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Amazon shuts down Shanghai AI lab: source
TechXplore· 2025-07-25 08:20
Core Points - Amazon has shut down its artificial intelligence research lab in Shanghai, which was part of its cloud division, Amazon Web Services (AWS) [1][2] - The closure is attributed to strategic adjustments between China and the United States, as indicated by a scientist from the lab [2] - AWS has announced job cuts across its operations, with reports suggesting that the losses could be in the hundreds [2][3] Company Actions - The decision to close the Shanghai lab aligns with AWS's broader strategy to optimize resources and continue investing in innovation for customers [3] - The dedicated AWS China webpage for the lab was no longer accessible, indicating the lab's operational cessation [3] Industry Context - The lab was established in autumn 2018 with a focus on fostering collaboration with the research community [4] - Other US tech firms, including Microsoft and IBM, have also scaled back their research divisions in China, reflecting ongoing tech competition between Washington and Beijing [4]
Google ordered to pay Argentine pictured naked in his yard
TechXplore· 2025-07-25 08:10
Core Points - A court in Argentina has ordered Google to pay approximately $12,500 in compensation to a man whose naked image was captured by a Google Street View camera in his yard [3][4] - The man argued that the invasion of privacy caused him ridicule at work and among neighbors, as his house number and street name were also revealed [2][3] - The judges concluded that the man's dignity was violated, emphasizing that the image was taken within the confines of his home, behind a wall taller than average [4][5] Legal Context - A previous court dismissed the man's claim, stating he was responsible for being inappropriately dressed in his garden [3] - Appeals judges found that Google had a responsibility to avoid such intrusions, highlighting the company's policy of blurring faces and license plates in Street View images [5][4] - The court also absolved other parties, such as a telecom company and a news site, from liability for the image's dissemination, indicating that their actions merely highlighted Google's error [7]
Intel cuts back spending, workforce as struggling chip maker mounts comeback
TechXplore· 2025-07-25 07:50
Core Insights - Intel Corp. is undergoing significant workforce reductions and cost-cutting measures as it aims to revitalize its operations amid increasing competition from rivals like Nvidia and AMD [3][4][6] - The company plans to reduce its core workforce to 75,000 by the end of the year, down from 99,500, following a previously announced 15% workforce reduction [4] - Intel is halting planned projects in Germany and Poland and relocating assembly operations from Costa Rica to larger facilities in Vietnam and Malaysia, while maintaining key engineering teams in Costa Rica [5] - The company is also slowing down the construction of a semiconductor plant in Ohio [5] - Intel's market capitalization stands at $98.71 billion, significantly lower than Nvidia's $4.24 trillion, highlighting the competitive landscape [7] - For Q2, Intel reported a loss of $2.9 billion, or 67 cents per share, compared to a loss of $1.6 billion, or 38 cents per share, a year earlier, with revenue remaining flat at $12.9 billion [8]
Tesla's darkening outlook to test robotaxi vision pushed by Musk
TechXplore· 2025-07-24 12:29
This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain Tesla Inc.'s core car-making business is facing a deteriorating outlook, providing a major test of Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk's ability to lift the stock price with his vision of a self-driving future. The electric-vehicle maker is expected to post the sharpest drop in revenues in more ...
Meta launches new teen safety features, removes 635,000 accounts that sexualize children
TechXplore· 2025-07-24 09:40
This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Meta said teen users blocked more than a million accounts and reported another million after seeing a "safety notice" that reminds people to "be cautious in private messages and to block and report anything that makes them uncomfortable." Earlier this year, Meta began to test the use of artificial intelligence to determine if kid ...
Google-parent Alphabet earnings shine with help of AI
TechXplore· 2025-07-24 09:27
This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Google parent company Alphabet's cloud computing business is on pace to bring in $50 billion over the course of 2025, according to the tech giant. Google-parent Alphabet on Wednesday reported quarterly profits that topped expectations, saying artificial intelligence has boosted every part of its business. Alphabet's second-quarte ...
India's Infosys narrows revenue forecast as profits beat expectations
TechXplore· 2025-07-23 17:30
This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain Indian IT giant Infosys on Wednesday increased the lower end of its annual growth forecast for the current fiscal year after reporting better-than-expected results for the June quarter. The figures indicate a slow revival in client spending at India's second-largest software services exporter ...
UK regulator seeks special status for Apple and Google that could mandate changes for Big Tech
TechXplore· 2025-07-23 16:30
This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: The Apple logo is illuminated at a store in the city center of Munich, Germany, Dec. 16, 2020. Credit: AP Photo/Matthias Schrader, File Britain's antitrust watchdog has proposed labeling Google's and Apple's mobile ecosystems with "strategic market status," which would mandate changes at the Big Tech companies to improve competi ...
Games giant Ubisoft bets on reorganization to dispel blues
TechXplore· 2025-07-22 17:30
This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Ubisoft is behind the popular 'Assassin's Creed' series of video games. Struggling French video games giant Ubisoft shed light on a far-reaching reorganization of its business Tuesday, as it reported disappointing sales in April-June. The internal rejig into a slew of autonomous units aims for "a more agile and focused organiz ...
Microsoft halts China-based tech support for Pentagon systems
TechXplore· 2025-07-19 11:19
Core Viewpoint - Microsoft has taken steps to ensure that personnel based in China are not providing technical support for US Defense Department systems following revelations about the practice [1][3][4]. Group 1: Company Actions - Microsoft confirmed that it has made changes to its support structure for US Government customers to prevent China-based engineering teams from assisting with Department of Defense (DoD) cloud services [3][4]. - The company's chief communications officer stated that these changes are aimed at assuring the security of the DoD's systems [3]. Group 2: Government Response - Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth acknowledged that work on Defense Department cloud services had been outsourced to personnel in China, emphasizing that there will be no further involvement from China in the department's systems [2][5]. - Hegseth announced a review to ensure that similar outsourcing practices are not occurring elsewhere within the DoD, highlighting the unacceptable nature of using foreign labor in sensitive areas [5][6]. Group 3: Media and Public Reaction - The issue was brought to light by investigative news site ProPublica, which reported that engineers in China were maintaining Pentagon systems with limited oversight from US personnel [4]. - Hegseth expressed gratitude to the media and the public for raising concerns that led to the investigation and subsequent actions [6].