Imagination Technologies cashes in on chip demand amid China tech row August 24, 2021 British semiconductor firm Imagination Technologies has posted a surge in revenue as a raging global chip shortage helped boost demand for its products. The company, which is based in Hertfordshire but owned by a Chinese private equity fund, reported a 55 per cent rise in revenue to $76m (£55m) in the first half of the [...]
Abu Dhabi fund set to take stake in broadband challenger Cityfibre August 24, 2021 A group of investors including Abu Dhabi’s sovereign wealth fund is said to be close to taking a stake in Cityfibre in a deal valuing the Goldman Sachs-backed broadband firm at around £2bn. Abu Dhabi’s Mubadala Investment Company and Interogo Holding — the investment arm of the group behind Ikea — are leading the swoop [...]
Samsung to invest $200bn over three years in post-pandemic push August 24, 2021 Samsung is set to invest 240 trillion won ($206bn) by the end of 2023 in an effort to expand its biopharmaceuticals, AI, semiconductors and robotics offerings in the post-pandemic era. The South Korean tech giant said the investment will help strengthen its global standing in key industries such as chipmaking while allowing it to seek [...]
South Korea set to crack down on Apple and Google over app charges August 24, 2021 South Korea is poised to block Apple and Google from charging commission on in-app purchases in what could be the first such move by regulators around the world. The parliament’s legislation and judiciary committee is today expected to approve legal changes that will ban app store operators with dominant market positions from forcing certain payment [...]
Anti-vaccine protesters storm ITN headquarters August 23, 2021 Anti-vaccine protesters have stormed the London headquarters of ITN, the production giant that produces news programmes for ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5. Footage posted on social media showed dozens of anti-vaxxers in the reception of ITN’s offices on Grays Inn Road. An image shared by ITV journalist Dan Rivers also showed large numbers of [...]
Richard Branson’s Virgin Orbit to go public through $3.2bn Spac deal August 23, 2021 Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Orbit will go public through a blank-cheque deal that values the company at $3.2bn (£2.3bn), it confirmed today. The small satellite launch firm will merge with special purpose acquisition company (Spac) NextGen Acquisition Corp. The deal also includes $100m of so-called Pipe (private investment in public equity) funding from backers including [...]
JD.com revenue jumps as pandemic boosts online shopping August 23, 2021 Chinese retailer JD.com has beaten expectations for second-quarter sales as the pandemic continues to drive up demand for online shopping. The tech giant reported a 26 per cent rise in net revenue to 253.8bn yuan (£28.6bn) in the three months to the end of June, beating analyst consensus of 249.27bn yuan. Sales in its product [...]
Currys PC World launches flexible mobile plan amid brand overhaul August 23, 2021 Currys PC World is looking to win over customers with a focus on flexibility as it launches a new mobile offering amid a major brand overhaul by owner Dixons Carphone. The retailer today unveiled a new mobile offer allowing customers to build their own package of handsets, data and minutes, as well as bundling together [...]
BBC set to tap Jess Brammar as news chief despite ‘bias’ row August 23, 2021 The BBC is poised to appoint Jess Brammar as its new head of news despite an online backlash against so-called ‘left-wing’ views. Brammar, former editor-in-chief of Huffpost UK and previously deputy editor of Newsnight, is expected to be appointed to a new role overseeing the broadcaster’s news output. It comes despite criticisms that the news [...]
Channel 4 launches real-time digital ad bidding amid privatisation threat August 23, 2021 Channel 4 is rolling out technology that will allow advertisers to bid for ad space on its streaming service in real time as the state-owned broadcaster battles the threat of privatisation. The Gogglebox broadcaster has launched a new platform that enables ad space to be auctioned in milliseconds across All 4’s 14,500 hours of programming. [...]
