EU Lags US and China in AI Investments, Nvidia CEO Says

Words reading "Artificial intelligence AI", miniature of robot and toy hand are pictured in this illustration taken December 14, 2023. (Reuters)
Words reading "Artificial intelligence AI", miniature of robot and toy hand are pictured in this illustration taken December 14, 2023. (Reuters)
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EU Lags US and China in AI Investments, Nvidia CEO Says

Words reading "Artificial intelligence AI", miniature of robot and toy hand are pictured in this illustration taken December 14, 2023. (Reuters)
Words reading "Artificial intelligence AI", miniature of robot and toy hand are pictured in this illustration taken December 14, 2023. (Reuters)

The European Union lags far behind the United States and China in investing in artificial intelligence, the CEO of AI chipmaker Nvidia said on Wednesday.

While there are only a handful of artificial intelligence companies in Europe, such as France's Mistral and Germany's Aleph Alpha, the bloc passed the world's first comprehensive rules to govern AI which came into force in August.

"The EU has to accelerate the progress in AI," Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said during a visit to Copenhagen. "There's an awakening in every country realizing that the data is a national resource."

Huang was in Denmark to launch a new supercomputer named Gefion, which boasts 1,528 graphic processing units (GPUs) and was built by Nvidia in partnership with the Novo Nordisk Foundation and Denmark's Export and Investment Fund.

Nvidia is the world's top maker of GPUs, which are in high demand because they can be used to speed up artificial intelligence work. OpenAI's ChatGPT, for example, was created with thousands of Nvidia GPUs.

Denmark plans to use the supercomputer for drug discovery, disease diagnosis, treatment and complicated life science challenges.

"The era of computer aided drug discovery must be within this decade," Huang said. "This will be the decade of digital biology."

Nvidia is the second largest listed US company after Apple with a market value of $3.52 trillion.



Huawei Launches Pura 80 Smartphone Series in Next Step of China Comeback 

The Huawei logo is seen in this illustration taken on January 29, 2025. (Reuters)
The Huawei logo is seen in this illustration taken on January 29, 2025. (Reuters)
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Huawei Launches Pura 80 Smartphone Series in Next Step of China Comeback 

The Huawei logo is seen in this illustration taken on January 29, 2025. (Reuters)
The Huawei logo is seen in this illustration taken on January 29, 2025. (Reuters)

Chinese tech giant Huawei launched its Pura 80 smartphone series on Wednesday, as the company seeks to cement its comeback in China's premium smartphone market following years of US sanctions.

Huawei's latest flagship launch demonstrates the Chinese tech giant's continued efforts to reclaim the top spot in its home market despite ongoing US sanctions. Each new phone release is closely watched as a barometer of the company's technological capabilities and market resilience following years of restrictions that severely impacted its smartphone business.

Huawei's resurgence has intensified pressure on Apple, which has seen its market share in China steadily decline and has increasingly relied on price discounts to stimulate sales.

Huawei unveiled the Pura 80 series through a livestream event, with consumer business unit head Yu Chengdong focusing heavily on camera capabilities and AI features while staying silent about the chips powering the devices.

The series includes four models: Pura 80, Pura 80 Pro, Pura 80 Pro+, and Pura 80 Ultra. Pricing starts at 6,499 yuan ($905) for the Pro series launching June 14, with the Pro+ also launching June 14 at 7,999 yuan and the Ultra at 9,999 yuan on June 26. The base model launches in July.

The cameras use XMAGE technology and feature ultra-wide-angle and macro telephoto lenses with embedded AI that can identify objects and provide information like tourist guides.

Huawei phone launches generate significant interest as many view them as the company defying US sanctions.

On Chinese microblogging platform Weibo, three of the top ten trending topics on Wednesday were Pura 80-related. User reactions were mixed, with many praising the camera capabilities and sleek design, while others complained the prices were too high and not worth the cost.