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☆ Ukraine's getting new gun trucks and rockets to fight off Russia's exploding drones, US official says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Kyiv is slated to get several 30 mm gun trucks and mobile laser-guided rocket systems. These weapons are part of a new $2.6 billion security package announced by the Pentagon. Though the gun trucks are new, truck-mounted weaponry will not be a ground-breaking addition to Ukraine's arsenal of American weapon systems. Ukraine's military said in a daily update on Wednesday that Russian forces launched 17 Shahed-136 drones in an attack and that 14 of them were shot down by Kyiv's air defenses. The US official said that this week's new security package "includes important capabilities for air defense and to counter Russian unmanned aerial systems."

Five other cases are pending in the same court accusing Twitter of violating those laws, targeting female workers for layoffs and discriminating against employees with disabilities. Twitter laid off roughly 3,700 employees, or half its workforce, in early November in a cost-cutting measure by Musk, who paid $44 billion to acquire the social media platform. Twitter and Maryland-based TEKsystems, named as a defendant in the lawsuit, did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Liss-Riordan said she also has filed complaints in private arbitration on behalf of more than 1,700 former Twitter employees and contractors who signed agreements to arbitrate legal disputes. Reporting by Daniel Wiessner in Albany, New York; Editing by Alexia Garamfalvi and Richard ChangOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Nvidia shows new research on using AI to improve chip designs
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( Stephen Nellis | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] A smartphone with a displayed NVIDIA logo is placed on a computer motherboard in this illustration taken March 6, 2023. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/IllustrationMarch 27 (Reuters) - Nvidia Corp (NVDA.O), the world's leading designer of computer chips used in creating artificial intelligence, on Monday showed new research that explains how AI can be used to improve chip design. Chip design engineers use complex design software from firms like Synopsys Inc (SNPS.O) and Cadence Design Systems Inc (CDNS.O) to help them optimize the placement of those transistors. On Monday, Nvidia released a paper showing that it could use a combination of artificial intelligence techniques to find better ways to place big groups of transistors. The Nvidia research took an existing effort developed by University of Texas researchers using what is called reinforcement learning and added a second layer of artificial intelligence on top of it to get even better results.

☆ China's Huawei makes breakthrough in design tools for 14nm chips and above - media
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Wolfgang Rattay/File PhotoSHENZHEN, China, March 24 - Huawei Technologies Co Ltd (HWT.UL) has made breakthroughs in electronic design automation (EDA) tools for chips produced at and above 14-nanometre technology, Caijing financial news magazine reported on Friday, citing a speech by a senior Huawei executive. Huawei will complete testing on the tools this year, rotating chairman Xu Zhijun said in a speech on Feb 28., Caijing reported. Huawei has developed 78 tools related to chip hardware and software, the report added. Chip design companies use EDA software to produce the blueprints for chips before they are mass manufactured at fabs. China is home to a handful of domestic EDA software makers, but experts do not consider them globally competitive.

☆ Huawei makes breakthroughs in design tools for 14nm chips -media
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The announcement comes as Huawei and other Chinese technology companies rush to localise their supply chains in the face of mounting U.S. sanctions. According to a transcript of Xu's remarks published by Caijing, Huawei cooperated with domestic EDA companies to create the software, "basically realising the localisation of EDA tools above 14nm." Chip design companies use EDA software to produce the blueprints for chips before they are mass manufactured at fabs. China is home to a handful of domestic EDA software makers, but experts do not consider them globally competitive. All three overseas EDA companies fell subject to Washington's sanctions against Huawei in 2020.

☆ These eight charts show why climate change matters right now
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( Catherine Clifford | In Catclifford | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +11 min

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Sixth Assessment Report Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Sixth Assessment ReportGlobal warming is caused when greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and methane trap heat in the atmosphere. Climate change is already having impacts on human life and well-beingZoom In Icon Arrows pointing outwards This chart shows the various impacts climate change has on water availability, food production, health and well-being, cities and infrastructure and biodiversity and ecosystems. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Sixth Assessment ReportMany of the worst impacts of climate change will come to pass in the lives of the youngest humans. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Sixth Assessment Report Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Sixth Assessment ReportThe globe has warmed by 1.1 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, the IPCC report says. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Sixth Assessment ReportA slight change in the average change of the earth's temperature will impact different populations differently.

China has routinely denied hacking into businesses or governments in other countries. State-sponsored hackers from China have developed techniques that evade common cybersecurity tools and enable them to burrow into government and business networks and spy on victims for years without detection, researchers with Alphabet Inc.’s Google found. Over the past year, analysts at Google’s Mandiant division have discovered hacks of systems that aren’t typically the targets of cyber espionage. Instead of infiltrating systems behind the corporate firewall, they are compromising devices on the edge of the network—sometimes firewalls themselves—and targeting software built by companies such as VMware Inc. or Citrix Systems Inc. These products run on computers that don’t typically include antivirus or endpoint detection software.

☆ Australia's IPH detects breach in IT systems
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

March 16 (Reuters) - Australian intellectual property services provider IPH Ltd (IPH.AX) said on Thursday it had detected unauthorised access to a portion of its IT environment, mainly affecting document management systems of its head office and two of its member firms. The information in document management systems include administrative documents, and some client documents and correspondence in case of the two member firms, Spruson & Ferguson (Australia) and Griffith Hack, the company said. IPH said it was working with external cyber security advisers to conduct a forensic investigation, adding that it has notified the Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) of the incident. Australia has seen a rise in cyber attacks since late last year, with breaches reported by at least eight companies, including health insurer Medibank Private Ltd (MPL.AX) and telco Optus. Reporting by Himanshi Akhand in Bengaluru; Editing by Maju SamuelOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Apple, Google, Cisco, Intel Corp (INTC.O) and Edwards Lifesciences Corp (EW.N) sued the PTO in the California federal court in 2020 over the rule. They argued it undermined the role inter partes review plays in "protecting a strong patent system" and violated federal law. Companies including Tesla, Honda, Comcast and Dell filed briefs at the Federal Circuit in support of the plaintiffs. The California court dismissed the case in 2021, citing U.S. Supreme Court rulings that Patent Trial and Appeal Board decisions on whether to review inter partes review petitions cannot be appealed. The case is Apple Inc v. Vidal, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, No.

Ukraine urged residents of Kherson to evacuate amid an uptick in Russian attacks in the southern city that was retaken by Kyiv’s troops last fall, while pressure grew on Ukraine to vacate the besieged eastern city of Bakhmut. Russia fired 360 missiles from weapons systems including mortars and multiple-launch rocket systems at the Kherson region on Monday, authorities there said. Paramedics and police officers can no longer help many victims of shelling because they are coming under fire themselves, the Kherson city council said.

☆ In the Whirl of ChatGPT, Startups See an Opening for Their AI Chips
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( Isabelle Bousquette | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +5 min

Generative AI and large language models like OpenAI’s ChatGPT require massive amounts of computing power to run, and typically rely on chips like Nvidia’s graphics-processing units, or GPUs, that are specialized for these types of calculations. Graphcore sells primarily to AI startups looking to build and train models at lower cost, he said, and the company is benefiting from the proliferation of those startups. Shane Rau, who leads International Data Corp.’s semiconductor research, said chip startups are increasingly pivoting to focus their products on supporting large language models. Still, he added, “you’re going to see a combination of real adaptation and marketing.”“There will be the pressure to say: ‘Hey, we’re already relevant, our AI chip technology’s already relevant to generative AI’,” said Mr. Rau. Some chip makers say they expect yet another surge in demand once businesses more widely adopt generative AI.

Feb 17 (Reuters) - Home security provider Vivint Smart Home Inc (VVNT.N) owes rival CPI Security Systems Inc $189.7 million for tricking its customers into moving to Vivint's service, a North Carolina jury decided Friday. The federal jury in Charlotte found Vivint sales representatives unlawfully deceived CPI customers into signing contracts with Vivint by falsely claiming that Vivint had bought the company. CPI said its customers would then unknowingly sign "high-priced, multi-year" contracts that Vivint made "impossible for customers to cancel." It told the court it competed fairly with CPI and that CPI customers had switched to Vivint for legitimate reasons. The case is CPI Security Systems Inc v. Vivint Smart Home Inc, U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina, No.

☆ Wall St eyes lower open as producer prices rebound
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( Johann M Cherian | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

A Labor Department report showed producer prices climbed 0.7% in January after a 0.2% fall in the previous month. "You're also seeing the job market still very strong as well, with claims coming in less than expected," Zaccarelli added. ET, Dow e-minis were down 274 points, or 0.8%, S&P 500 e-minis were down 47.5 points, or 1.14%, and Nasdaq 100 e-minis were down 185.75 points, or 1.46%. Traders will also scrutinize remarks from other Fed officials, including St. Louis Fed President James Bullard, to assess the central bank's tone on monetary policy. Reporting by Johann M Cherian and Sruthi Shankar in Bengaluru; Editing by Anil D'SilvaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Wall St slides as inflation, jobless claims data fuel rate-hike angst
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( Johann M Cherian | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Another set showed the number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits unexpectedly fell last week, offering more evidence of the economy's resilience. "You're also seeing the job market still very strong as well, with claims coming in less than expected." The Fed is seen pushing the benchmark rate above the 5% mark by May and keeping it above those levels till the year-end. Traders will also scrutinize remarks from other Fed officials, including St. Louis Fed President James Bullard, to assess the central bank's tone on monetary policy. The S&P index recorded two new 52-week highs and one new lows, while the Nasdaq recorded 28 new highs and 22 new lows.

☆ Cisco Raises Outlook as Its Earnings Top Expectations
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Denny Jacob | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Cisco’s prediction for its current quarter came in above Wall Street estimates. Cisco Systems Inc. raised its outlook for the year after posting better-than-expected results, a bright spot among technology companies facing continuing challenges from inflation and other macroeconomic impacts. The results beat Cisco’s forecast for the quarter on both the top and bottom lines, and its outlook for the current quarter also came in ahead of Wall Street estimates, according to FactSet.

☆ Cisco forecast raise allays tech spending fears, lifts shares
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Yuvraj Malik | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Feb 15 (Reuters) - Cisco Systems Inc (CSCO.O) on Wednesday raised its full-year earnings forecast and delivered strong second-quarter results, indicating that spending on network infrastructure was staying resilient in the face of an economic slowdown. For fiscal 2023, Cisco said it expects revenue growth of 9% to 10.5%, and adjusted per share earnings between $3.73 to $3.78. It had previously forecast revenue growth of 4.5% to 6.5% and earnings per share of $3.51 to $3.58. Its second-quarter adjusted earnings of 88 cents per share and revenue of $13.59 billion were both higher than market estimates pooled by Refinitiv. "This is very strong growth and shows that the company may finally be exiting a difficult period related to supply-chain challenges," said Scott Raynovich, chief analyst at Futuriom.

☆ Cisco raises full-year forecast on strong demand, easing supply hurdles
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Feb 15 (Reuters) - Cisco Systems Inc (CSCO.O) raised its forecast for full-year revenue growth and adjusted profit on Wednesday, banking on its ability to push backlog orders and rapid adoption of 5G technology to keep demand upbeat, sending the company's shares up 10%. For fiscal 2023, Cisco said it expects revenue growth of 9% to 10.5%, and adjusted per share earnings between $3.73 to $3.78. It had previously forecast revenue growth of 4.5% to 6.5% and earnings per share of $3.51 to $3.58. The raise in outlook comes on the back of growth in recurring revenue, improvement in supply chain and future estimated revenue, Chief Financial Officer Scott Herren said in a statement. Reporting by Yuvraj Malik in Bengaluru; Editing by Shailesh KuberOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Wall St dips as Treasury yields rise after auction
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( Carolina Mandl | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

"With Treasury yields higher, it becomes a legitimate alternative to equities," said Michael Rosen, chief investment officer at Angeles Investments. Weighing on the S&P 500 (.SPX) and Nasdaq (.IXIC) indexes, Alphabet Inc (GOOGL.O) extended losses from the previous session to fall 4.7%. All 11 S&P 500 sectors posted losses. More than half of the S&P 500 companies have reported quarterly earnings so far, and 69% of them have beaten estimates, according to Refinitiv data. The S&P 500 posted 15 new 52-week highs and one new low; the Nasdaq Composite recorded 75 new highs and 57 new lows.

☆ Wall St dips as Treasury yields rise; Disney hits 5-month high
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( Carolina Mandl | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The U.S. 30-year Treasury yield rose after an auction in the early afternoon, while the yield curve between two-year and 10-year notes widened earlier. Weighing on the S&P 500 (.SPX) and Nasdaq (.IXIC) indexes, Alphabet Inc (GOOGL.O) extended losses from the previous session to fall 5.2179%. The S&P 500 communication services sector (.SPLRCL) sank 2.86%. More than half of the S&P 500 companies have reported quarterly earnings so far, and 69% of them have beaten estimates, according to Refinitiv data. The S&P 500 posted 15 new 52-week highs and one new low; the Nasdaq Composite recorded 69 new highs and 41 new lows.

The data tentatively eased concerns about the Federal Reserve's rate-hike path after a strong January employment report rattled markets last week. Weighing on the S&P 500 (.SPX) and Nasdaq (.IXIC) indexes, Alphabet Inc (GOOGL.O) extended losses from the previous session to fall 5.6%. The S&P 500 communication services sector (.SPLRCL) sank 2.6%, while Alphabet shares eyed their worst weekly performance since November. Ralph Lauren Corp (RL.N) gained 1.2% after beating quarterly sales expectations, while peer Tapestry Inc (TPR.N) soared 5.4% on a strong annual profit forecast. More than half of the S&P 500 companies have reported quarterly earnings so far, and 69% of them have beaten estimates, according to Refinitiv data.

Futures got a lift after data showed initial claims for state unemployment benefits rose 13,000 to a seasonally adjusted 196,000 for the week ended Feb. 4. The data comes on the heels of a strong January employment report that rattled markets last week. "There are so many companies that are laying off people and that eventually is going to weaken the job market. ET, Dow e-minis were up 213 points, or 0.63%, S&P 500 e-minis were up 33 points, or 0.8%, and Nasdaq 100 e-minis were up 160.5 points, or 1.28%. Ralph Lauren Corp (RL.N) gained 2.4% after beating quarterly revenue expectations on resilient demand for its high-end clothing and accessories.

☆ Shopify Bulks Up Online Fulfillment Logistics Services
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( Liz Young | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +3 min

Shopify Inc. is stepping up its logistics and fulfillment services as it expands efforts to help merchants compete with Amazon.com Inc. The challenges for small retailers in competing for sales are “almost always logistics and fulfillment,” said Aaron Brown, chief executive of Shopify Logistics. Shopify faces challenges, he said, in pushing into logistics services. Other companies, including retailers, have been seeking to market logistics services to other retailers, echoing Amazon’s warehousing and delivery operations through its Fulfillment by Amazon division. Apparel retailers American Eagle Outfitters Inc. and Gap Inc. offer fulfillment services to other merchants through their networks while Target Corp. and Walmart Inc. allow businesses to use their local same-day delivery services.

Investor sentiment was further boosted after data showed initial claims for state unemployment benefits rose 13,000 to a seasonally adjusted 196,000 last week, above a forecast of 190,000 claims. The data comes on the heels of a strong January employment report that rattled markets last week. Of more than half of the S&P 500 companies that have reported fourth-quarter earnings so far, 69% have topped estimates, as per Refinitiv data. Advancing issues outnumbered decliners by a 3.03-to-1 ratio on the NYSE and by a 2.17-to-1 ratio on the Nasdaq. The S&P index recorded 14 new 52-week highs and one new low, while the Nasdaq recorded 49 new highs and 20 new lows.

☆ Explainer: What we know and don't know about the Chinese balloon
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Here's what we know, and don't know, about the balloon that has triggered a dramatic diplomatic dispute between the two powers:HOW BIG IS IT? WAS IT A WEATHER BALLOON? Other companies that develop stratospheric balloon systems include U.S. space tourism firm World View and French firm CNIM Air Space. AIR is particularly keen on stratospheric balloon technology and has posted several articles on its WeChat account about Aerostar. read moreWhile analysts did not yet know the size of the Chinese balloon fleet, U.S. officials have spoken of dozens of missions since 2018 across five continents, with some targeting Japan, India, Vietnam, Taiwan and the Philippines.

☆ Factbox: Tech firms, Wall Street titans lead job cuts in corporate America
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson/File PhotoFeb 8 (Reuters) - Big Tech firms and Wall Street titans are leading a string of layoffs across corporate America as companies look to rein in costs to ride out a global economic downturn. Here are some of the job cuts by major American companies announced in recent weeks. TECHNOLOGY, MEDIA AND TELECOM SECTORIBM Corp (IBM.N):The software and consulting firm said it will lay off 3,900 employees. read moreMicrosoft Corp (MSFT.O):The U.S. tech giant said it would cut 10,000 jobs by the end of the third quarter of fiscal 2023. MANUFACTURING SECTOR3M Co (MMM.N):The industrial conglomerate said it would cut 2,500 manufacturing jobs after reporting a lower profit.

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