HSBC to pull together $2bn IPO for China’s biggest AI firm SenseTime August 17, 2021 HSBC is working with China’s largest artificial intelligence group SenseTime to form a Hong Kong listing, according to reports. SoftBank-backed SeneTime’s initial public offering (IPO) could wire in at least $2bn, Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with the matter. China International Capital is helping HSBC arrange the float for the firm. The company has decided [...]
Climate management solutions group Genuit sees revenue climb ahead of COP26 August 17, 2021 Climate management solutions group Genuit has had its half-year revenue climb to £295.6m as the need for climate conscious measures has gripped the UK ahead of COP26. Revenue was up 32.4 per cent on pre-pandemic levels, as the group worked with the construction industry to provide sustainable water, as well as climate and ventilation [...]
Beijing takes stakes in ByteDance and Weibo domestic entities August 17, 2021 The Chinese government has taken stakes in Chinese entities owned by tech companies ByteDance and Sina Weibo, tightening its grip on its technology sector. WangTouZhongWen (Beijing) Technology, co-owned by three Chinese state entities including an investment fund backed by China’s internet watchdog, has taken one per cent of stake in Beijing ByteDance Technology, according to [...]
Chinese tech shares drop after Beijing tightens rules on internet competition August 17, 2021 China has marked its latest crackdown on the technology sector as the authorities announced new rules today to tackle unfair internet competition and companies’ handling critical data. The State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) published a set of draft regulations banning unfair competition and restricting the use of user data. Shares of Chinese tech companies [...]
Facebook and Google eye Asia-Pacific markets amid plans for new subsea cable August 16, 2021 Facebook and Google announced today their plans to build a new subsea cable to improve internet connectivity across the Asia-Pacific region. Apricot, the 12,000-kilometre-long subsea cable, will connect Singapore, Japan, Guam, the Philippines, Taiwan and Indonesia. It is expected to be ready for service in 2024, according to Facebook. The US social media group continued [...]
Elon Musk sets sights on October opening for new Tesla Berlin factory August 13, 2021 Tesla hopes to make the first cars at its new gigafactory near Berlin in October or soon afterwards, boss Elon Musk has said. The electric car giant has pushed back its planned opening of the plant to late 2021, blaming German bureaucratic hurdles. The £5bn project has also come under fire from locals due to [...]
Plymouth shooting: Suspect’s hate-filled Youtube account taken offline August 13, 2021 A hate-filled Youtube account belonging to the suspect in a mass shooting that killed five people in Plymouth yesterday has been taken offline. The account, named Professor Waffle, included a number of videos by 23-year-old Jake Davison, who has been named locally as the gunman. It has now been removed and the page shows a [...]
Apple child protection features spark concern among its own staff August 13, 2021 Apple employees have spoken out internally about privacy concerns over the firm’s move to scan US customer phones and computers for child sex abuse images as protests over the new feature intensify, it is reported. More than 800 messages were shared between Apple staff across several days on an internal Slack channel, sources told Reuters, [...]
Tech boss outlines £300m plan to reclaim UK chip plant if China deal blocked August 11, 2021 The former boss of tech firm Imagination Technologies has reportedly pledged to spend £300m on Britain’s biggest microchip factory should a Chinese-led takeover fall through. Six companies, led by Ron Black, are ready to make a bid for Newport Wafer Fab if the government blocks its sale to Shanghai-owned firm Nexperia, the Telegraph reported. Last [...]
NortonLifeLock to buy UK cyber firm Avast in $8bn deal August 11, 2021 US cyber firm NortonLifeLock has confirmed it will buy British rival Avast in a deal that values the London-listed company at up to $8.6bn (£6.2bn). In a statement yesterday the two companies said Avast shareholders will receive a combination of cash and newly-issued shares in Norton, with alternative options available. Based on the US firm’s [...]