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Apple to Invest Over 1 bn Euros in Munich Microchip R&D Hub

The logo of Apple company is seen outside an Apple store in Paris, France, April 10, 2019. REUTERS/Christian Hartmann
The logo of Apple company is seen outside an Apple store in Paris, France, April 10, 2019. REUTERS/Christian Hartmann
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Apple to Invest Over 1 bn Euros in Munich Microchip R&D Hub

The logo of Apple company is seen outside an Apple store in Paris, France, April 10, 2019. REUTERS/Christian Hartmann
The logo of Apple company is seen outside an Apple store in Paris, France, April 10, 2019. REUTERS/Christian Hartmann

US tech giant Apple said Wednesday it planned to invest more than one billion euros ($1.2 billion) in Germany and open Europe's biggest research facility on mobile wireless semiconductors and software.

Apple said it would make Munich its "European Silicon Design Center", creating hundreds of new jobs at a facility for 5G and wireless technologies.

"I couldn’t be more excited for everything our Munich engineering teams will discover -- from exploring the new frontiers of 5G technology, to a new generation of technologies," Apple CEO Tim Cook said in a statement.

"Munich has been a home to Apple for four decades," he added.

Apple has had a base in Munich since 1981 and now has hundreds of engineers developing microchips at its centers in southern Germany.

The latest investment in the region would "exceed one billion euros in the next three years alone", the company said.

It added that the planned new facility in Munich, slated to open in 2022, would host "Apple’s growing cellular unit, and Europe’s largest R&D site for mobile wireless semiconductors and software".

The announcement comes a day after the EU said it aims to capture 20 percent of the world's semiconductor market by 2030 as Europe looks to become a tech power to rival the US and China.

Under a new roadmap, the European Commission also wants the EU to develop its first quantum computer before the end of the decade in order to be ready for a new era in fast computing.

A key component in everyday products such as cars and mobile phones, semiconductors are currently in short supply worldwide and Europe is dependent on Chinese and American imports in a market estimated at 440 billion euros ($523 billion) a year.

Shortages, caused by changes in supply chains because of the coronavirus pandemic, have forced some major German manufacturers including Volkswagen to suspend production lines.

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AI Tool Aims to Help Conserve Japan’s Cherry Trees 

Formula One F1 - Japanese Grand Prix - Suzuka Circuit, Suzuka, Japan - April 4, 2025 Red Bull's Max Verstappen is seen through cherry blossoms during practice. (Reuters)
Formula One F1 - Japanese Grand Prix - Suzuka Circuit, Suzuka, Japan - April 4, 2025 Red Bull's Max Verstappen is seen through cherry blossoms during practice. (Reuters)
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AI Tool Aims to Help Conserve Japan’s Cherry Trees 

Formula One F1 - Japanese Grand Prix - Suzuka Circuit, Suzuka, Japan - April 4, 2025 Red Bull's Max Verstappen is seen through cherry blossoms during practice. (Reuters)
Formula One F1 - Japanese Grand Prix - Suzuka Circuit, Suzuka, Japan - April 4, 2025 Red Bull's Max Verstappen is seen through cherry blossoms during practice. (Reuters)

Japan's famed cherry trees are getting old, but a new AI tool that assesses photos of the delicate pink and white flowers could help preserve them for future generations.

The "sakura" season is feverishly anticipated by locals and visitors alike, with the profusion of the stunning blossoms marking the start of spring.

But many of the trees are reaching 70 to 80 years old, well beyond their prime blooming age.

This means increasing costs to tend to the trees and maintain popular flowering spots.

To help authorities identify ailing specimens, brewing giant Kirin developed a tool called Sakura AI Camera.

It tells users the condition and the age of the trees based on photos they take with their smartphones and upload them to a website.

A five-point scale -- only available in Japanese for now -- ranges from "very healthy" to "worrying".

A tree with healthy flowers blooming densely all the way to the tips of the branches gets top marks.

The artificial intelligence tool has been trained using 5,000 images of cherry trees with the help of experts.

The photos are then mapped on the Sakura AI Camera website with details such as tree condition and location.

"We heard that the preservation of sakura requires manpower and money and that it's difficult to gather information," Risa Shioda from Kirin told AFP.

"I think we can contribute by making it easier to plan for conservation," she said.

About 20,000 photos have been collected since the launch last month, with the data available online for free for local authorities.

- Worth a million -

According to Tokyo's Meguro Ward, famous for its riverbanks lined with cherry trees, replanting a new one costs around one million yen ($6,800).

Hiroyuki Wada of the Japan Tree Doctors Association, who inspects cherry trees in major spots in Tokyo, helped supervise the AI tool.

He said he hopes that it will help experts study the environmental reasons behind the degradation of some of the trees he sees.

In part, he blames climate change.

"I'm very worried. Changes in the environment are usually gradual, but now it's visible," he told AFP.

"There are impacts from the heat, and of course the lack of rainfall," he said.

"The age of the trees naturally makes the situation more serious," he added.

Japan's weather agency said in January that last year was the hottest since records began, like other nations.

Kirin began donating some of its profits for the preservation of cherry trees last year, as a way to "pay back" to the communities.

Cherry blossoms symbolize the fragility of life in Japanese culture as full blooms only last about a week before the petals start falling off trees.

The season is also considered one of change as it marks the start of the new business year, with many university graduates starting their first full-time jobs and older colleagues shifting to new positions.