TECHNOLOGY
SmartTVs to give archive
LG Electronics Inc, Panasonic Corp and Royal Philips NV will introduce televisions next year equipped with Swedish software so users can watch television channels flexibly online. Magine AB’s cloud service lets users with an Internet link scan its TV schedules, surf channels, rewind shows and access archived content dating back 30 days via a tablet, telephone, computer or TV. The application will be available on the smart TVs in the first quarter of next year in European countries where Magine operates. “We see already that people are using this on the subway, at work and home, and we are seeing an increase in TV watching in general with it,” Magine chief executive officer Mattias Hjelmstedt said in a phone interview. The company will show off the system this week at the Mipcom TV market in Cannes, France.
INTERNET
UK Internet ad spending up
Spending on Internet advertising in Britain jumped by nearly a fifth in the first half of this year to £3 billion (US$4.85 billion), lifted by mobile video advertisements and marketing on social media by brands cashing in on signs of economic recovery. Spending on mobile phones alone rose 127 percent to £429.2 million from £188.1 million in the year-ago period, according to a report by the Internet Advertising Bureau yesterday. Brands selling consumer goods such as clothing, food and jewelry became the biggest users of mobile advertising, almost doubling their share to 26.8 percent from 14.5 percent, the bureau said.
TIRES
Apollo shares boosted
Shares of India’s Apollo Tyres rose as much as 4.13 percent yesterday on growing uncertainty over a US$2.5 billion deal announced this year to buy out US-based Cooper Tire & Rubber. The Indian tire maker said it was “working diligently” to resolve issues to finalize the merger with Cooper, which has accused Apollo of delaying the deal. “Apollo remains firmly of the belief that a merger with Cooper is compelling from a strategic perspective,” Apollo said in a statement on Sunday. The deal had been expected to be completed by the end of the year to create the world’s seventh-largest tire producer.
AVIATION
Firm halts temporary layoffs
Sikorsky, maker of the UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter, has dropped plans to furlough thousands of workers without pay because of the US government shutdown, a spokesperson said Sunday. The United Technologies affiliate pulled back after the Pentagon announced it was recalling most of its estimated 400,000 furloughed civilian workers despite the shutdown. “We’re relieved that the temporary layoffs and further disruption have been avoided. Our focus now turns to restoring full production levels,” Sikorsky’s spokesman said.
AVIATION
Rolls-Royce wins US contract
Rolls-Royce, the British maker of aircraft engines, announced yesterday that it had won two maintenance contracts from the US government worth together up to US$496 million. Rolls-Royce will provide parts and maintenance for thousands of T56 engines powering US military aircraft, under a six-year contract worth US$406 million, the company said in a statement. It has also won a five-year deal from the US Navy worth up to US$90 million to deliver engine repairs to E-2 Hawkeye aircraft.
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