Tech China Post #115
Shenzhen, a major city in China, is now piloting facial recognition software integrated with payment to permission subway entry. Tencent is a technology provider for the new solution. (link)
Carnegie Endowment of International Peace issued a report on how various countries are using AI for surveillance. The report highlights that China is a major player in AI surveillance but it is not alone. AI surveillance technology from U.S. technology companies are used in more than 30 countries. The report also introduced an AI Global Surveillance Index. (link)
China has successfully launched 5 new satellites to join a constellation of satellites launched by Chinese space company Zhuhai Orbita Aerospace Science and Technology Co. (link)
In the midst of trade war, Jim Cramer offered some positive notes regarding the prospects of U.S. brands in China. He is bullish about iPhone 11 launch in the country. He also highlighted growth that brands such as P&G and Starbucks are seeing in the country. (link)
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella revealed that the company does more R&D in China than it does in other parts of the world outside of the U.S. Nadella discussed the importance of overall advancement of AI built on an open world. Today, Microsoft has more than 200 scientists and researchers working in China. (link)
Alibaba announced its first chip that will accelerate the speed of complex compute. The chip, called Hanguang 800, is intended for customers that leverage Alibaba’s cloud platform. (link)
Scientists in Shanghai discovered that drug developed from natural compounds in seaweed that aid and regulate bacteria in human gut could have positive impact in patients with early symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease. Based on research with more than 800 patients, the study shows the linkage between gut health and degenerative brain condition. The report was published in Cell Research. (link)
Travis Kalanick, former CEO of Uber, acquired 6 Chinese startups through his new company CloudKitchens, a kitchen rental business. (link)
It has been reported that at least 90% of the workers in fireworks production in Henan has lost their jobs due to robotic automation. Henan is world’s largest production area for fireworks. (link)