British chipmaker Graphcore raises $222m as AI rivalry heats up December 29, 2020 UK chipmaker Graphcore has raised $222m (£164m) in fresh funding as it gears up for growing demand for its technology. The series E funding round takes the Bristol-based firm’s valuation to $2.8bn, making it one of the country’s most valuable unicorns. Graphcore specialises in so-called intelligence processing units (IPU) — a form of chip designed [...]
UK tech jobs bounce back as investment hits record high December 29, 2020 UK tech job vacancies have bounced back strongly as Britain’s booming tech sector shrugged off the Covid-19 pandemic to attract record levels of investment. While job vacancies in the industry dropped sharply at the height of the crisis in July, they have since climbed 50 per cent and are now accumulating at a rate of [...]
The top gadgets of 2020, from the iPhone 12 to the first next gen console December 27, 2020 It already feels like a cliche to describe 2020 as a year we’d rather forget. But it was also a year we found different ways to communicate with each other, and sought solace in digital escapism. In no particular order, here are our favourite gadgets of 2020, with links to our full reviews. Xbox Series [...]
10 video games that defined the strange year that was 2020 December 27, 2020 In a year that blockbuster movies were delayed en masse and people were confined to their homes for months at a time, video games played a more important role than ever in our lives. With the new Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 finally making an appearance last month, 2020 was also a last hurrah [...]
Google CEO criticises antitrust regulation December 23, 2020 Google's chief executive officer, Sundar Pichai warns that "regulation can get it wrong" in an interview with the Financial Times.
Google employees to work from home until September December 22, 2020 Google has reportedly delayed a return to the office until next September but has ruled out a permanent move to remote working. In an email first seen by the New York Times, Sundar Pichai, chief executive of Google’s parent company Alphabet, told employees they will return to the office on 1 September but expects employees [...]
Johnson meets tech firm chiefs to talk listing in London December 19, 2020 Boris Johnson held a roundtable with executives from Britain’s fastest growing tech start-ups to get ideas on how to grow the UK’s tech sector and persuade firms to list on London’s stock markets. Bosses from Darktrace, Deliveroo, Oxford Nanopore and Revolut were among those invited to the meeting at Number 10 yesterday. According to The [...]
Facebook UK notched up £1.1bn in sales last year December 18, 2020 Facebook UK reported a staggering £1.1bn in sales last year and boasted of further growth as it increased its headcount. Revenues rose 28 per cent in 2019 from £797m to £1.1bn, of which the vast majority came from sales support, marketing services and engineering support services. The social media platform also said its advertiser reseller [...]
Nike to score sales increase on digital fitness demand in lockdown December 18, 2020 Sportswear giant, Nike are expected to report a 2.2 per cent increase in second-quarter sales profiting from the change in consumer habits during the pandemic.
Whatsapp to launch video calls on desktop in bid to rival Zoom December 18, 2020 Whatsapp is set to introduce video and voice calling to its desktop version next year following a surge in popularity for video-conferencing services. Currently Whatsapp only allows video and voice calls through its mobile app but a move to desktop calls would put it on par with Zoom and Google Meet. With over 2bn global [...]