor supplier SK Hynix are seen on a circuit board of a computer in this illustration picture taken February 25, 2022. REUTERS/Florence Lo/Illustration Acquire Licensing RightsSEOUL, Oct 18 (Reuters) - South Korea's SK Hynix Inc (000660.KS), the world's second-largest memory chip maker, said on Wednesday it has not approached Japan's SoftBank Group (9984.T) to partner up in a possible deal with memory chipmaker Kioxia Holdings Corp.A Nikkei report earlier on Wednesday said SK Hynix is reluctant to back a merger between U.S. rival Western Digital's memory chip operations and Kioxia, in which SK Hynix holds a stake. The report went on to say that SK Hynix had sounded out SoftBank for a partnership in case the merger falls through. "SK Hynix denies Nikkei's report that the company approached SoftBank for collaboration with regard to the Kioxia-Western Digital deal," the company said in a statement, without commenting on its stance on the merger. Kioxia and Western Digital Corp (WDC.O) are pursuing a merger as a global chip glut and weak demand for flash memory chips strengthens pressure for chipmakers to consolidate.

Persons: Florence Lo, Japan's, SoftBank, Kioxia, Joyce Lee, Anton, Simon Cameron, Moore, Louise Heavens Organizations: SK Hynix, REUTERS, Rights, Korea's SK Hynix Inc, Japan's SoftBank, Kioxia Holdings Corp, Nikkei, Wednesday, U.S, Western, SoftBank Group, Western Digital Corp, Thomson Locations: Rights SEOUL

☆ US allows Samsung, SK Hynix to keep getting US tools in China
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Flags of China and U.S. are displayed on a printed circuit board with semiconductor chips, in this illustration picture taken February 17, 2023. The authorization allows them to continue their Chinese chipmaking operations without the headache of applying for U.S. licenses to get new equipment, after new rules issued last October curbed Chinese chipmakers' access to the coveted tools. The October 2022 rules restricted shipments of advanced chips and chipmaking equipment to China as part of a U.S. bid to slow China's technological and military advances. Samsung Electronics makes about 40% of its NAND flash chips at its plant in Xian, China, while SK Hynix makes about 40% of its DRAM chips in Wuxi and 20% of its NAND flash chips in Dalian. The companies together controlled nearly 70% of the global DRAM market and 50% of the NAND flash market as of the end of June, data from TrendForce showed.

Persons: Florence Lo, Karen Freifeld, Chris Sanders, Alexandra Alper, Susan Heavey, Doina Chiacu, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, United, South Korea's SK Hynix, Samsung, U.S, Commerce Department, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing, Samsung Electronics, SK Hynix, Thomson Locations: China, U.S, Nanjing, Xian, Wuxi, Dalian, TrendForce

The UAW said that 8,700 union members at Ford's Kentucky truck plant went on strike after the union said the No. [1/4]United Auto Workers (UAW) members strike outside of Ford's Kentucky Truck Plant in Louisville, Kentucky, U.S. October 11, 2023. Even with Wednesday's walkout, only about 22% of the 150,000 UAW workers at the Detroit Three automakers are on strike. The walkout in Kentucky will put stress on Ford UAW members beyond the sprawling factory near Louisville. Workers at a dozen other Ford plants that supply engines, transmissions and other components to the plant could be furloughed.

Persons: Shawn Fain's, Fain, Ford, leadership's, UAW bargainers, Harley Shaiken, Shaiken, Wednesday's Ford, walkouts, David Shepardson, Joe White, Abhirup Roy, Heekyong Yang, Peter Henderson, Sayantani Ghosh, Jamie Freed Organizations: DETROIT, United Auto Workers, Detroit Three automakers, UAW, Ford, Duty, Lincoln Navigator, Ford Expedition, Kentucky, Detroit, Motors, Chrysler, Plant, Handout, Detroit Three, Ford UAW, Workers, University of California, GM, Stellantis, BlueOval SK, South Korea's SK, Thomson Locations: Ford's Kentucky, U.S, Kentucky, Arlington , Texas, Stellantis, Sterling Heights, Warren , Michigan, Detroit, Ford's, Louisville , Kentucky, Louisville, Berkeley, South, Tennessee, Washington, San Francisco, Bengaluru, Seoul

The Mate 60 is priced from 5,999 yuan ($817.70), the same as Apple's iPhone 14 in China. Huawei's launch also comes days before Apple is expected to launch its new iPhone 15 on Sept. 12.WHO ARE THE MATE 60'S SUPPLIERS? The Mate 60 Pro contains more Chinese-made chip components than previous models, TechInsights also said. WHAT COULD IT MEAN FOR APPLE IN CHINA'S SMARTPHONE MARKET? And cumulative shipments of Mate 60 Pro could reach at least 12 million units 12 months after launch, according to Kuo.

Persons: TechInsights, Chi Kuo, Kuo, Yelin Mo, Brenda Goh, Emelia Sithole Organizations: China's Huawei Technologies, Apple, Huawei, Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp, HK, WHO, South Korea's SK Hynix's, SK Hynix, Dongguan Chitwing Technology, ., Visionox Technology, Reuters, TF International Securities, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, SHANGHAI, China, Kirin, SMIC, South, United States, Dongguan, Suzhou, U.S, Washington, Beijing

☆ Stocks stumble as 'dollar juggernaut' on a roll
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-08 | by ( Tom Westbrook | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Passersby are reflected on an electric stock quotation board outside a brokerage in Tokyo, Japan April 18, 2023. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan (.MIAPJ0000PUS) fell 0.2% in early trade and is down 1.4% for the week. "China’s partial ban on Apple products put trade wars and U.S.-China decoupling back on the agenda," said Capital.com analyst Kyle Rodda. U.S. suppliers' shares had fallen overnight and helped drag the S&P 500 (.SPX) 0.3% lower and the Nasdaq (.IXIC) down by 0.9%. The Australian dollar is down more than 1% on the week and traded at $0.6384 on Friday.

Persons: Issei Kato, TSMC, Kyle Rodda, Masato Kanda, Hirokazy Matsuno, Brent, Heekyong Yang, Shri Navaratnam Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Japan's Nikkei, South Korea's SK Hynix, Huawei Technologies, Tokyo, Apple, Nasdaq, ANZ Bank, European Central Bank, Treasury, Brent, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, Rights SINGAPORE, U.S, Asia, Pacific, Hong Kong, China, South Korea's, Europe, Seoul

Hong Kong/Seoul CNN —SK Hynix, a South Korean chipmaker, is investigating how two of its memory chips mysteriously ended up inside the Mate 60 Pro, a controversial smartphone launched by Huawei last week. “The significance of the development is that there are restrictions on what SK Hynix can ship to China,” G Dan Hutcheson, vice chair of TechInsights, told CNN. The big question is whether any laws were violated.”A Hynix spokesperson told CNN Friday that it was aware of its chips being used in the Huawei phone and had started investigating the issue. “SK Hynix is strictly abiding by the US government’s export restrictions,” the company said. Industry insiders said it was possible that Huawei had purchased the memory chips from the secondary market and not directly from the manufacturer.

Persons: ” G Dan Hutcheson, It’s, TechInsights, Mike Gallagher, Michael McCaul Organizations: Seoul CNN — SK Hynix, Huawei, SK Hynix, CNN, “ SK Hynix, US, Industry, 5G Kirin, chipmaker Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation, White Locations: Hong Kong, Seoul, Korean, Hynix, Canada, China, United States, Shenzhen

People walk past a Huawei store with advertisements for the Mate 60 series smartphones, at a shopping mall in Beijing, China August 30, 2023. REUTERS/Yelin Mo/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSHANGHAI, Sept 7 (Reuters) - Huawei Technologies' new high-end smartphone contains more China-made chip components than previous models in a sign of Beijing's advances in the semiconductor sphere, according to research firm TechInsights, which is taking the device apart. That's another really big advance they've made," Dan Hutcheson, an analyst with TechInsights, told Reuters. "The significance is that it shows that China has been able to stay 2-2.5 nodes behind the world's best (chip) companies. "China's been buying tools like crazy so they probably have the capability to do this and yield ok with it."

Persons: Yelin, they've, Dan Hutcheson, TechInsights, chipmaker SMIC, Hutcheson, Gina Raimondo's, it's, China's, Brenda Goh, Joyce Lee, David Kirton, Miyoung Kim, David Evans Organizations: Huawei, REUTERS, Rights, Huawei Technologies, Reuters, The, HK, U.S . Commerce, SMIC, Apple, South Korea's SK Hynix Inc, SK Hynix, U.S, Thomson Locations: Beijing, China, The Ottawa, Huawei's, U.S, Seoul, Shenzhen

People walk past a Huawei store with advertisements for the Mate 60 series smartphones, at a shopping mall in Beijing, China August 30, 2023. That's another really big advance they've made," Dan Hutcheson, an analyst with TechInsights, told Reuters. "The significance is that it shows that China has been able to stay 2-2.5 nodes behind the world's best (chip) companies. "China's been buying tools like crazy so they probably have the capability to do this and yield ok with it." Huawei and SMIC did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

☆ Factbox: China's incumbent and upcoming LNG traders
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-21 | by ( Chen Aizhu | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

A liquefied natural gas (LNG) tanker is tugged towards a thermal power station in Futtsu, east of Tokyo, Japan November 13, 2017. Below is a list of China's main gas traders and their operations globally, according to information from company sources and traders. In May, PCI became the first Chinese firm to gain long-term access to gas storage at a European gas terminal. CNOOC also plans to create a London desk in the coming year or two, following PCI and Unipec. Sumitomo Corp (8053.T), which has a desk to trade piped gas in London is considering expanding into LNG trading, said a company spokesperson.

Persons: Issei Kato, Keith Martin, Wang Bingsi, CNOOC, Norinco, ENN, Chen Aizhu, Yuka Obayashi, Florence Tan, Tom Hogue Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, PetroChina International, PCI, London, Gazprom, China National Offshore Oil Company, Gas Co, ENN, LNG, Beijing Gas, Zhejiang Energy, Zhejiang Energy Zhejiang Energy, Exxon Mobil, Mexico, China Gas Holding, China Gas, JOVO Energy, Privately, SOUTH, Mitsubishi Corp, Marubeni Corp, Tokyo Gas, Korea's SK E, Sumitomo Corp, Thomson Locations: Futtsu, Tokyo, Japan, London, Singapore, Beijing, Dubai, Houston, Sinopec, China, Jiangsu province, ENN, U.S, Hebei, Shenzhen, CNOOC, Zhejiang Energy Zhejiang, Zhejiang, Ningbo, Wenzhou, Zhejiang province, HK, Guangxi province, Yantai, Shandong province, Guangdong, Guangzhou, JAPAN, SOUTH KOREA, Asia

☆ Google-backed Anthropic raises $100 mln from South Korea's SK Telecom
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The logo of SK Telecom is pictured at the GSMA's 2023 Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona, Spain February 28, 2023. REUTERS/Nacho Doce/File PhotoSEOUL, Aug 14 (Reuters) - South Korea's largest telco SK Telecom (017670.KS) said it will invest $100 million in U.S. artificial intelligence firm Anthropic to strengthen its telecommunications-driven AI business. SK Telecom, which also made a smaller investment in May, said on Sunday that the two companies plan to jointly develop a global telecommunications-oriented multilingual large language model and build an AI platform. SK Telecom declined to reveal the size of its May investment or the size of its stake in Anthropic. In July, SK Telecom agreed with Deutsche Telekom, e& and Singapore Telecommunications to form an alliance to jointly develop telecommunications-driven AI businesses.

Persons: Nacho, Anthropic, Claude, OpenAI's, Joyce Lee, Sam Holmes Organizations: SK Telecom, Congress, REUTERS, telco SK Telecom, OpenAI, Google, Spark Capital, Deutsche Telekom, Singapore Telecommunications, Thomson Locations: Barcelona, Spain, SEOUL, KS, Anthropic

☆ UAW wins Democratic senators' support for joint venture battery workers
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-28 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

WASHINGTON, July 28 (Reuters) - More than half of the Senate's Democrats are backing the United Auto Workers' push for higher wages and benefits for workers at Detroit Three automakers' joint venture battery plants, they said in a letter released on Friday. UAW leaders have sought to secure support from Washington as negotiations opened earlier this month, with UAW President Shawn Fain meeting with lawmakers and President Joe Biden last week. In their letter to the CEOs of the Detroit Three and battery joint ventures, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer joined Senators Sherrod Brown, Ron Wyden, Bernie Sanders, Richard Durbin and others in urging the automakers to embrace the joint venture battery workers before the current contract expires. Stellantis said it respects the UAW's right to organize future hourly employees at its joint venture battery facilities, adding: " The joint venture intends to offer very competitive wages and benefits." Last month, the union chief criticized $9.2 billion federal loan to a Ford/South Korea's SK On joint venture.

Persons: Shawn Fain, Joe Biden, Chuck Schumer, Sherrod Brown, Ron Wyden, Bernie Sanders, Richard Durbin, Ford, Stellantis, Jim Farley, Bill Ford, Biden, Biden's, Fain, David Shepardson, Susan Heavey Organizations: United Auto Workers, Detroit, automakers, General Motors, Ford Motor, Chrysler, UAW, Workers, EVs, SK On, South Korea's SK Innovation, Reuters, Ford, Korea's SK, LG Energy, Thomson Locations: United States, Washington, South, KS, Ohio

In particular, memory chip demand from corporate buyers stocking AI data centres as well as gaming personal computers is expected to increase in the second half of the year, the world's second-biggest memory chip maker said. SK Hynix reported a 2.9 trillion won ($2.28 billion) operating loss in the June quarter, down from 4.2 trillion won profit a year earlier on weak memory chip pricing and demand. AI CHIPSSK Hynix said demand for AI server memory had more than doubled in the second quarter compared to the first quarter. SK Hynix leads the market in high bandwidth memory (HBM) DRAM used in the fast-growing field of generative AI. Samsung, the world's biggest memory chip maker, will report its detailed second-quarter financial results on Thursday.

Persons: SK Hynix, Greg Roh, Nam Dae, 1,274.1300, Joyce Lee, Heekyong Yang, Christopher Cushing, Jamie Freed Organizations: Korea's SK Hynix, Microsoft, SK Hynix's, SK, SK Hynix, Revenue, Samsung Electronics, Hyundai Motor Securities, eBEST Investment, Securities, Samsung, Thomson Locations: SEOUL, KS, HBM

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