Author: i2wtc

Key PointsThe chip is specifically for inferencing rather than training but Alibaba will still use semiconductors from other vendors like Nvidia.Alibaba said it would invest at least 380 billion Chinese yuan ($53.1 billion) in AI over the next three years.Chinese technology firms have focused on developing homegrown chips over the last few years amid rising geopolitical tensions between the U.S. and China.Alibaba is developing a new chip designed for artificial intelligence applications, two people familiar with the matter told CNBC, as Chinese tech firms look to ramp up development of homegrown semiconductors. Alibaba’s semiconductor is designed for inferencing, which is…

Sheep graze at the foot of Mount Muztagata on the Pamir Plateau, northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Sept. 6, 2023. (Xinhua/Cheng Tingting)URUMQI, Aug. 29 (Xinhua) — At over 4,000 meters above sea level, Chinese and Tajik scientists braved bitter winds as they followed the tracks of Marco Polo sheep. When a herd appeared along the snow line, the team quickly set up a spotting scope and began recording data.For the joint expedition team, this was a typical day in the high Pamirs.The Marco Polo sheep, made famous in the medieval travelogue of its namesake, is considered a flagship species…

ISLAMABAD: The federal government on Thursday postponed the first meeting of the National Finance Commission (NFC) at the request of Sindh that sought adjournment due to the flood situation, while Balochistan technical member also bowed out even before the commission met. The Finance Ministry issued a notification to delay the meeting hours before the commission was planned to hold its maiden session in Islamabad. “It is informed that upon receiving the request from the government of Sindh, to postpone the inaugural meeting of the 11th NFC due to impending flood situation, the NFC meeting scheduled to be held on Friday…

Mukesh Ambani, Chairman and Managing Director of Reliance Industries, arrives to pay his last respect to Indian industrialist Ratan Tata at the National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA) ahead of its cremation in Mumbai on October 10, 2024. Punit Paranjpepunit Paranjpe | AFP | Getty ImagesIndian conglomerate Reliance Industries on Friday announced new partnerships with Google and Meta to accelerate the company’s push into artificial intelligence.Speaking at an annual shareholders’ meeting on Friday, Reliance Chairman Mukesh Ambani also disclosed ambitions to list Reliance Jio, India’s largest mobile network, in the first half of 2026.”A decade ago, digital services became a…

World Athletics President Sebastian Coe is confident that all female athletes at this year’s world championships in Tokyo will have undergone gene testing, after snags left some of them scrambling to meet the September 1 deadline. Athletes who arrive at the September 13-21 global event without having being tested can complete the process in the Japanese capital. “Although the vast majority of athletes will have been tested before they get to Tokyo … if there are outstanding athletes that still haven’t been tested, we have the ability to do that in Tokyo — but that is by no means an…

Participants attend the 2025 SCO (the Shanghai Cooperation Organization) International Investment and Trade Expo at the Qingdao SCODA Pearl International Expo Center in Qingdao, east China’s Shandong Province, July 18, 2025. (Xinhua/Li Ziheng)QINGDAO, Aug. 29 (Xinhua) — Thanks to a cluster of foreign trade industries and fast cross-border logistics channels, the China-SCO Local Economic and Trade Cooperation Demonstration Area (SCODA) in Qingdao has witnessed a spike in trade growth.According to statistics from the customs, the demonstration area’s trade value with other SCO member countries during this year’s first seven months reached 53.26 billion yuan (about 7.47 billion U.S. dollars), an…

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for National Food Security and Research Rana Tanveer Hussain has reaffirmed the government’s commitment to ensuring food self-sufficiency by protecting farmers and stabilising the wheat market. Chairing the 8th Wheat Board meeting, Hussain reviewed the country’s wheat demand and supply position and the availability of critical inputs for the upcoming Rabi season 2025-26. According to the ministry’s statement issued on Thursday, the minister noted that national wheat availability stands at 33.47 million metric tonnes (MMT) against a requirement of 33.58 MMT, leaving a shortfall of only 0.11 MMT. Hussain said this gap is insignificant and assured there…

Affirm stock popped 15% Friday after the buy now, pay later firm beat Wall Street’s expectations across the board in its fiscal fourth-quarter results. The stock was already up 31% this year heading into the report, outpacing the Nasdaq’s 12% gain.Earnings came in at 20 cents a share and nearly doubled analyst expectations, with revenue also topping estimates at $876 million, up 33% from a year earlier. Net income was $69.2 million for the quarter, compared with a loss of $45.1 million in the same period last year.The firm also offered higher guidance for fiscal 2026 and upbeat guidance for…

Lisa Cook, governor of the US Federal Reserve, and U.S. President Donald Trump.Ting Shen | Bloomberg | Getty Images | Jonathan Ernst | ReutersPresident Donald Trump on Friday morning asked a judge in a court filing to deny a request by Federal Reserve Board Governor Lisa Cook to issue an order barring Trump from firing her as her lawsuit challenging her removal plays out in court.The Fed, in a separate court filing, said it would make no arguments on the merits of Cook’s request to temporarily block her termination by Trump.But the central bank also asked Judge Jia Cobb to…

The de minimis exemption, an obscure trade law provision that has simultaneously fueled and eroded businesses across the globe, officially came to an end on Friday following an executive order by President Donald Trump. For nearly a decade, shipments valued under $800 were allowed to enter the country virtually duty free and with less oversight. Now, those shipments from the likes of Tapestry, Lululemon and just about any other retailer with an online presence will be tariffed and processed in the same way that larger packages are handled. In May, Trump ended the exemption for goods coming from China and Hong Kong,…