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In today’s newsletter:

• SM Krishna: Bengaluru's renaissance man
• Amazon joins India’s 15-minute delivery race
• Willow: Google's quantum leap explained

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The passing of SM Krishna, the former Chief Minister of Karnataka, marks the end of an era for Bengaluru and the country.

Widely credited with transforming Bengaluru from a ‘pensioners’ paradise’ into India’s Silicon Valley, 92-year-old SM Krishna breathed his last today.

• Krishna set the ball rolling by introducing labour reforms, easing investment processes, and creating a favourable environment for IT businesses

His commitment was evident from the fact that, as Karnataka's Chief Minister, he created two email accounts and dedicated 30 minutes daily to addressing the concerns of the people.

His list of achievements is endless, from forming task forces to bringing in advisors from various sectors to drive technological transformation.

• He appointed Infosys founder NR Narayana Murthy to the IT Task Force, which made over 50 recommendations that helped put Bengaluru on the global map

Another milestone was the creation of the Bangalore Agenda Task Force, which empowered the private sector to boost the city’s governance and infrastructure.

The Congressman was even praised by BJP leader and former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee for making Bengaluru so prominent that global statesmen preferred visiting the Garden City over India's capital city.

Like any leader, SM Krishna faced his share of criticisms. His tenure as Chief Minister was marred by severe drought conditions, which affected Karnataka for much of his time in office.  

• Additionally, Bengaluru’s explosive growth led to traffic congestion and a strain on infrastructure
  
  
• In a major faux pas, Krishna started reading the speech of the Portuguese Foreign Minister in a UNSC meeting in 2011

Nonetheless, he was hailed by one and all, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who called him a remarkable leader admired by people from all walks of life.

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It’s never too late, especially when it comes to quick commerce is what Amazon must be saying today.

Amazon has finally joined the quick commerce party, India country manager Samir Kumar said at a company event in Delhi. 

• This is the first major launch under Kumar since he was promoted to the position two months ago
  

The pilots for the offering will begin later this month in Bengaluru. 

“We will be starting a pilot to give our customers a choice to get their everyday essentials in 15 min or less,” Kumar said at Amazon Smbhav 2024, the company’s flagship event. 

Amazon is foraying into quick commerce at a time when the industry has grown into a $6 billion opportunity. 

• Zomato’s Blinkit, Swiggy Instamart, Zepto, BigBasket, Flipkart Minutes are all key players in the space
  
  
• Customers are moving away from apps like Flipkart and Amazon and purchasing from quick commerce apps, which has forced them companies to launch their own offering, as per analysts 

Dig deeper

Google unveiled its latest breakthrough in quantum computing — Willow, a chip that could change the way we solve some of the world’s most complex problems.

Quantum computing is different from traditional computing. 

• While traditional computers rely on bits that can either be a 0 or a 1, quantum computers use qubits that can be in multiple states simultaneously — thanks to a phenomenon known as superposition

This allows quantum computers to perform massive parallel calculations, making them efficient for solving problems that would take ordinary computers years to crack.

Google claims that Willow can solve a specific problem in mere minutes that would take the world's most powerful supercomputer 10 septillion years!

• A septillion is 1 followed by 24 zeros 

Error correction has long been one of the biggest hurdles in quantum computing.

• Willow, however, cut its error rates by half with each increase in the number of qubits used

While Willow is a significant milestone, the true potential of quantum computing lies in its ability to address real-world challenges. 

• Google believes Willow help in fields such as AI, medicine, and fusion energy

As quantum computing advances, there are concerns about its potential impact on cryptocurrencies.

• Industry experts believe that decrypting Bitcoin would require a quantum computer with 13 million qubits, far beyond Willow’s current 105 qubits

Find out more

• Reddit is set to launch a new AI-powered chatbot, Reddit Answers, to improve user search experience and engagement by providing information.
  
  
• San Francisco-based app personalisation startup Aampe has raised $18 million in Series A funding and deployed over 100 million AI agents into enterprise apps in just 14 months.
  

As 2024 draws to a close, Google unveiled its Year in Search report, offering a snapshot of what captured India’s imagination this year. 

Whether it was the IPL craze or political drama, 2024 was packed with events that shaped our search behaviour. Here’s what topped the charts:

Top searches in India 

• Indian Premier League (IPL)
• T20 World Cup
• Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)
• Election Results 2024
• Olympics 2024
• Excessive Heat
• Ratan Tata
• Indian National Congress
• Pro Kabaddi League
• Indian Super League

Check out the full list

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