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China's delegate to the meeting, Vice Minister of Science and Technology Wu Zhaohui, was present on Thursday, his ministry said on Friday. The Chinese technology ministry declined to say why China did not agree to the proposal, which was about AI model testing. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak chaired Thursday's meeting that comprised "a small group of like-minded senior representatives from governments around the world", Britain said, including the U.S. vice president and the EC president. Some British lawmakers had criticised China's participation in the inaugural AI summit. Sunak told reporters: "Some said we shouldn't even invite China, others said we would never get an agreement with them.

Persons: Ursula von der Leyen, Kamala Harris, Rishi Sunak, Giorgia Meloni, Antonio Guterres, Yoshua Bengio, Mila, Microsoft Brad, Technology Wu Zhaohui, Wu, Oliver Dowden, Sunak, Paul Sandle, Brenda Goh, Alistair Smout, Cynthia Osterman Organizations: Italy's, UN, Quebec AI Institute, Microsoft, Safety, Science, Technology, Bloomberg, U.S, European Union, Thomson Locations: British, SHANGHAI, LONDON, China, Britain, Beijing, Bletchley Park, England, United States, Bletchley, London, Shanghai

☆ Japan space agency rocket engine explodes during test
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

TOKYO, July 14 (Reuters) - A rocket engine exploded during a test in Japan on Friday but there were no injuries, an official at Japan's Education, Science and Technology Ministry said. The explosion of the Epsilon S engine at the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) testing site is the latest in a series of failures that have deflated Japan's space ambitions. The explosion took place about a minute into the test of the second stage engine, the official said. JAXA's new medium-lift H-3 rocket was ordered to self-destruct on its debut flight in March, when its second-stage engine did not ignite as planned. Reporting by Satoshi Sugiyama and Mariko Katsumura; Writing by Elaine Lies; Editing by Shri Navaratnam and Tom HogueOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Satoshi Sugiyama, Mariko Katsumura, Elaine Lies, Shri Navaratnam, Tom Hogue Organizations: Japan's Education, Science, Technology Ministry, Epsilon, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, JAXA, Thomson Locations: TOKYO, Japan

☆ Chinese ministry holds meeting with Xiaomi, iFlytek and Alibaba Cloud
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

BEIJING, July 11 (Reuters) - China's science and technology ministry held a meeting on July 5 with firms including Xiaomi, iFlytek and Alibaba Cloud to discuss innovation as well as national strategic scientific and technological initiatives, the ministry said on Tuesday. China will support private enterprises to create leading science and technology enterprises, and encourage more talents to gather in leading private science and technology enterprises, the minister Wang Zhigang said in a statement. Reporting by Beijing newsroom; Editing by Himani SarkarOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Wang Zhigang, Himani Sarkar Organizations: Xiaomi, Beijing, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, China

☆ China releases its first open-source computer operating system
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-06 | by ( Josh Ye | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

HONG KONG, July 6 (Reuters) - China has released its first homegrown open-source desktop operating system, named OpenKylin, state media said, as the country steps up efforts to cut reliance on U.S. technology. China's massive market for operating systems was worth 15.5 billion yuan ($2.1 billion) last year, state media said, citing an industry report. Developing an operating system independent of U.S. technology has been an important goal for China's tech industry in recent years, with many companies and organisations having contributed to the development of the OpenKylin system. More than a dozen Chinese companies are trying to develop operating systems that could replace Microsoft's Windows and Apple's MacOS operating systems. One such company, UnionTech Software Technology Co Ltd, has been developing what it calls the "Unity operating system".

Persons: Josh Ye, Clarence Fernandez Organizations: China Industrial Control Systems, UnionTech Software Technology Co, Thomson Locations: HONG KONG, China

Spokespeople for Micron and the Indian government, including its technology ministry, did not respond to requests for comment. A senior Biden administration official said the White House was "encouraged" by the number of U.S. firms considering India investments. An Indian industry source familiar with Micron's approvals said the so-called Assembly Testing Marking and Packaging will be built in the city of Sanand. Micron could procure and package chip for clients at the plant, or other companies could send their chips for testing before shipping. The source added that Micron's India plant would boost Modi's vision of making India a semiconductor base but true success would require actual manufacturing.

Persons: Narendra Modi's, Modi, Biden, Aditya Kalra, Aftab Ahmed, Trevor Hunnicutt, Conor Humphries, David Goodman Organizations: chipmaker Micron, U.S, Micron, FedEx, MasterCard, House, White House, Reuters, Biden, United, U.S . Commerce Department, Thomson Locations: India, DELHI, WASHINGTON, Gujarat, China, Sanand

☆ India poised to deny funding for Vedanta-Foxconn chip venture - Bloomberg News
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] A man walks past the logo of Vedanta outside its headquarters in Mumbai, India January 31, 2018. REUTERS/Danish Siddiqui//File Photo/File PhotoMay 31 (Reuters) - The Indian government is poised to deny crucial funding for Anil Agarwal's chip venture, Bloomberg News reported on Tuesday, a setback to the billionaire's ambition to build India's 'own Silicon Valley.' The venture's application seeking billions in government assistance hasn't met the criteria set by the government, the report said. Foxconn declined to comment on the report, while India's technology ministry and Vedanta did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment. "India's own Silicon Valley is a step closer now," Agarwal had said last year after the announcement.

Persons: Danish Siddiqui, Anil Agarwal's, Taiwan's Foxconn, hasn't, Foxconn, Foxconn –, –, Agarwal, Anusha, Shailesh Organizations: Vedanta, REUTERS, Danish, Bloomberg, Hai Precision Industry Co, Thomson Locations: Mumbai, India, Gujarat, Bengaluru

☆ China urges giant state firms to be tech 'pillars' in self-reliance drive
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

China aims to turn some state giants into leading tech companies with global influence, the science and technology ministry said, following a meeting with the state-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission. State firms controlled by the central government should play the role of "pillars" in "achieving China's high-level tech self-reliance and self-improvement," Wang Zhigang, the minister for science and technology, was quoted as saying in a statement. Big state firms should boost investment in basic research, attract more talent, strengthen technological innovation and deepen ties with universities and research institutions, he added on Wednesday. However, analysts say China's private firms are more innovative than state firms that dominate strategic industries and tend to receive more state subsidies. China has unveiled a "new whole-nation system", drawing on its political system to pool national resources to support tech projects and break the foreign "stranglehold", drawing on past successes in developing nuclear bombs in the 1960s.

☆ China vows to ensure normal operations during institutional reforms
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BEIJING, March 14 (Reuters) - China will carefully implement state institutional reforms and ensure orderly operations, state media reported, citing the first cabinet meeting chaired by the new premier Li Qiang on Tuesday. The institutional reforms remain "a major political task at present" and China will make sure that all the work is carried out normally, state media reported, citing comments from the meeting. "The institutional reforms should be taken as an opportunity to adapt to the needs of building a new development pattern and promoting high-quality development." Analysts and investors said the new financial watchdog, the National Financial Regulatory Administration, will help bridge regulatory gaps, but it may also consolidate power at the top and could introduce more state and party intervention. (This story has been refiled to say 'China' and not 'Chinese' in the headline)Reporting by Ellen Zhang and Kevin Yao, editing by Ed OsmondOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Factbox: Key takeaways from China's annual NPC parliamentary meeting
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( Laurie Chen | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

These include Premier Li Qiang, NPC Chairperson Zhao Leji, Executive Vice-Premier Ding Xuexiang, and Vice President Han Zheng. China's private sector has been rattled in recent years by a sweeping regulatory clampdown targeting some of its most vibrant industries, including the internet and private education. The new national financial regulatory administration will replace the existing banking and insurance watchdog and oversee all aspects of China's $57 trillion financial sector apart from the securities market. A separate top-level party financial watchdog, the Central Financial Work Commission, is likely to be resurrected after the NPC, sources earlier told Reuters. This will likely have responsibility for the new state financial regulator.

☆ Factbox: What is China's new government restructuring plan?
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( Laurie Chen | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The restructured ministry will be overseen by a newly created Communist Party body, the Central Science and Technology Commission, strengthening party oversight of science and technology policy. A new national data bureau will be responsible for coordinating the sharing and development of data resources, as well as planning the digital economy and promoting initiatives. Since taking power in 2012, Xi has established several new central party committees overseeing multiple ministries, which report directly to him. Analysts expect the party reforms to be revealed soon after the NPC concludes its meetings on Monday. A top-level party financial watchdog, the Central Financial Work Commission, is likely to be resurrected after the NPC, sources earlier told Reuters.

☆ China to set up new financial regulator in sweeping reform
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

The new financial regulator will replace the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission (CBIRC) and bring supervision of the industry, excluding the securities sector, into a body directly under the State Council, or cabinet. The proposal for setting up the new regulator, the National Financial Regulatory Administration, was presented to China's parliament during its annual meeting on Tuesday. China's financial sector is overseen by the People's Bank of China (PBOC), the CBIRC, and the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC), with the cabinet's Financial Stability and Development Committee having overall responsibility. The setting up of the new financial regulatory body comes as Beijing seeks to rein in large corporate and financial institutions that may bring systemic risks via regulatory arbitrage among multiple authorities. 'STRENGTHEN SUPERVISION'The new administration will "strengthen institutional supervision, supervision of behaviours and supervision of functions", according to the plan.

☆ China to restructure sci-tech ministry to achieve self-reliance faster
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( Eduardo Baptista | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

BEIJING, March 7 (Reuters) - China will restructure its science and technology ministry to channel more resources to achieving important breakthroughs, with the goal of moving faster towards self-reliance, according to a State Council plan submitted to parliament on Tuesday. The restructuring of the central government ministry was included in a reform plan of state institutions that the State Council, China's cabinet, submitted to the National People's Congress (NPC), which is meeting this week. The institutional changes revealed on Tuesday will reduce the scope of the science and technology ministry as previous responsibilities, such as building high-tech industrial development zones and driving technological progress in rural areas, will be re-distributed across several ministries. "Strengthen the Ministry of Science and Technology's strategic planning ... optimise the whole-process management of scientific and technological innovation," the cabinet said in the plan. Reporting by Eduardo Baptista; Editing by Andrew Heavens, Robert BirselOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ China appears to be pulling another U-turn, saying it'll promote the use of AI in daily life just days after reports it blocked ChatGPT
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

China said it sees broad potential in the use of AI tech and wants to integrate it into daily life. But that's amid reports China — which controls information tightly — blocked access to ChatGPT. It now wants to integrate the tech into daily life, just days after reports emerged that it had blocked its citizens from accessing viral AI chatbot ChatGPT. Search engine giant Baidu — China's answer to Google — said on Wednesday it plans to launch its own AI chatbot Ernie Bot in March. "AI technology has reached a tipping point and all industries will inevitably go through transformation," Li said in the memo.

☆ Elon Musk's SpaceX partners with Philippine tycoon on satellite service
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MANILA, Oct 27 (Reuters) - Billionaire Elon Musk's Space Exploration Technologies Corp (SpaceX) is expanding into the Philippines by offering satellite broadband service to businesses and the government, his local partner said on Thursday. Data Lake Inc, a Philippine-based firm partly owned by tycoon Henry Sy Jr, said it signed a deal to be the first partner of SpaceX's Starlink in Southeast Asia. "The Philippines is an archipelago, and connecting our country to the wider world often requires extensive infrastructure," Data Lake Chairman Anthony Almeda said in a statement. The Philippines is made up of more than 7,600 islands, many of them isolated and with mountainous terrain, making broadband coverage difficult for companies. Around 20 tropical storms also typically hit the country every year, often damaging infrastructure and cutting communication links between islands and provinces.

Kakao shares plunged as much as 9.5% on Monday to their lowest since May 2020, wiping out 2 trillion won ($1.39 billion) in market capitalisation at one point, while shares in affiliates KakaoPay (377300.KS) and KakaoBank (323410.KS) lost more than 8% before paring losses. South Korea's technology ministry is probing whether the outage violated any laws while the communications regulator is reviewing the matter, including questions of user compensation, officials said on Sunday. An initial probe on Sunday found electrical issues around battery racks in third basement floor of the data centre, which is operated by SK C&C (034730.KS), may have caused the fire. REPUTATIONAL HITThe Kakao messaging application and the Kakao T taxi booking application are seen on a mobile phone in this illustration photo March 13, 2018. It said on Monday it would discuss compensation with data centre operator SK C&C for losses it and its key units have sustained.

☆ Kakao shares slump as outage sparks calls for regulatory scrutiny
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-17 | by ( Joyce Lee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Kakao shares plunged more than 9% on Monday to their lowest since May 2020, while shares in Kakao affiliates KakaoPay (377300.KS) and KakaoBank (323410.KS) also plunged more than 8% in morning trade. Police and the National Forensic Service are conducting a second investigation on Monday at the data centre, which is operated by SK C&C (034730.KS). After an initial probe on Sunday, police said electrical issues around battery racks in third basement floor of the data centre may have caused the fire. It said in a regulatory filing on Monday that after it normalises services, it will discuss compensation with data centre operator SK C&C for losses sustained by Kakao and its key units. A Kakao spokesperson declined to provide the total number of servers it uses, citing security concerns.

Dream11 and MPL logos are displayed in front of the Indian flag in this Illustration taken September 14, 2022. This is an addiction," said Ashwani Mahajan, an official of the Swadeshi Jagran Manch, which is seen as having significant influence on Indian policy making. The tiny remaining share of 3% users contribute 30% of the platform's revenue by playing higher ticket-sized games, one industry source estimated. Dream11 commands a valuation of $8 billion, while MPL and Games24X7 are valued at about $2.5 billion each, PitchBook data shows. "Most of the matured industry is quite clear that regulation will only help," said Barde.

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