tech-news
ZTE, partners scoop up '5G Energy Challenge Award' of GSMA
Global provider of information and communication technology solutions ZTE Corporation, together with its partners, specifically, the Dahaize coal of China Coal Group Shaanxi Company, China Coal Technology and Engineering Group, China Coal Information Technology, China Mobile and China Broadnet, recently won the GSMA "5G Energy Challenge Award" 2023.
They received the recognition for their joint efforts in the project "Dual-frequency 5G Networks for Smarter Coal Mining."
Currently, although the intelligent transformation of the coal mine has become the consensus of the industry, negative factors like high risk for the underground personnel, insufficient data transmission capacity in production, complex production and management systems as well as difficult business integration still pose a great threat to the industry, which makes it difficult to promote the current "5G private network 1.0" construction mode.
As one of the first batches of intelligent demonstration mines in China, Dahaize Coal Mine, bolstered with 5G 700MHz and 2.6GHz integrated networking, original intrinsically safe base stations and new cloud network architecture, has improved the coverage of base stations while ensuring large bandwidth.
It solves the problem of coal mine underground dispatching, realizes no optical cables in the working face, effectively reduces the network construction cost and promotes the intelligent development of Dahaize Coal Mine, shaking off the image of being "bitter, dirty and tired" of the coal industry.
The success of the "Dual-frequency 5G Networks for Smarter Coal Mining" project marks the successful practice of the first 5G 700MHz band and 2.6GHz fusion technology in the coal field in China, and it also lays the foundation for the in-depth development of "5G+" virtual interactive applications, robot clusters, unmanned driving, intelligent wearable equipment, intelligent patrol inspection, intelligent comprehensive mining, intelligent tunnelling and other applications in coal mines.
Foxconn to make iPhones in new Indian factory, in shift from China
Foxconn is going to build another Apple iPhone manufacturing plant in a 300-acre new factory in India’s Karnataka, the country’s Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar and the state Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai have said.
According to them, the manufacturing facility will employ 100,000 people, reports NDTV.
The investment, one of Foxconn’s largest single expenditures in India to date, comes as global businesses increasingly move away from China as Washington-Beijing tensions grow.
In the outskirts of Bengaluru, land has been made available to Foxconn, the leading manufacturer of iPhones. The 300-acre site is said to be one of the largest manufacturing units for Apple’s iPhones.
The Taiwanese company is planning to invest US$ 700 million in the new plant to ramp up local production, according to a Bloomberg report.
The factory may also assemble Apple handsets, Bloomberg said, quoting sources.
Foxconn might manufacture some components for its budding electric vehicle industry at the new site, added the report.
“Bengaluru was the preferred destination for global companies and had been a forerunner in attracting investment,” Foxconn Chairman Young Liu said after visiting the factory site.
Foxconn, meanwhile, continues to produce iPhones at its massive manufacturing facility in the Chinese city of Zhengzhou, where it currently employs some 200,000 people.
Foxconn has made a significant investment in India twice now. In a facility in Tamil Nadu, the firm is already producing iPhones of the latest generation.
Foxconn reported earnings of USD 206 billion in 2021, placing it second globally in the production of Apple phones. According to reports, Foxconn is the biggest producer of electronics worldwide. It ranked 20th in the Fortune Global 500 as of the previous year.
There are 173 campuses and offices for Foxconn spread over 24 countries or regions, including those in China, Japan, Vietnam, the Czech Republic, and the US.
MWC-2022 brings its curtain down for this year
Mobile World Congress (MWC)-2023 downed its curtain on Thursday in Spain’s Barcelona with the call of ‘Join with the advancement of 5G and the data-driven economy’.
The gathering drew a huge crowd of experts and telecommunication sector officials from across the world.
Organisers of the Mobile World Congress GSMA said on Thursday that the contribution of the mobile telecommunication sector to the world economy will exceed $6 trillion by 2030 in the journey of 5G and data-driven economy.
Read more: Huawei scoops up four awards at MWC 2023
In the closing speech, GSMA Chairman Hose Maria Alvarez Palet Lopez said that every country in the world should now prepare themselves for the 5G and data-dependent society and economy.
“Because falling behind in this journey will mean holding back its economy from the bright possibility of progress,” he said.
The GSMA Chairman also said that this year's Mobile World Congress will be particularly memorable as from this congress, the fast journey of 5G and data dependent future economy started.
“Within the next one year, 5G and data technology will bring significant changes in the life journey of common people starting from the society and state management”, said the chairman.
Mobile World Congress 2024 will be held in Barcelona from February 26 to 29 in 2024.
Top 5 AI Chatbot Platforms and Trends in 2023
Artificial Intelligence isn’t anything new. John McCarthy first proposed the idea of AI, a unique proposition that machines would one day think and interact like a human. This highly conceptualized proposition of AI was a way forward to understanding the limitations of machines and the ability of humans to pass on sentience.
While we’re still far off from sentience, AI has, however, started to transform our lives. From conceptual AI humanoid robots like Sophia to IoT and even chatbots, the application and benefits of AI are visible across the board.
Today we’ll talk about the most accessible form of AI for the general public, chatbots. It's fast, accurate, simple, and in most cases, free. Here’s our take on 5 of the most trending AI chatbots.
Read More: Rakuten Viber launches new chatbot, AI Chat and Create
What is an AI Chatbot?
Just like AI, the concept of an AI chatbot also isn’t something new. The story of AI chatbots started with ELIZA back in 1994. Joseph Weizenbaum of MIT first introduced a chatting platform where the computer was able to perform basic interaction with the user. It was based on the concept of matching pre-programmed phrases with the user input to generate a somewhat meaningful response.
But the first proper use of AI Markup Language was seen a year later with ALICE, an interactive chatbot created by Richard Wallace in 1995. From then on, there has been no looking back. We had Jabberwacky by Rollo Wacky and Mitsuku by Steve Worswick.
Big companies like Microsoft also jumped into the game with Cortana on their now-defunct Windows Phone. But all of these were limited to a handful of functions. In a sense, they were intelligent with highly limited abilities. But that all changed with OpenAI.
Read More: 7 Top AI Writing Tools, Software to Generate Human-Like Text
Best AI Chatbots in 2023
There are probably thousands of chatbots out there catering to different niches. There are specialized chatbots for businesses, industries, and even events. But most chatbots are based on certain NLP tech. We will focus on more primary chatbots that are multifarious in nature or cater to a broad niche.
ChatGPT
If you haven’t heard the name ChatGPT in the last couple of months, then you’re living under the rocks. This universal chatbot gained over 100 million active users in a matter of two months to record the highest number of active monthly users beating any social media platform out there.
ChatGPT is based on the Generative Pre-trained Transformer or GPT 3 module. This natural language processor amalgamates AI and ML to constantly feed information and training to the platform. The result is the most human-like interaction from a chat platform to date.
Read More: ChatGPT by Open AI: All you need to know
OpenAI has incorporated 570 GB of internet data along with over 300 billion words into the ML module. With ChatGPT, the interaction is not limited to small conversations. You can create a full-on study routine, fitness regime, and even marketing campaigns from the chatbot. You can even ask it to write a poem or even do entry-level programming.
Surprised? Wait till you find out that ChatGPT has already passed the medical licensing exam in the USA, the regional bar exam, the Google entry-level software engineer interview as well as the AP English Essay test.
Pros: · Most realistic output to date
· STEM integration
· Highly interactive.
Read More: Ameca: World’s Most Realistic Advanced Humanoid Robot AI Platform
Cons:· The platform isn’t always available due to the high user base.
· Data is available up until 2021 only.
TikTok banned on all Canadian government mobile devices
Canada announced Monday it is banning TikTok from all government-issued mobile devices, reflecting widening worries from Western officials over the Chinese-owned video sharing app.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said it might be a first step to further action or that it might be it.
“I suspect that as government takes the significant step of telling all federal employees that they can no longer use TikTok on their work phones many Canadians from business to private individuals will reflect on the security of their own data and perhaps make choices,” Trudeau said.
“I’m always a fan of giving Canadians the information for them to make the right decisions for them,” he added.
Read: TikTok plans 2 more European data centers amid privacy fears
The European Union’s executive branch said last week it has temporarily banned TikTok from phones used by employees as a cybersecurity measure.
The EU’s action follows similar moves in the U.S., where more than half of the states and Congress have banned TikTok from official government devices.
Last week, Canada’s federal privacy watchdog and its provincial counterparts in British Columbia, Alberta and Quebec announced an investigation to delve into whether the app complies with Canadian privacy legislation.
TikTok is wildly popular with young people, but its Chinese ownership has raised fears that Beijing could use it to collect data on Western users or push pro-China narratives and misinformation. TikTok is owned by ByteDance, a Chinese company that moved its headquarters to Singapore in 2020
TikTok faces intensifying scrutiny from Europe and America over security and data privacy amid worries that the app could be used to promote pro-Beijing views or sweep up users’ information. It comes as China and the West are locked in a wider tug of war over technology ranging from spy balloons to computer chips.
Canadian Treasury Board President Mona Fortier said the federal government will also block the app from being downloaded on official devices in the future.
Fortier said in statement the Chief Information Officer of Canada determined that it “presents an unacceptable level of risk to privacy and security.”
The app will be removed from Canadian government issued phones on Tuesday.
“On a mobile device, TikTok’s data collection methods provide considerable access to the contents of the phone,” Fortier said.
Read: UW System bans TikTok use on system devices
“While the risks of using this application are clear, we have no evidence at this point that government information has been compromised.”
Recent media reports have also raised concerns about potential Chinese interference in recent Canadian elections, prompting opposition parties to call for a public inquiry into alleged foreign election interference.
“It’s curious that the Government of Canada has moved to block TikTok on government-issued devices—without citing any specific security concern or contacting us with questions—only after similar bans were introduced in the EU and the US,” a TikTok spokesperson said in a email.
The company is always available to discuss the privacy and security of Canadians, the statement said. “Singling out TikTok in this way does nothing to achieve that shared goal,” the email said. “All it does is prevent officials from reaching the public on a platform loved by millions of Canadians.”
Japan's Nissan accelerates shift to electric vehicles
Nissan is speeding up its shift toward electric vehicles, especially in Europe where emissions regulations are most stringent, the company said Monday.
Nissan Motor Co. said in a statement that it will make practically all its offerings in Europe electric or series-hybrids by fiscal 2026, at 98%. That's up from the previous target of 75%. In Japan, the company aims to make 58% of its model offerings, up from an earlier target of 55%.
Hybrids have both a gasoline engine and electric motor, but a series hybrid uses the motor to power the vehicle’s wheels, or powertrain. The engine powers a generator for the motor. Parallel hybrids, like Toyota Motor Corp.’s Prius, switch back and forth between a gas engine and electric motor.
Nissan’s sales target in EVs and series hybrids remain unchanged for the U.S., at more than 40%. In China the target was cut to 35% from 40%. That includes only pure EVs, not hybrids.
Nissan's target numbers do not include expected vehicle sales of Nissan’s alliance partners, such as Renault SA of France or Mitsubishi Motors Corp., a smaller Japanese carmaker.
The company was an early leader in electric vehicles, with its Leaf, which went on sale in 2010. It has been overtaken since then by newcomers like Tesla and Chinese automaker BYD.
Nissan officials say the company, based in Yokohama, have a wealth of knowledge about EV technology, especially about how consumers use the products, and what kind of wear and tear develop on the battery and other knowledge critical for the proliferation of green cars.
Nissan plans to roll out 19 electric vehicle models by 2030, up from an earlier 15, it said.
Earlier this month, Nissan said it will invest in up to a 15% stake in Ampere, Renault’s electric vehicle and software entity in Europe. Nissan and Renault have been working together on EV technology, with Nissan taking the lead in developing a next-generation battery.
Huawei dominates MWC mobile tech fair despite US sanctions
A contingent of Chinese companies led by technology giant Huawei is turning out in force to the world’s biggest wireless trade fair, aiming to show their muscle in the face of Huawei’s blacklisting by Western nations concerned about cybersecurity and escalating tensions with the U.S. over TikTok, spy balloons and computer chips.
After three years of pandemic disruption, tens of thousands from the tech industry have descended on Barcelona for Monday's start of MWC, formerly known as Mobile World Congress, an annual industry expo where mobile phone makers show off new devices and telecom industry executives peruse the latest networking gear and software.
“China is very much coming,” John Hoffman, CEO of wireless industry trade group and event organizer GSMA, told reporters.
Attending are 150 Chinese companies out of 2,000 exhibitors and sponsors, with Huawei Technologies Ltd. having the biggest presence. The smartphone and network equipment maker is expanding its footprint by 50% from last year and taking up almost an entire vast exhibition hall at Barcelona's Fira convention center, organizers said.
That is striking considering that Huawei has been at the center of a geopolitical battle over global technology supremacy that's left parts of its business crippled by Western sanctions.
Also Read: China's Huawei looks to ports, factories to rebuild sales
The U.S. three years ago successfully pushed European allies like Britain and Sweden to ban or restrict Huawei equipment in their phone networks over fears Beijing could use it for cybersnooping or sabotaging critical communications infrastructure — allegations Huawei has denied repeatedly. Japan, Australia, New Zealand and Canada have taken similar action.
Huawei declined to comment ahead of the show's opening. The company's supersized presence at the show is a sign of defiance, said John Strand, a Danish telecom industry consultant.
Huawei wants to “give Biden the finger,” Strand said of the U.S. president. The company’s message, he said, is: “Despite the American sanctions, we are alive and kicking and doing so well.”
U.S.-China tech tensions have only grown.
A suspected Chinese spy balloon downed by a U.S. fighter jet sparked acrimony between Beijing and Washington in recent weeks.
U.S. authorities have banned TikTok from devices issued to government employees over fears the popular Chinese-owned video sharing app is a data privacy risk or could be used to push pro-China narratives.
Also Read: Huawei launches all-band 5G solution series
The U.S. also is seeking to restrict China's access to equipment to make advanced semiconductors, signing up key allies Japan and the Netherlands.
That followed the MWC expo four years ago becoming a battleground between the U.S. and China over Huawei and the security of next generation wireless networks. In a keynote speech, a top Huawei executive trolled the U.S. over its push to get allies to shun the company's gear.
Huawei hasn’t gone away, and the dispute continues to simmer. Washington widened sanctions last month with new curbs on exports to Huawei of less advanced tech components.
Still, the company has maintained its status as the world's No. 1 maker of network gear thanks to sales in China and other markets where Washington hasn't been so successful at persuading governments to boycott the company.
Strand, who has been attending MWC for 26 years, said Huawei wants to show the world it’s pivoting away from mainly making networking gear — the hidden plumbing such as base stations and antennas connecting the world's mobile devices — and becoming an all-round tech supplier.
The company is reinventing itself by supplying hardware and software for cargo ports, self-driving cars, factories and other industries it hopes are less vulnerable to Washington.
“Since MWC is a global event, they (Huawei) will want to communicate on this and showcase that they are still a key player in the telecom and high-tech industry,” said Thomas Husson, a principal analyst at Forrester Research.
Huawei also makes smartphones but sales outside China cratered after Google was blocked from providing maps, YouTube and other services that usually come preloaded on Android devices.
“The Huawei consumer brand has collapsed in Europe,” Husson said. At MWC, “Huawei may well announce new consumer smartphones and new consumer devices, but the brand has lost momentum and these announcements are primarily for fast-growing markets outside the U.S. and Western Europe.”
Huawei is just part of the larger Chinese delegation, whose turnout is getting a boost from China lifting all COVID-19 travel restrictions. ZTE, another Chinese tech company that had been sanctioned by the U.S., plans product launches at MWC.
Chinese mobile phone makers Honor, Oppo and Xiaomi will have a strong presence, said Ben Wood, chief analyst at CCS Insight. Honor was Huawei's budget brand but was sold off in 2020 in hopes of reviving sales by separating it from the sanctions on its corporate parent.
“The removal of COVID restrictions in China has made it possible for these manufacturers to attend the show in force," Wood said. "They are all keen to establish themselves as the ‘third alternative' to Apple and Samsung in European markets and see MWC as a pivotal event to do that.”
Pre-pandemic in 2019, MWC drew 109,000 people, with 6% from China. The event was canceled in 2020 and held in limited form in 2021. Last year's event attracted 60,000 visitors but was overshadowed by the omicron COVID-19 variant.
ZTE shares insights at Bangladesh's BASIS SOFT EXPO 2023
ZTE Corporation,a global leading provider of information and communication technology solutions, has shared its insights with communication technology experts worldwide on the next-generation communication technology for developing smart Bangladesh vision at the "BASIS SOFT EXPO 2023”hosted by BASIS(Bangladesh Association of Software and Information Services) in Dhaka.
This exhibition is organized under the title 'BASIS SOFT EXPO2023' and held from February 23 to February 26 at the Bangabandhu Bangladesh China Friendship Exhibition Centre. According to BASIS,300 exhibitors have participated in this exhibition, and more than one lakh visitors over the 4 days.
During the event, Ma Liang,CTO of ZTE Bangladesh, delivered a speech on the '5G and loT Opportunities for BGD Telecom and software lndustry' seminar of this event. Ma Liang will highlight the role of ZTE in the 12-year journey of Digital Bangladesh. At the same time, he highlighted various aspects of ZTE's ability to provide the most advanced technology and the potential contribution of ZTE as a partner in building Smart Bangladesh.
For 5G, technological innovation has continuously broken the ceiling, achieved more possibilities, and even prepared for unknown demands in the future
We hope that the evolution of 5G will enable everyoneZTE and the whole society to meet their own development needs.
ZTE will first ensure advanced 5G technology in the journey of Smart Bangladesh. At the same time, it will work with various educational institutions and government organizations for the purpose of creating suitable manpower in the field of data science and its other related areas such as artificial intelligence,loT, and machine learning.
Through this,ZTE wants to play an active role in ensuring all kinds of smart services in Bangladesh including Smart Citizens, and Smart City.
Russia launches rescue ship to space station after leaks
Russia launched a rescue ship on Friday for two cosmonauts and a NASA astronaut whose original ride home sprang a dangerous leak while parked at the International Space Station.
The new, empty Soyuz capsule should arrive at the orbiting lab on Sunday.
The capsule leak in December was blamed on a micrometeorite that punctured an external radiator, draining it of coolant. The same thing appeared to happen again earlier this month, this time on a docked Russian cargo ship. Camera views showed a small hole in each spacecraft.
The Russian Space Agency delayed the launch of the replacement Soyuz, looking for any manufacturing defects. No issues were found, and the agency proceeded with Friday's predawn launch from Kazakhstan of the capsule with bundles of supplies strapped into the three seats.
Given the urgent need for this capsule, two top NASA officials traveled from the U.S. to observe the launch in person. To everyone's relief, the capsule safely reached orbit nine minutes after liftoff — “a perfect ride to orbit,” NASA Mission Control's Rob Navias reported from Houston.
Read more: North Korea says it test-fired long-range cruise missiles
Officials had determined it was too risky to bring NASA’s Frank Rubio and Russia’s Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitri Petelin back in their damaged Soyuz next month as originally planned. With no coolant, the cabin temperature would spike during the trip back to Earth, potentially damaging computers and other equipment, and exposing the suited-up crew to excessive heat.
Until the new Soyuz pulls up, emergency plans call for Rubio to switch to a SpaceX crew capsule that’s docked at the space station. Prokopyev and Petelin remain assigned to their damaged Soyuz in the unlikely need for a fast getaway. Having one less person on board would keep the temperature down to a hopefully manageable level, Russian engineers concluded.
The damaged Soyuz will return to Earth with no one aboard by the end of March, so engineers can examine it.
Read more: China calls for Russia-Ukraine cease-fire, peace talks
The three men launched in this Soyuz last September on what should have been a six-month mission. They'll now stay in space for a full year, until a new capsule is ready for their crew replacements for liftoff in September. It was their Soyuz that just launched with no one on board.
The damaged supply ship was filled with trash and cut loose over the weekend, burning up in the atmosphere as originally planned.
“The Russians are continuing to take a really close look” at both spacecraft leaks, NASA's deputy space station program manager Dana Weigel told reporters earlier this week. “They're looking at everything ... to try to understand that."
Read more: UN approves resolution calling for Russia to leave Ukraine
NASA has a fresh crew of four launching atop a SpaceX rocket early Monday morning from Florida’s Kennedy Space Center. SpaceX's William Gerstenmaier said the four astronauts returning to Earth in a few weeks already have inspected the Dragon capsule that will carry them home and “it all checked out fine."
Google's AI Chatbot Bard: All You Need to Know
An AI chatbot is a computer program designed to simulate a conversation with a human. It uses natural language processing and artificial intelligence to understand user input and respond in a meaningful way. AI chatbots can be used for customer service, providing personalized recommendations, or other tasks.
Recently an AI chatbot named ChatGPT has taken the world by storm. It is more than a usual chatbot with a huge collection of data and portrays it as a threat to Google. To fight this, Google has announced bringing out their own chatbot named Bard AI. Let's find out the details of Google's AI Chatbot Bard.
What is AI Chatbot Bard?
At present, there is limited information on Google's AI-powered tool, which can only be accessed by those selected as "trusted testers." However, following the company's demonstration of the product in Paris on February 8, we can now provide answers to some of the most frequent questions posed about Bard AI. A public launch of the tool is expected in the near future.
Read More: ChatGPT by Open AI: All you need to know
Google Bard is essentially a chatbot that functions using AI, similar to ChatGPT. To enable its conversations, Bard utilizes the Language Model for Dialogue Applications (LaMDA) model. Initially, a less complex version of this language model will be used during the test phase.
Bard strives to bring together the depth of the world's knowledge with intelligence, creativity, and power using Google’s expansive language models. It utilizes data from the Internet to give up-to-date, top-notch results.
Bard can be a catalyst for creativity and a platform for inquiry, assisting you in explaining fresh discoveries from NASA's James Webb Telescope to a nine-year-old, or discover more regarding the best strikers in soccer currently and afterward get drills to enhance your abilities.
Read More: High Paid Jobs that Will Never be Replaced by AI