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China's Huawei Opens Cloud Data Center in Saudi Arabia

Officials at the summit in Riyadh. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Officials at the summit in Riyadh. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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China's Huawei Opens Cloud Data Center in Saudi Arabia

Officials at the summit in Riyadh. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Officials at the summit in Riyadh. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Huawei Cloud announced on Monday the launch of the Huawei Cloud Riyadh Region to grow the company’s footprint in the Middle East and North Africa.

The announcement was made at the Huawei Cloud Summit Saudi Arabia 2023.

The event was sponsored by the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT) in Saudi Arabia and organized by the company to promote digital transformation in line with Saudi Vision 2030.

The summit was attended by Eng. Haitham bin Abdul Rahman Al-Ohali, Vice Minister at the MCIT, Steven Yi, the company's regional president, and other officials from the ministry and company, as well as international and regional entrepreneurs in business and technology.

During the opening ceremony, Huawei announced the launch of the Huawei Cloud Riyadh Region, which will contribute to the emergence of a new era of digital-led economic growth and prosperity.

This launch is in line with Huawei Cloud’s plans to invest heavily in cloud infrastructure in Saudi Arabia.

"Huawei is a proud partner in our country's technological progress having worked with the Ministry, service providers, enterprises, and universities in various collective efforts towards digital transformation,” said Al-Ohali.

The cloud data center in Riyadh, Huawei's 30th worldwide, will support government services for the Kingdom and allow for AI applications and language models in Arabic, a company official told a briefing.

"The implementation of Huawei cloud is not just about us, but is a bridge that will bring other Chinese companies to Saudi Arabia," said Steven Yi, the company's regional president.

The step would contribute to the development of the country's digital economy, he said, adding that Huawei opened its regional headquarters in the Saudi capital this year.

Under the them “Advance Intelligence for Saudi Arabia,” the summit highlighted Huawei Cloud's commitment to the Kingdom’s digital future.

The event provided an ideal platform for exchanging knowledge and building relationships and cooperation, encouraging national and international companies to share success stories, best practices, and insights into the digital transformation process.

Saudi Arabia has previously said it would not sign contracts with foreign companies that did not have regional headquarters in the Kingdom after this year.

Huawei ranked fifth in the global cloud services market in the first quarter, with a market share of 2.4%, although it was the second-largest vendor in mainland China, according to research consultancy Canalys.

In February Huawei said it would invest $400 million in the Saudi Arabia cloud region over the next five years.

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Technology

EU Hits Intel With $400 Million Antitrust Fine in Long-Running Computer Chip Case 

01 September 2022, Berlin: Intel logo seen at the IFA electronics trade show. (dpa)
01 September 2022, Berlin: Intel logo seen at the IFA electronics trade show. (dpa)
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EU Hits Intel With $400 Million Antitrust Fine in Long-Running Computer Chip Case 

01 September 2022, Berlin: Intel logo seen at the IFA electronics trade show. (dpa)
01 September 2022, Berlin: Intel logo seen at the IFA electronics trade show. (dpa)

European Union antitrust enforcers slapped Intel on Friday with a fresh $400 million fine in a long-running legal fight that the chipmaker appeared to have won last year.

The European Commission imposed the 376.4-million-euro fine after a court threw out an original 1.06-billion-euro penalty issued in 2009 over allegations that the Santa Clara, California-based company used illegal sales tactics to shut out smaller rival AMD.

The commission, the 27-nation bloc's top antitrust watchdog, accused Intel of abusing its dominant position in the global market for x86 microprocessors with a strategy to exclude rivals by using rebates and sales restrictions.

The EU’s General Court last year annulled the original decision, saying that the commission's analysis of the rebates didn't meet legal standards.

However, the court confirmed that the sales restrictions amounted to an abuse of Intel's dominant market position. It couldn't decide how the total fine could be divided up between the two offenses, leaving the commission to come up with a new number.

“The lower fine imposed by today’s decision reflects the narrower scope of the infringement compared to the 2009 Commission decision,” the EU watchdog said.

Intel's European press team didn't respond immediately to an email seeking comment.

Technology

Apple Workers in France Stage Strike Over Work Conditions on iPhone 15 Launch Day 

Apple France workers on strike gather in front of the Apple Store near Place de l'Opera during a protest to demand higher pay and better benefits on the day Apple launches its iPhone 15, in Paris, France, September 22, 2023. (Reuters)
Apple France workers on strike gather in front of the Apple Store near Place de l'Opera during a protest to demand higher pay and better benefits on the day Apple launches its iPhone 15, in Paris, France, September 22, 2023. (Reuters)
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Apple Workers in France Stage Strike Over Work Conditions on iPhone 15 Launch Day 

Apple France workers on strike gather in front of the Apple Store near Place de l'Opera during a protest to demand higher pay and better benefits on the day Apple launches its iPhone 15, in Paris, France, September 22, 2023. (Reuters)
Apple France workers on strike gather in front of the Apple Store near Place de l'Opera during a protest to demand higher pay and better benefits on the day Apple launches its iPhone 15, in Paris, France, September 22, 2023. (Reuters)

Workers at Apple stores in France began a nationwide strike over pay and working conditions on Friday in a protest designed to coincide with the launch of the iPhone 15.

It is the latest headache for the tech giant in France after it was forced to stop selling its iPhone 12 model earlier this month for above-threshold radiation. Apple disputes the findings of the French watchdog.

About 30 staff were picketing outside the company's store in Opera in central Paris, one of three in the French capital, a few meters away from a line of about 40 customers waiting in the rain to enter the shop.

"We are still the people who make Apple's wealth, and therefore I think that we deserve a little more honorable treatment than what we are given today," said Anais Durel, a 36-year-old who has worked for Apple for 10 years.

Apple unions including CGT, Unsa, CFDT and Cidre-CFTC, which also plan to strike on Saturday, have asked for a 7% wage increase to compensate for inflation, and an end to a months-long hiring freeze. Management did not want to offer more than a 4.5% hike, union officials said.

"Inflation is still quite nasty. There are a lot of employees who are experiencing difficulties," said Tarek, a CGT union leader who declined to give his last name.

"The goal is not at all to block sales of the iPhone, the goal is really to bring awareness to this situation," he added.

Staff at an Apple store in Barcelona, where about 250 people were queuing to enter the store on Friday morning, were set to join colleagues in France in protesting against working conditions.

About 20 workers will set up an information picket outside the store on Paseo de Gracia in central Barcelona at midday, Pablo Paredes, leader of the CNT Apple union, told Reuters.

Paredes said the workers aim to highlight poor working conditions including contracts which do not compensate them for working at weekends or at night.

CNT is a minority union and only active in one of Barcelona's two stores. The union has not yet managed to secure a meeting with the company to lodge its complaints, Paredes said.

"We have been talking since August to our colleagues on strike in France. In Spain, unlike them, not all the unions have agreed to strike," Paredes said.

Technology

Apple’s Flagship Shanghai Store Buzzes as iPhone 15 Goes on Sale 

People line up to purchase newly-launched iPhone 15 mobile phones at an Apple store in Hangzhou, in China's eastern Zhejiang province on September 22, 2023. (AFP)
People line up to purchase newly-launched iPhone 15 mobile phones at an Apple store in Hangzhou, in China's eastern Zhejiang province on September 22, 2023. (AFP)
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Apple’s Flagship Shanghai Store Buzzes as iPhone 15 Goes on Sale 

People line up to purchase newly-launched iPhone 15 mobile phones at an Apple store in Hangzhou, in China's eastern Zhejiang province on September 22, 2023. (AFP)
People line up to purchase newly-launched iPhone 15 mobile phones at an Apple store in Hangzhou, in China's eastern Zhejiang province on September 22, 2023. (AFP)

Over a hundred customers queued inside Apple's flagship store in the Chinese financial hub of Shanghai on Friday, waiting to pick up their iPhone 15 orders on the first day of in-store availability.

How Apple's latest iPhone sells in China is under close scrutiny by fans and market watchers alike, after widening curbs on iPhone use by government staff and the release of a high-end rival from domestic manufacturer Huawei sparked concern about demand for the device in its third-largest market.

But the strength of pre-orders in the world's second-largest economy, which began last Friday, has eased worries, with delivery times pushed into November and the premium iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max selling out in just one minute on Alibaba's Tmall e-commerce site.

Local media reported the queue at the store on Shanghai's East Nanjing road shopping belt started forming at 5 a.m. (1000 GMT).

Among those at the store was social media influencer Zhang Ming, 25, who said she wanted to try out the iPhone 15 after being unsuccessful in pre-ordering online.

"I always like to look (at the new devices). When I buy Apple products I only look at the color. If I like the color I will buy it," she said.

The iPhone 15 includes a new titanium shell, a faster chip and improved videogame-playing abilities. Apple also surprised by not raising prices, reflecting the global smartphone slump.

But some customers at the store lamented the lack of significant upgrades from the previous model. Real estate worker Wang Puyu, 29, said he was only purchasing a new model because he had promised to give his iPhone 14 to his nephew.

"I normally upgrade every year. But this year, I am not very satisfied."

Technology

Google Discussed Dropping Broadcom as AI Chips Supplier

A smartphone with a displayed Broadcom logo is placed on a computer motherboard in this illustration taken March 6, 2023. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
A smartphone with a displayed Broadcom logo is placed on a computer motherboard in this illustration taken March 6, 2023. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
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Google Discussed Dropping Broadcom as AI Chips Supplier

A smartphone with a displayed Broadcom logo is placed on a computer motherboard in this illustration taken March 6, 2023. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
A smartphone with a displayed Broadcom logo is placed on a computer motherboard in this illustration taken March 6, 2023. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo

Alphabet-owned Google has discussed dropping Broadcom as a supplier of artificial intelligence (AI) chips as early as 2027, The Information reported on Thursday, sending Broadcom shares down 5% in premarket trading.
If that happens, Google will design the chips - known as tensor processing units - in-house, the report said, adding that executives set a goal earlier this year to ditch Broadcom following a standoff between the companies over the price Broadcom was charging for the chips, Reuters said.
Broadcom CEO Hock Tan recently said that generative AI could account for more than 25% of the company's semiconductor revenue next year.
Google has intensified investments in generative AI this year as it plays catch-up after Microsoft-backed OpenAI's launch of ChatGPT last year took the tech world by storm.
The Information also said that Google has been working since last year to replace Broadcom with chipmaker Marvell Technology for an advanced chip internally code-named Granite Redux.
Google, Broadcom and Marvell didn't immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

Technology

SDAIA Launches 'Open Data Datathon' to Improve Talents in Data Sciences

The registration in the Datathon opened Wednesday and continues until September 30
The registration in the Datathon opened Wednesday and continues until September 30
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SDAIA Launches 'Open Data Datathon' to Improve Talents in Data Sciences

The registration in the Datathon opened Wednesday and continues until September 30
The registration in the Datathon opened Wednesday and continues until September 30

The Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA) has launched the "Open Data Datathon," which aims at improving skills and talents in data technologies and enhancing innovation in the Kingdom.

The registration in the Datathon opened Wednesday and continues until September 30, targeting the registration of 200 male and female students, entrepreneurs, and graduates from data-related majors locally and internationally.

The Datathon is scheduled to begin during the period from October 26 to 28 in person in Riyadh. To qualify for the Open Datathon, the applicant must be at least 18 years old, with experience or knowledge in programming, and fluent in English.

Technology

Apple France Workers Call Strike Ahead of iPhone 15 Launch

An Apple Logo banner hangs from the facade of an Apple store near The Opera Garnier in Paris on July 1, 2010, ahead of its opening in the French capital. (AFP)
An Apple Logo banner hangs from the facade of an Apple store near The Opera Garnier in Paris on July 1, 2010, ahead of its opening in the French capital. (AFP)
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Apple France Workers Call Strike Ahead of iPhone 15 Launch

An Apple Logo banner hangs from the facade of an Apple store near The Opera Garnier in Paris on July 1, 2010, ahead of its opening in the French capital. (AFP)
An Apple Logo banner hangs from the facade of an Apple store near The Opera Garnier in Paris on July 1, 2010, ahead of its opening in the French capital. (AFP)

Unions at Apple's stores in France have called for a strike on Friday and Saturday, when the iPhone 15 is due to be launched, demanding better pay and working conditions.

Apple unions including CGT, Unsa, CFDT and Cidre-CFTC have asked for a 7% wage increase to compensate for inflation, and an end to a months-long hiring freeze. Management did not want to offer more than a 4.5% hike, union officials said.

Apple France did not return a request for comment.

"Management having decided to ignore our perfectly legitimate demands and concerns, the four unions of Apple Retail France ...call for a strike on Sept. 22 and 23," CGT Apple Retail said in a statement on social media platform X, formerly Twitter, on Wednesday.

It added that representatives of Apple France's corporate division and Apple's Barcelona team in Spain also called for a strike.

The unions called for workers to demonstrate on Friday morning at Opera Garnier, next to Apple's flagship Paris store.

A CGT Apple Retail union official said the call for a strike had been sent to Apple's 20 French stores. Apple has nine stores in the Paris region, including three in central Paris, and two in Lyon. Other cities with Apple stores include Marseille, Lille and Strasbourg.

"On Tuesday we had a teleconference meeting with Apple's European bosses. They basically said 'you are doing pretty well, do not complain,'" the CGT official said.

Last week, Apple was rocked by a French government decision to suspend sales of iPhone 12 handsets after tests which it said found breaches of radiation exposure limits.

On Friday, Apple pledged to update software on iPhone 12s in France to settle the dispute, but concerns in other European countries signaled it may have to take also similar action elsewhere.

Technology

Ericsson Bets on New Software to Spur 5G Revenue Growth

A logo of Ericsson is seen outside the company's office in Kanata, Ontario, Canada April 17, 2023. REUTERS/Lars Hagberg/File Photo
A logo of Ericsson is seen outside the company's office in Kanata, Ontario, Canada April 17, 2023. REUTERS/Lars Hagberg/File Photo
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Ericsson Bets on New Software to Spur 5G Revenue Growth

A logo of Ericsson is seen outside the company's office in Kanata, Ontario, Canada April 17, 2023. REUTERS/Lars Hagberg/File Photo
A logo of Ericsson is seen outside the company's office in Kanata, Ontario, Canada April 17, 2023. REUTERS/Lars Hagberg/File Photo

Sweden's Ericsson said on Wednesday it has partnered with Deutsche Telekom to offer software tools for developers and business customers that will allow telecom operators to get more revenue.

Known as network application programming interface (API), the software will use the Vonage platform - a company Ericsson bought for $6.2 billion in 2022 - to help developers create new use cases based on a mobile network.

Network APIs can be used by businesses for things such as boosting 5G speed when needed to locate a customer's phone in a store when a transaction is taking place to prevent fraud, Reuters reported.

"We view the API business as a standalone business in itself, so we need to make that profitable by itself and the way the revenue split works is attractive for us and will be attractive for Deutsche Telekom," Ericsson Chief Executive Borje Ekholm said in an interview.

Telecom research firm STL Partners predicts that revenue from mobile network APIs will grow to over $20 billion by 2028.

More than 140 companies are working under an open source project called CAMARA to define, develop and test network APIs.

After investing hundreds of billions of dollars on 5G infrastructure, telecom operators have been trying to get returns from selling faster connections to businesses to automating factories, with varying success.

"They (operators) want to get more revenue, they will be able to sell features, whether it's speed, latency, location authentication, they are going to sell a lot of different things coming out of the network," Ekholm said.

"That gives a new source of revenue they haven't had for a long time."

Technology

Saudi Arabia’s Balady Platform Shares its Experience at SDG Digital Event

Balady platform was selected from among 300 regional and international technical initiatives to present its experience. SPA
Balady platform was selected from among 300 regional and international technical initiatives to present its experience. SPA
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Saudi Arabia’s Balady Platform Shares its Experience at SDG Digital Event

Balady platform was selected from among 300 regional and international technical initiatives to present its experience. SPA
Balady platform was selected from among 300 regional and international technical initiatives to present its experience. SPA

Saudi Arabia’s Balady digital city platform shared its pioneering experience in digital municipal operations services at the high-level SDG Digital event in New York.

The event was convened by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).

The Saudi platform presented its experience in providing innovative services aiming to enrich the future of dwellers of Saudi cities and improve their quality of life and prosperity through its digital municipal service system.

Balady platform was selected from among 300 regional and international technical initiatives to present its experience about challenges facing the achievement of sustainable development.

The platform showcased its pioneering efforts in leading urban development and providing innovative municipal services globally to exchange global expertise with other participating parties at the event.

Technology

Intel Says Newest Laptop Chips, Software Will Handle Generative AI

AI (Artificial Intelligence) letters are placed on computer motherboard in this illustration taken June 23, 2023. (Reuters)
AI (Artificial Intelligence) letters are placed on computer motherboard in this illustration taken June 23, 2023. (Reuters)
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Intel Says Newest Laptop Chips, Software Will Handle Generative AI

AI (Artificial Intelligence) letters are placed on computer motherboard in this illustration taken June 23, 2023. (Reuters)
AI (Artificial Intelligence) letters are placed on computer motherboard in this illustration taken June 23, 2023. (Reuters)

Intel said on Tuesday that a new chip due in December will be able to run a generative artificial intelligence chatbot on a laptop rather than having to tap into cloud data centers for computing power.

The capability, which Intel was expected to show during a software developer conference held in Silicon Valley, could let businesses and consumers test ChatGPT-style technologies without sending sensitive data off of their own computer. It is made possible by new AI data-crunching features built into Intel's forthcoming "Meteor Lake" laptop chip and from new software tools that the company is releasing.

Intel executives also expect to say that the company is on track to deliver a successor chip called "Arrow Lake" next year, and that Intel's manufacturing technology will rival the best from Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co, as it has promised. Intel was once the best chip manufacturer, lost the lead, and now says it is on track to return to the front.

Intel has struggled to gain ground against Nvidia in the market for the powerful chips used in data centers to "train" AI systems such as ChatGPT. Intel said Tuesday that it was building a new supercomputer that would be used by Stability AI, a startup that makes image-generating software.

But the market for chips that will handle AI work outside data centers is far less settled, and it is there that Intel aimed to gain ground on Tuesday.

Through a new version of software called OpenVINO, Intel said that developers will be able run a version of a large language model, the class of technology behind products like ChatGPT, made by Meta Platforms on laptops. That will enable faster responses from chatbot and will mean that data does not leave the device.

"You can get a better performance, a lower cost and more private AI," Sachin Katti, senior vice president and general manager of Intel's network and edge group, told Reuters in an interview.

Dan Hutcheson, an analyst with TechInsights, told Reuters that business users who are weary of handing sensitive corporate data over to third-party AI firms might be interested in Intel's approach.

"AI is still in that class of technology where you need a PhD to do it," Hutcheson said. Intel Chief Gelsinger's challenge "is to democratize it. If he can pull that off, and make it so that anyone can use it, that creates a much bigger market for chips – the chips that he makes."

Technology

Britain Invites China to Its Global AI Summit

British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly attends an interview with Reuters, during the 78th United Nations General Assembly at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City, US, September 19, 2023. (Reuters)
British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly attends an interview with Reuters, during the 78th United Nations General Assembly at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City, US, September 19, 2023. (Reuters)
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Britain Invites China to Its Global AI Summit

British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly attends an interview with Reuters, during the 78th United Nations General Assembly at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City, US, September 19, 2023. (Reuters)
British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly attends an interview with Reuters, during the 78th United Nations General Assembly at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City, US, September 19, 2023. (Reuters)

Britain has invited China to its global artificial intelligence (AI) summit in November, with foreign minister James Cleverly saying the risks of the technology could not be contained if one of its leading players was absent.

"We cannot keep the UK public safe from the risks of AI if we exclude one of the leading nations in AI tech," Cleverly said in a statement on Tuesday.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak wants Britain to become a global leader in AI regulation and the summit on Nov. 1-2 will bring together governments, tech companies and academics to discuss the risks posed by the powerful new technology.

Britain said the event would touch on topics such as how AI could undermine biosecurity as well as how the technology could be used for public good, for example in safer transport.

Cleverly, who became the most senior minister to visit China in five years last month, has argued for deeper engagement with Beijing, saying it would be a mistake to try to isolate the world's second-largest economy and China's help was needed in areas such as climate change and economic instability.

"The UK's approach to China is to protect our institutions and infrastructure, align with partners and engage where it is in the UK's national interest," Cleverly said on Tuesday.

London is trying to improve ties with Beijing but there has been growing anxiety about Chinese activity in Britain in recent weeks after it was revealed that a parliamentary researcher was arrested in March on suspicion of spying for the country.

The Chinese embassy in London was not immediately able to say if China would attend the summit.

Britain has appointed tech expert Matt Clifford and former senior diplomat Jonathan Black to lead preparations for the summit.

Clifford told Reuters last month that he hoped the gathering would set the tone for future international debates on AI regulation.