Microsoft is trying to bring new classes of applications to the PC. These will increasingly depend on artificial intelligence. Microsoft sees the evolution of apps as one where the cloud will interact with the local PC. The wild card will be the NPU, an AI coprocessor that has been ignored by X86 chipmakers.
Modern Warfare II will be released on October 28th. Activision Blizzard has released a teaser video for the game. It doesn't show any gameplay, but it shows artwork for some of the characters. The game will be the second in the Modern Warfare series. It's the most important Call of Duty title for Activision Blizzard in years.
Walmart is expanding its drone delivery program across the US. The retailer plans to add 34 drone delivery sites to its DroneUp network by the end of the year. The program will offer a $4 delivery fee for groceries and household items. Walmart estimates it will have the capacity to deliver 1 million packages by air by 2022.
Automaker Stellantis plans to invest more than $2.5 billion in partnership with Samsung SDI to build the automaker’s first U.S. electric vehicle battery manufacturing facility.
The companies on Tuesday announced the new plant will be located in Kokomo, Indiana, where Stellantis already has a supplier base. The new facility is part of Stellantis’ goal to achieve annual sales of 5 million battery-electric vehicles by 2030.
Starlink has launched a new product meant specifically for RV dwellers and those who can't wait to get connected to the satellite internet service. While applying for a regular Starlink dish and service will put customers in a waitlist until 2023, Starlink for RVs is immediately available and will ship out to buyers right now. The downside? Network resources are always de-prioritized for it, and the service costs $135, which is $25 more than a regular Starlink connection.
Nissan revealed its most affordable EV to date. The so-called Sakura is a cute electric minicar with a base price of just under $14,000 (2,333,100 yen).
Destined for the Japanese market, where Kei city-driving cars are popular, the Sakura comes with some pretty top-notch features for its category. Powered by a 20kW lithium-ion battery, the EV has a top speed of 130km/h and enough juice for 180km of range — just 60km less than the Nissan Leaf.
Snap CEO Evan Spiegel told employees Monday that the company would significantly slow hiring for the rest of the year after warning investors that its revenue wouldn’t grow as fast as expected.
Spiegel wrote in a memo to employees obtained by The Verge. He went on to say that Snap expects to report revenue below the low-end of the guidance it gave investors for the current quarter. That news was also disclosed in a filing with the SEC that sent Snap’s stock price cratering to a low it hasn’t seen since mid-2020.
The Governor of the Bank of France François Villeroy de Galhau said that the world might see a strong central bank digital currency emerge in the next three years.
Galhau was asked during a panel at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Monday whether in five years' time there would be "a central bank digital coin" being used on the daily basis (whether wholesale or retail) that would become "a superior system."
Zoom shares rose 16% in extended trading on Monday after the provider of video chat software reported better-than-expected first-quarter earnings and issued an upbeat forecast for the second period.
Earnings: $1.03 per share, ex-items vs. 87 cents per share as expected by analysts, according to Refinitiv.
Revenue: $1.07 billion vs $1.07 billion as expected by analysts, according to Refinitiv.
Balenciaga revealed that it now is accepting payment in cryptocurrency. Given the plunge in their value over the last 10 days, one could argue the timing wasn’t ideal, but starting with the U.S., the brand will now accept crypto at its flagship stores, including on Madison Avenue in New York and Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, as well as on balenciaga.com. Other regions and e-commerce will follow, the company said.
AI is everywhere. Companies use it in myriad ways, and we all encounter it in some form every day. But are businesses wringing as much value out of AI as they could be? Some are. The most recent PwC AI Business Survey found that companies that stand out as leaders among those achieving AI results have one thing in common: Instead of focusing first on one goal, then moving to the next, they’re advancing with AI in three areas at once.