Alibaba CEO eyes greater AI research and development, as firm open sources 100 new LLMs

Alibaba CEO eyes greater AI research and development, as firm open sources 100 new LLMs

Alibaba Cloud, the digital technology backbone of the e-commerce giant, announced the release of more than 100 of its newly launched Qwen 2.5 LLMs to the global open-source community at the opening of the three-day Apsara Conference, its annual flagship event that runs until Saturday. Alibaba owns the South China Morning Post. “Alibaba Cloud is … Read more

Mesa Quantum raised $3.7 million to build a GPS alternative

Mesa Quantum raised .7 million to build a GPS alternative

Flight delays in Sao Paolo, Brazil. Truckers led down unsafe routes in Richmond, Vermont. And power grid disruptions throughout Ukraine. These troubles stem from a global communication system highly reliant on GPS satellites and the signals they transmit for essential functions. To ensure that U.S. infrastructure won’t fall apart — even if the nation’s GPS … Read more

Tencent profit jumps 82%, beating estimates after strong video gaming, ad growth

Tencent profit jumps 82%, beating estimates after strong video gaming, ad growth

“Looking forward, we continue to invest in our platforms and technologies including AI, enabling us to create new business value and better serve user needs.” The Tencent Games booth seen at the annual China Digital Entertainment Expo and Conference, also known as ChinaJoy, in Shanghai on July 26, 2024. Photo: AFP Video gaming sales, traditionally … Read more

Exclusive | PolyU’s top AI scientist Yang Hongxia seeks to revolutionise LLM development in Hong Kong

Exclusive | PolyU’s top AI scientist Yang Hongxia seeks to revolutionise LLM development in Hong Kong

At present, Yang said LLM development has mostly relied on deploying advanced and expensive graphics processing units (GPUs), from the likes of Nvidia and Advanced Micro Devices, in data centres for projects involving vast amounts of raw data, which has put deep-pocketed Big Tech companies and well-funded start-ups at a major advantage. The entrance to … Read more

Nvidia preparing a version of new Blackwell AI chip for China market, sources say

Nvidia preparing a version of new Blackwell AI chip for China market, sources say

The sources declined to be identified as Nvidia has yet to make a public announcement. A spokesman for Nvidia declined to comment. Inspur did not respond to requests for comment. Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang unveils the company’s new Blackwell AI chip platform at an event in San Jose, California, on March 18, 2024. Photo: … Read more

Alibaba sees AI talent depart to start own business amid China’s unicorn boom

Alibaba sees AI talent depart to start own business amid China’s unicorn boom

Algorithm engineer Zhou Chang, who worked on the Tongyi Qianwen large language models (LLMs), has decided to leave Alibaba’s cloud computing unit after seven years at the firm, according to two people familiar with the matter. Alibaba owns the South China Morning Post. Zhou’s departure was first reported on Wednesday by Chinese media 36Kr. The … Read more

Kinetic rolls out robots to fix electric cars, and someday robotaxis

Kinetic rolls out robots to fix electric cars, and someday robotaxis

Kinetic cofounders: CEO Nikhil Naikal, CTO Sander Marques, COO Chris Weber Courtesy: Kinetic Automation While electric vehicle demand is still increasing in the U.S., the sales growth rate for cars that pollute less has cooled down in 2024 due partly to the high cost of insurance and repairs for tech-laden new models. A 2024 study … Read more

Why so many electric vehicle startups fail

Why so many electric vehicle startups fail

As the electric vehicle industry faces a string of high-profile failures, several startups that have surfaced in recent years have underestimated their capital needs by billions of dollars, industry insiders said. Many of the companies that have tried to bring products to market or go public, especially through Special Purpose Acquisition Companies, or SPACs, are … Read more

Huawei injects fresh capital into Shenzhen investment subsidiary as US-sanctioned tech giant returns to growth

Huawei injects fresh capital into Shenzhen investment subsidiary as US-sanctioned tech giant returns to growth

With that infusion, Shenzhen Habo Technology Investment Partners – established in 2021 by Huawei and Habo Investment – last Thursday raised its registered capital to 7.98 billion yuan (US$1.1 billion) from 7 billion yuan previously, according to data from Chinese business registry platform Tianyancha. Huawei did not immediately respond to a request for comment on … Read more

Chinese venture capitalist Allen Zhu steers clear of mainland tech firms’ AI large language model frenzy

Chinese venture capitalist Allen Zhu steers clear of mainland tech firms’ AI large language model frenzy

“I believe in applications and those that can commercialise immediately,” said Zhu, who indicated that he did not invest in any LLM-focused company on the mainland last year. Sample code for an artificial intelligence large language model. Photo: Shutterstock Li pointed out that there were too many LLMs being introduced in mainland China, “but too … Read more