Data engineers are working hard to understand the shape of their data and using data quality platforms to identify outliers and afflicted data. Network operations traditionally require a highly involved human effort. AI and data can automate a lot of that effort. A number of players such as Cisco, Juniper Networks, Gluware, and Splunk are investing in the automation of AI capabilities.
Crypto lending platform Celsius Network has reportedly onboarded advisers from a management consulting firm in advance of the company possibly facing bankruptcy. According to a Friday report from the Wall Street Journal, Celsius hired an unknown number of restructuring consultants from the firm Alvarez & Marsal to advise the platform on potentially filing for bankruptcy. The report followed one from June 14, which said Celsius had hired lawyers in an attempt to restructure the company amid its financial issues.
Financial services companies have joined peers across industries in exploring the potential opportunity in the metaverse, though few are yet attempting this at scale. Financial institutions have been engaging with the more traditional Web 2.0 metaverse and experimenting in Web3-enabled metaverse venues. As its function transitions from primarily consumer entertainment to more commercial applications, the opportunities for the sector will only expand.
Apple is readying a new HomePod speaker, according to Bloomberg. The company discontinued the HomePod in 2021 without announcing a direct replacement. The new model will feature Apple’s forthcoming S8 chip and an updated display on the top of the speaker. Apple is also working on at least four new Mac models and an AirPods Pro refresh.
According to a report from Mark Gurman, Apple is poised to release a slew of new devices between this fall and the beginning of 2023, including four iPhone 14 devices, a set of new iPads, three Apple Watches, several M2 / M3-upgraded Macs, and a pair of refreshed AirPods Pro buds.
BMW has officially opened its new 15 billion yuan ($2.2 billion) factory in Shenyang, China with a strong focus on electric vehicles. BMW has some catching up to do in China, the world’s largest electric vehicle market, where U.S. rival Tesla and domestic players such as Warren Buffett-backed BYD, dominate sales. BMW is aiming for more than a quarter of its sales in China to be all electric by 2025.
Hackers have stolen $100 million in cryptocurrency from Horizon, a so-called blockchain bridge developed by crypto start-up Harmony. Bridges allow users to transfer tokens from one blockchain to another. They’ve become a prime target for hackers due to vulnerabilities in their underlying code. It follows a series of similar attacks on blockchain bridges, including the $600 million Ronin Network heist and the $320 million stolen from Wormhole.
Jerome Powell said the Fed will recommend to Congress how to advance a potential central bank digital currency. The Fed issued a report on the question of a digital dollar earlier this year. The central bank is still combing through responses from the crypto industry, traditional financial firms and investors.
XPeng has delivered 200,000 vehicles in two and a half years. The company is the #1 EV startup in China. XPeng jumped onto the scene just as the EV market was getting hot, before legacy automakers were serious contenders. The startup is expected to produce 120,000+ vehicles a year in the next two years, and 100,000 in 2021.
Toyota issued a recall on 2,700 bZ4X electric cars, roughly all the ones produced to date (though most undelivered), over the potential of wheels falling off. The bZ4X is Toyota’s first global electric car. Toyota launched the electric SUV in the US earlier this year at a starting price of $42,000. It is a very important vehicle for the Japanese automaker since it is going to open the doors to the global EV market for the first time for the Toyota brand.