🖥️ Tech Futures #21

Happy Monday 👋

Hong Kong’s AI Supercomputing Center (AISC) launched operations, advancing local AI development despite tightened US chip export controls. IBM's new optical interconnect technology enables chips to communicate 80 times faster, boosting AI and cloud computing data transfer efficiency. Anaxi Labs and Carnegie Mellon CyLab unveiled a compiler framework resolving trade-offs in Zero-Knowledge proofs, boosting blockchain scalability and decentralization. Google unveiled its new quantum chip, "Willo," which solves problems in minutes, which supercomputers need 10 billion years for. Elon Musk's xAI raised $6B to advance artificial intelligence development, focusing on general-purpose AI with practical applications across industries.

What's new?

HolonIQ’s new Green Skills Map and Workforce section reveals industry-wide sustainability skills and jobs, as well as workforce development initiatives, supporting upskilling for a sustainable economy.

HolonIQ's new skills newsletter is here! Get updates on emerging skills, workforce shifts, and industry insights across impact sectors. Subscribe now to stay ahead.

⚙️ Artificial Intelligence

🤖 Hong Kong's AI Supercomputing Center Begins Operations. Hong Kong's Artificial Intelligence Supercomputing Center (AISC) commenced operations on Monday, as the city aims to boost its AI development capabilities.

🏢 NSF Grant for San Diego Supercomputer Center's AI Research Support. The San Diego Supercomputer Center received a grant from the National Science Foundation to support the Foundation's AI research using NVIDIA's DGX Cloud platform.

🧠 Google's DeepMind unveils AI model for better weather forecasting. Google's DeepMind team unveiled an AI model called GenCast for weather prediction that it claims outperforms the top weather forecast system. The researchers published their findings in the journal Nature.

💾 Semiconductors

🔬 IBM Unveils Optical Tech for Faster Chip Communication. IBM developed a new technology that enables chips to communicate with each other 80 times faster by integrating fiber optics onto a chip, potentially benefiting AI model training.

💽 TSMC to Start Mass Production of 2nm Chips in 2024. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), the world's largest foundry company, will start mass production of cutting-edge 2nm (nanometer) process products next year.

💰 Absolics, Entegris Awarded $152M for Semiconductor Packaging. The Department of Commerce awarded $152 million to Absolics and Entegris for semiconductor packaging.

🚨 Cybersecurity

🔐 Anaxi Labs and Carnegie Mellon University Unveil Breakthrough Proof System. Anaxi Labs and Carnegie Mellon University's CyLab have unveiled a breakthrough-proof system.

⚒️ Nigerian Police Arrest Bank Customers Linked to Flutterwave's $7.2M Fraud Case. Nigerian police have arrested several bank customers linked to fraud on Flutterwave, a Nigerian fintech company, following a $7.2M security breach and are targeting 601 more suspects.

📞 Communication and Networking

🛰️ Sonke Telecommunications Launches Revolutionary Satellite Connectivity Solution. Sonke Telecommunications, a telecommunications company, launched a new low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite solution that provides high-speed and low-latency connectivity to underserved industries.

📡 Nokia and Telecom Provider Deploy MEA's First Commercial 5G Cloud RAN Solution. Nokia and a telecom provider have deployed the Middle East and Africa's first commercial 5G Cloud RAN solution, a significant development in the telecommunications industry.

☎️ Ericsson and Mobily Boost 5G Performance with AI Technology. Ericsson and Mobily conducted an AI-powered trial that enhances 5G uplink performance, boosting connectivity and aligning with Saudi Vision 2030.

💻 Quantum Computing

🖥️ Google Achieves Quantum Supremacy with New Quantum Computer. Google announced that it had released a quantum computer that could solve a problem in just a few minutes, which would take a supercomputer 10 billion years to solve.

🛠️ Skills and Workforce

With reskilling and upskilling playing a key role in closing workforce gaps, HolonIQ is now tracking these impactful initiatives shaping the tech industry. Read on for this week’s insights, and discover more in HolonIQ's latest Skills newsletter.

🤖 Microsoft launched an AI Skills Initiative to train 1M people in Australia and New Zealand by 2026. The program offers free resources, including AI Skills Navigator, Microsoft Learn, LinkedIn, and GitHub, targeting diverse groups and sectors like public services and education. It aims to equip individuals for roles in AI, data centers, and related fields as AI reshapes industries. The company also partners with governments and organizations to enhance the reach and importance of these initiatives.

🔌 Vietnam is ramping up efforts to build a skilled workforce for digital technology and semiconductors under a directive by Deputy PM Le Thanh Long. Key sectors include AI, IoT, blockchain, and semiconductors, aligning with the country's digital economy strategy through 2050. The Ministry of Education will lead curriculum development by 2025, supported by tuition reforms and specialized training centers. Universities and local authorities will establish targeted programs, while international partnerships will enhance global competitiveness. These initiatives aim to position Vietnam as a regional tech leader.

🖥️ FinX has raised $6M to expand its BFSI-focused upskilling programs. The startup will use the funds for geographic growth, product development, and acquisitions in the BFSI and tech training sectors. Founded in 2019, FinX collaborates with universities to provide vocational courses alongside degree programs. With over 40,000 students trained so far, the company will soon scale this to 100K students annually.

HolonIQ has also launched the Green Skills Map, an open-source framework initiated for cataloging, evaluating, and contextualizing the different components of the rapidly expanding field of green jobs. This comprehensive taxonomy will serve as a resource for understanding the full spectrum and complexity of green skills required across various sectors, thereby enabling a cohesive approach toward achieving net zero and decarbonizing the global economy. Green Skills Map spans 11 areas, 54 sub-areas, and 243 green skills clusters. A snippet of the map covering four areas has been included above. Explore the full map on greenskills.org.

💰 Tech Deals

💵 Elon Musk's xAI Raises $6B in New Funding Round. Elon Musk's AI company xAI raised $6B in new funding at double its previous valuation to fuel its AI ambitions.

💴 Teamviewer Acquires London-based IT Firm 1E for $720M. Teamviewer, a German software company, acquired the London-based IT firm 1E for an enterprise value of $720M from Carlyle Europe Technology Partners.

💶 Hyperscaler Startup Nscale Raises $155M in Funding. Nscale, a startup providing end-to-end services including data center and GPU access, raised $155M in funding with a 9-page investment memo.

📻 Riverside raises $30M Series C to expand its podcast and video recording platform. Riverside, a podcast recording platform, raised $30M in Series C funding led by Zeev Ventures, with participation from Seven, to expand its platform for recording podcasts and videos.

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