Google Inc said it would keep its Android operating system open for external developers after the takeover of Motorola Mobility Holdings Inc, countering concerns the deal would result in reduced support for Asian partners.
Asian makers of Android-based devices are “supportive” of the Motorola deal, Daniel Alegre, president at Google’s Asia-Pacific division, said in a Bloomberg Television interview from Singapore yesterday. Google is not looking to favor any manufacturer of Android products, he said.
Google said on Monday the proposed US$12.5 billion takeover would bolster the company’s portfolio of patents and help its phone partners defend against allegations of infringements.
Still, analysts including Gartner Inc’s Michael Gartenberg had said the deal would give Google an incentive to offer Motorola Mobility access to Android technology earlier than rivals such as Taiwan’s HTC Corp (宏達電) and South Korea’s Samsung Electronics Co.
“This move that we made with Motorola Mobility is really to ensure the Android platform will survive and continue to be successful for the benefit of all our partners worldwide,” Alegre said in the interview.
HTC and Samsung, Asia’s two biggest makers of smartphones, said this week they support Google’s takeover of Motorola Mobility because the deal would help strengthen the defense of Android device makers against patent infringement lawsuits.
“The Android platform has been successful because of the openness and it will continue to be an open platform,” Alegre said. “No way is this acquisition a departure from that.”
Google, which pulled its search engine out of China last year after an online censorship dispute with the Chinese government, would see increased demand for Android in the country, Alegre said in the interview.
China is reviewing an application from Google for a license to offer online mapping services, China’s National Administration of Surveying, Mapping and Geoinformation said last month. Online mapping technology is a “key differentiator” for Google in China and in other Asian markets, Alegre said.
purpose: Tesla’s CEO sought to meet senior Chinese officials to discuss the rollout of its ‘full self-driving’ software in China and approval to transfer data they had collected Tesla Inc CEO Elon Musk arrived in Beijing yesterday on an unannounced visit, where he is expected to meet senior officials to discuss the rollout of "full self-driving" (FSD) software and permission to transfer data overseas, according to a person with knowledge of the matter. Chinese state media reported that he met Premier Li Qiang (李強) in Beijing, during which Li told Musk that Tesla's development in China could be regarded as a successful example of US-China economic and trade cooperation. Musk confirmed his meeting with the premier yesterday with a post on social media platform X. "Honored to meet with Premier Li
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: The chipmaker last month raised its capital spending by 28 percent for this year to NT$32 billion from a previous estimate of NT$25 billion Contract chipmaker Powerchip Semiconductor Manufacturing Corp (力積電子) yesterday launched a new 12-inch fab, tapping into advanced chip-on-wafer-on-substrate (CoWoS) packaging technology to support rising demand for artificial intelligence (AI) devices. Powerchip is to offer interposers, one of three parts in CoWoS packaging technology, with shipments scheduled for the second half of this year, Powerchip chairman Frank Huang (黃崇仁) told reporters on the sidelines of a fab inauguration ceremony in the Tongluo Science Park (銅鑼科學園區) in Miaoli County yesterday. “We are working with customers to supply CoWoS-related business, utilizing part of this new fab’s capacity,” Huang said, adding that Powerchip intended to bridge
Dutch brewing company Heineken NV on Friday announced an investment of NT$13.5 billion (US$414.62 million) over the next five years in Taiwan. The first multinational brewing company to operate in Taiwan, Heineken made the statement at a ceremony held at its brewery in Pingtung County. It also outlined its efforts to make the brewery “net zero” by 2030. Heineken has been in the Taiwanese market for 20 years, Heineken Taiwan managing director Jeff Wu (吳建甫) said. With strong support from local consumers, the Dutch brewery decided to transition from sales to manufacturing in the country, Wu said. Heineken assumed majority ownership and management rights
Microsoft Corp yesterday said that it would create Thailand’s first data center region to boost cloud and artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure, promising AI training to more than 100,000 people to develop tech. Bangkok is a key economic player in Southeast Asia, but it has lagged behind Indonesia and Singapore when it comes to the tech industry. Thailand has an “incredible opportunity to build a digital-first, AI-powered future,” Microsoft chairman and chief executive officer Satya Nadella said at an event in Bangkok. Data center regions are physical locations that store computing infrastructure, allowing secure and reliable access to cloud platforms. The global embrace of AI