INSEAD Day 4 - 728x90

Technology

BYD logs record EV sales in 2025

It sold 2.26m EVs vs Tesla's 1.22 by Sept end.

Google to invest $6.4bn

The investment is its biggest-ever in Germany.

Pfizer poised to buy Metsera

The pharma giant improved its offer to $10bn.

Ozempic maker lowers outlook

The company posted tepid Q3 results.

Kimberly-Clark to buy Kenvue

The deal is valued at $48.7 billion.

91% of new renewable projects now cheaper than fossil fuels alternatives

Abu Dhabi, UAE --  Renewables maintain their cost leadership in global power markets, IRENA’s new report on Renewable Power Generation...
  • IRENA’s new report confirms renewables maintained their price advantage over fossil fuels, with cost declines driven by technological innovation.
  • In 2024, solar photovoltaics (PV) were, on average, 41 percent cheaper than the lowest-cost fossil fuel alternatives, while onshore wind projects were 53 percent cheaper.

Humans beat AI gold-level score at top maths contest

Sydney, Australia -- Humans beat generative AI models made by Google and OpenAI at a top international mathematics competition, despite...
  • Google and OpenAI models didn't score full marks -- unlike five young people at IMO, a prestigious annual competition where participants must be under 20.
  • Google said Monday that an advanced version of its Gemini chatbot had solved five out of the six maths problems set at the IMO, held in Australia's Queensland this month.

Russia publishes rare footage of largest drone factory

Moscow, Russia -- Russia has showcased what it calls the biggest drone factory in the world, broadcasting rare footage from...
  • The plant is near the town of Yelabuga in the central Russian region of Tatarstan, located in what was initially planned to be a special economic zone to boost science and business
  • More than 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) from the Ukrainian border, it has now become a target for Kyiv's own long-range attacks.

AI needs to be smaller, reduce energy footprint: UNESCO study

Paris, France -- The potential of artificial intelligence is immense -- but its equally vast energy consumption needs curbing, with...
  • OpenAI CEO Sam Altman recently said that each request sent to ChatGPT consumes on average 0.34 Wh of electricity, which is 10-70 times a Google search.
  • UNESCO calculated that AI energy demand is doubling every 100 days as generative AI tools become embedded in everyday life.

Use of eco-friendly rice bricks surges in water-scarce Kyrgyzstan

Rice blocks require less cement, which is responsible for approximately eight percent of global carbon dioxide emissions, according to 2023...
  • Nursultan Taabaldyev is one of the pioneers of the technology in Central Asia hailed as an environmentally friendly alternative to water-intensive concrete.
  • They are "made of 60 percent rice husks. The rest is clay, cement and a chemical-free glue," Taabaldyev told AFP.

AI robots pluck weeds in California fields, make up for shortage of laborers

Los Banos, United States -- Oblivious to the punishing midday heat, a wheeled robot powered by the sun and infused...
  • As farms across the US face a shortage of laborers and weeds grow resistant to herbicides, startup Aigen says its robotic solution -- named Element -- can save farmers money.
  • Element the robot resembles a large table on wheels, solar panels on top. Metal arms equipped with small blades reach down to hoe between crop plants.

Japan plans ‘world first’ deep-sea mineral extraction from Jan

Tokyo, Japan -- Japan will from January attempt to extract rare earth minerals from the ocean floor in the deepest...
  • Earlier this week the country pledged to work with the United States, India and Australia to ensure a stable supply of critical minerals.
  • Rare earths -- 17 metals difficult to extract from the Earth's crust -- are used in everything from electric vehicles to hard drives, wind turbines and missiles.

Microsoft laying off several thousand employees

San Francisco, United States -- Microsoft on Wednesday said it was slashing a little less than four percent of its...
  • The cloud computing tech giant did not disclose the total amount of lost jobs but as of June 2024 it employed 228,000 people, bringing the latest layoffs to about 9,000 people.
  • The job cuts follow a round in May that saw about 6,000 positions culled from its global workforce.

‘Writing is thinking’: do students who use ChatGPT learn less?

Paris, France -- When Jocelyn Leitzinger had her university students write about times in their lives they had witnessed discrimination,...
  • The ChatGPT users scored significantly worse than the brain-only group on all levels. The EEG showed that different areas of their brains connected to each other less often.
  • And more than 80 percent of the ChatGPT group could not quote anything from the essay they had just written, compared to around 10 percent of the other two groups.

Indonesia begins $5.9 bn EV battery project despite environment fears

Jakarta, Indonesia -- Indonesia broke ground Sunday on a $5.9 billion megaproject for EV battery production backed by Chinese giant...
  • Indonesia is the world's largest nickel producer and it is trying to capitalize on its vast reserves.
  • The EV battery project will include a $4.7 billion investment on the eastern island of Halmahera and a $1.2 billion investment in West Java.

Google announces $40 billion Texas investment to expand AI infrastructure

Google announced Friday a major $40 billion investment in Texas through 2027 to build new cloud computing and artificial intelligence...

Company News

Latest News

Robot dogs, flying cars: five takeaways from the Munich auto show

Companies including Germany's Holon and Estonia's Auve Tech displayed small self-driving buses, designed for routes where larger buses with drivers...

Amazon’s Starlink rival lands first major airline deal

Washington, United States -- JetBlue Airways will become the first airline to use Amazon's Project Kuiper satellite network to power...

New wave: Sea power turned into energy at Los Angeles port

San Pedro, United States -- Floating blue paddles dance on the waves that lap a dock in the Port of Los...
INSEAD Day 4- 300x600
INSEAD Day 4- 300x600

Most Read

UAE Cyber Security Council: Over 12,000 Wi-Fi breaches recorded in UAE since start of year

Abu  Dhabi, UAE -- The UAE Cyber Security Council (CSC) has warned of the serious risks posed by using open...
  • According to the Council, these incidents account for nearly 35% of the total cyberattacks reported in the UAE
  • It counselled vigilance when connecting to free or unsecured Wi-Fi networks, stressing that users should adopt safe practices

Creators HQ attracts 2,415 active members from 147 countries

Dubai, UAE -- Dubai’s Creator HQ, the first headquarters for content creators in the UAE and the Middle East, has...
  • The initiative aims to position the UAE as a global hub for the content economy, with a target of 10,000 creators in its next phase.
  • The headquarters also reports that 78 global content companies from 24 countries have relocated to the UAE.

Over 12,000 Wi-Fi breaches recorded in UAE since start of year

Abu Dhabi, UAE --  The UAE Cyber Security Council (CSC) has warned of the serious risks posed by using open...
  • UAE Cyber Security Council (CSC) has warned of the serious risks posed by using open and untrusted public Wi-Fi networks.
  • According to the Council, these incidents account for nearly 35 percent of the total cyberattacks reported in the UAE.