UK Space Agency signs US deal to fuel British spaceports June 17, 2020 British and American government ministers have signed a deal to power up the UK’s spaceports programme and boost tech exports. The UK Space Agency said today the agreement will allow US companies to operate and launch rockets and satellites from British spaceports, as well as support their participation in the UK space sector supply chain. [...]
Huawei to delay smartphone production as US measures threaten bottleneck June 17, 2020 Huawei is said to have told some of its suppliers to halt production on its newest line of smartphones, as tough US sanctions threaten disruption. Huawei has asked suppliers for some components of its upcoming Mate line of smartphones to delay production as it assesses the impact of tightening US export controls, sources told the [...]
German virus tracing app hits 6.5m downloads as Norway and Russia experience technical glitches June 17, 2020 Germany’s app to help trace coronavirus infections has been downloaded 6.5m times within the first 24 hours since its launch. Chief executive of software giant SAP Christian Klein today said he viewed the promising figures as a sign of a job well done, following a collaborative effort between SAP and Deutsche Telekom to develop the [...]
Amazon to use AI to enforce social distancing in offices and warehouses June 16, 2020 Amazon is to use a tracking system powered by artificial intelligence to make sure employees are following social distancing guidelines in its offices and warehouses. Monitors in its warehouses will show workers on the screens highlighted in green circles when keeping a safe distance from others. The system will also be used in office buildings [...]
Epic Games to be valued at $17bn, as Fortnite event shuts out millions of fans June 16, 2020 The creator of one of the world’s most popular online games is set to be valued at $17bn (£13.4bn), as demand for its products spike during the coronavirus pandemic. Epic Games, which developed the Fortnite gaming franchise, is raising a $750m funding round from new investors T. Rowe and Baillie Gifford, people familiar with the [...]
Softbank to sell down $20bn T-Mobile stake as network suffers widespread outage June 16, 2020 Softbank is preparing to sell up to two-thirds of its stake in telecoms giant T-Mobile, it has emerged, as the network provider recovers from a major US service outage. The Japanese investment giant is coming to the end of a major share buyback scheme, which is being funded in part by a $41bn (£33bn) plan [...]
US firms to be allowed to work with Huawei on 5G standards June 16, 2020 The US is to amend a ruling which prohibited companies from working with Chinese tech giant Huawei on setting standards for upcoming 5G networks. The new ruling, signed by the US Commerce Department and other agencies, is set to be published on the Federal Register as soon as today. “The United States will not cede [...]
EU opens antitrust cases against Apple over App Store and Apple Pay June 16, 2020 The European Commission today launched two new antitrust cases against Apple, bolstering its fight against market dominance in the technology sector. The first investigation will explore whether Apple’s practice of charging a 30 per cent commission fee on sales and subscriptions made via its App Store is anti-competitive, following complaints by Spotify and Rakuten. Spotify’s [...]
Ride hailing app Grab cuts 300 jobs amid coronavirus hit June 16, 2020 Ride hailing company Grab has announced it will lay off more than 300 employees due to the effects of the coronavirus. The company, backed by Softbank, said it would cut about five per cent of its workforce after the ride hailing industry has taken a significant hit from the pandemic. Grab is Southeast Asia’s most [...]
How AI technology is leading the charge against Covid-19 June 16, 2020 The application of artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare has, until now, often been limited to specialised areas such as medical imaging and electronic health records. But with the Covid-19 pandemic introducing new, unexpected complexities for health systems to address, the benefits of AI are finally being realised in the mainstream. From helping us better understand [...]