BUSINESS
Crypto bros have the fix for a $1 trillion fake parts problem
Aviation passengers are at risk — the industry needs to move quickly to deploy the right technologies to keep supply chains secure
BUSINESS
Why shippers hate recessions, but love crises
A spike in rates provides a short-term boost to the maritime industry, but there are bigger geopolitical factors at play
BUSINESS
TSMC’s control over its destiny is slipping away
The tech company once had full power to decide what it built and where. Now it needs to balance the demands of new stakeholders
BUSINESS
Aerospace is a bigger threat to US trade than Chinese chips
Beijing's C919 single-aisle passenger jet is setting the aerospace industry abuzz having won orders for a 1000 planes just months after its first commercial flight. In the duopolistic market, China winning orders — even from domestic clients — has a cost. Each Comac plane is a lost order to Airbus or Boeing. And that pain is being felt, especially in the US
BUSINESS
Motorcycle sales are jumping but chip shortage is a roadblock
Emerging-market demand is a chief engine of motorcycle velocity. Increasingly mobile populations coupled with crowded cities make motorbikes the preferred choice of transport for millions of people, while the advent of on-demand services has given commercial impetus to buy a new model and make money as a delivery driver
BUSINESS
This year’s hottest tech IPO may be a transportation company
One standout fact about Cainiao is that it is the second-largest contributor to Alibaba’s profit growth, despite accounting for just 9.2% of group revenue. Punching above its weight within the Alibaba empire is what makes the logistics company the perfect choice to lead the coming parade of IPOs
BUSINESS
Shipping: China export rebound doesn't mean that the halcyon days are back
No other major sector on the planet benefited more from the pandemic than ocean carriers. But now that consumption is slowing and supply chains are diversifying away from China, the maritime sector must face a reckoning it avoided when the pandemic threw international trade and logistics into disarray
BUSINESS
Qantas, the world’s safest airline, is crashing its brand
Australia’s competition watchdog caught the company, which has 60% of market share, selling seats on flights that had already been cancelled. Qantas continued advertising more than 8,000 flights for an average of two weeks, and for as long as 47 days, even after that service had been scrapped.
SCIENCE
Space Race: Hyundai, Mitsubishi are working on a moonshot
As governments, coupled with research organisations and commercial clients, find the cash to make lunar missions happen and some like India do it on a shoestring budget, we face the very real prospect of moonshots becoming a truly global venture. That alone is an achievement worth celebrating
BUSINESS
Huawei chip shows US curbs are porous, not useless
Chinese chipmakers have done well to bypass restrictions, but that won’t be repeated often
BUSINESS
AI drives demand for chips that Alphabet, Amazon and Meta are making
Rather than depend solely on Nvidia whose GPU chips have made it hugely profitable and other chipmakers, big tech companies are building chips that will give them greater efficiences for the specialised functions their products perform and reduce the huge costs incurred in generating AI
BUSINESS
Toyota shuts factories, investors shrug. That’s resilience
When the world’s biggest carmaker shut operations affecting almost half its global production on Tuesday, shares dropped only 0.8 percent during the day's trading. It highlights the extent to which Toyota has built supply-chain resilience that instills confidence among investors in the toughest of times.
BUSINESS
Locating server farms near renewable energy projects is key to AI's future
Big tech is in a race to outdo each other in AI, purchasing energy guzzling GPU chips to train models and power-hungry processors to analyse increasingly large amounts of data. Most AI training is powered by fossil fuels and these server farms are far away from hydroelectric dams or solar power arrays
BUSINESS
Japanese factory automation giant Fanuc’s road to redemption runs through India
The sharp slowdown in China and high inventories have led to Fanuc shares sliding. But a turnaround could be in sight if it embraces new markets like India and is ready to take advantage of a rebound in the US. India is looking hot for Fanuc: Revenue growth at Fanuc India has doubled over the past two years
BUSINESS
India's PC import restrictions provide neither carrot nor stick
This move to suddenly label items as restricted doesn’t even ban them, it merely adds to the red tape for PC businesses, which are still in a downturn cycle, and chary of making fresh manufacturing investments. Now an importer needs to register with the government then pay a 0.1 percent fee just to apply. There’s no guarantee if or when approval will be given
BUSINESS
TSMC is becoming the global chipmaker it didn’t aspire to be
From humble roots in Taiwan, the tech giant is building factories across the globe. Having its manufacturing close to home was an advantage for the made-to-order chip foundry. The tight relationship between R&D and factory operations, where engineers can easily shuffle between production lines, helped TSMC become a fast-moving supplier in a high-stakes industry
BUSINESS
Will the buzz around superconductor 'discovery' LK-99 lead to bigger things?
LK-99 may not end up being the room-temperature superconductor we all hope for. But perhaps these findings, and renewed excitement, will lead to other advances that offer high-speed, energy-efficient trains, viable and cheap quantum supercomputers, and highly-scalable batteries to store renewable energy
BUSINESS
From factories to film sets, AI has a simple goal: Making things cheaper
The name of the game is to produce quicker, more efficiently, and for less money. US chip designer Nvidia, synonymous with the AI boom, has an Omniverse platform used by BMW to create digital twins of a car plant, allowing management to manipulate 3D models of an assembly line in real time and optimise productivity. Hollywood studios will use AI's digital capabilities for generating footage that cuts shooting times and saves on wages of stars and crew
BUSINESS
Ghost factories could be China’s new growth driver
After spending money on new apartment blocks, transport infrastructure, energy-generation plants and industrial parks to pump-prime the economy, industrial equipment used to make semiconductors, solar cells and electric vehicles could be China's new mechanism for driving GDP even if these remain idle due to low demand
BUSINESS
Japan’s latest chip deal shows a savvy strategy shift
Rather than trying to save dying industries, Tokyo’s policy now appears to be focused on strengthening existing champions and ensuring their long-term viability. This is a continuation of its broader strategy aimed at rebuilding the semiconductor sector, for both national security and economic development reasons
BUSINESS
AI: Digital zombies may already be in your home
Botnets that turn your gadgets into digital zombies aren’t going to attract the same attention as a chatbot or automated photo generator, nor the same level of fearmongering among AI skeptics. Every device with a processor, memory and an internet connection is a potential bot, which means they can be weaponised against us.
BUSINESS
Apple’s Vision Pro headset could save its virtual reality competitors
Apple has historically blazed a path in hardware and materials that allowed others to ride on its coattails. Apple clearly spent a lot of time and money perfecting the underlying technology in the Vision Pro headset. As happened for metal laptop cases and touch screens that Apple perfected, the benefits will be shared across the entire supply chain
BUSINESS
Nvidia isn’t the only chipmaker getting a massive AI boost
There’s no doubt the AI revolution is here, with makers of cool chatbots, ubiquitous search engines and high-powered processors among the biggest winners. But those churning out boring old memory chips won’t be left out either
BUSINESS
China is jumping at digital shadows
National security is a well-worn excuse, but the move on Micron may hurt the country rather than make it stronger
