Global smartphone shipments saw a notable 7.8% year-over-year increase in the first quarter of 2024, according to data from IDC’s Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker. The total shipments for the quarter reached 89.4 million units, marking the third consecutive quarter of growth and indicating a solid recovery in the smartphone market.
Vodafone Idea, a struggling telecom operator in India, is set to embark on a significant equity fundraising effort to secure more than $2 billion. This move comes as the company faces mounting bills and aims to finance the rollout of its 5G network.
The UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has raised alarms regarding the possibility of a collusion among a handful of American tech giants, aiming to manipulate the AI market in their favor. The focus of their worry centers on the control exerted by these companies over the development and commercialization of foundation models (FMs), with Open AI’s GPT being a prominent example.
President Yoon Suk Yeol recently detailed South Korea’s aggressive moves to establish its supremacy in the global semiconductor sector, including a staggering $6.94 billion commitment to AI by 2027. Amid fierce competition, South Korea’s largest telecom firm, SK Telecom, is paralleling governmental efforts with its own investment in AI firms.
Continuing their established partnership, Swisscom and Ericsson unveiled a multi-year agreement to boost Swisscom’s innovation and increase energy efficiency for its 5G network. The pact includes Ericsson’s Intelligent Automation Platform, facilitating advanced network management. Their united effort aims to significantly enhance user experience, while also pushing for sustainability and substantial operational savings.
In an evocative change for the telecom industry, French magnate Xavier Niel is looking to buy Datagroup-Volia, Ukraine’s top fixed telecom and pay TV provider. This big move, in the works through Niel’s NJJ company, comes complete with regulatory approval. The Ukrainian firm is a significant player, controlled primarily by a fund run by Horizon Capital.
In a strategic move to accelerate artificial intelligence (AI) adoption across its vast network, Orange has teamed up with Google Cloud to deploy AI solutions closer to its operations and customers. The collaboration, announced at Google’s Cloud Next ’24 event in Las Vegas, aims to leverage Google Distributed Cloud (GDC), a fully managed hardware and software solution.
The transformative growth of AI is undeniably impressive but raises several concerns. Despite their potential for innovation, GenAI advancements could blur the line between fact and fiction, adding to the challenge of distinguishing authentic information. NTT calls for flexible but robust regulations to manage potential threats to trust and democracy, citing the need for education, copyright updates, and content labelling.
Archetype AI, a pioneering company dedicated to leveraging artificial intelligence for practical solutions, has officially emerged from stealth mode to introduce Newton™, a groundbreaking foundational model designed to comprehend and interpret the physical world like never before. This innovative initiative aims to empower individuals and organizations with unprecedented insights into their surroundings.
Microsoft embarks on an ambitious project, unveiling Microsoft AI London – a hub focused on advancing AI research and development. Helmed by AI scientist Jordan Hoffman, the hub will concentrate on building innovative language models and key infrastructure. Further enriching the UK’s AI ecosystem, the project aligns with Microsoft’s substantial investment strategy advancing the UK workforce towards the AI era.
