Author Archives: Catherine Shu

AWS is now making Amazon Personalize available to all customers

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Amazon Personalize, first announced during AWS re:Invent last November, is now available to all Amazon Web Services customers. The API enables developers to add custom machine learning models to their apps, including ones for personalized product recommendations, search results and direct marketing, even if they don’t have machine learning experience. The API processes data using […] Continue reading AWS is now making Amazon Personalize available to all customers→

AMD unveils the 12-core Ryzen 9 3900X, at half the price of Intel’s competing Core i9 9920X chipset

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AMD CEO Lisa Su gave the Computex keynote in Taipei today, the first time the company has been invited to do so (the event officially starts tomorrow). During the presentation, AMD unveiled news about its chips and graphics processors that will increase pressure on competitors Intel and Nvidia, both in terms of pricing and performance. […] Continue reading AMD unveils the 12-core Ryzen 9 3900X, at half the price of Intel’s competing Core i9 9920X chipset→

IDC: Asia-Pacific spending on AI systems will reach $5.5 billion this year, up 80 percent from 2018

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Spending on artificial intelligence systems in the Asia-Pacific region is expected to reach $5.5 billion this year, an almost 80 percent increase over 2018, driven by businesses in China and the retail industry, according to IDC. In a new report, the research firm also said it expects AI spending to climb at a compound annual […] Continue reading IDC: Asia-Pacific spending on AI systems will reach $5.5 billion this year, up 80 percent from 2018→

Hong Kong-based fintech startup Qupital raises $15M Series A to expand in mainland China

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Qupital, a fintech startup that bills itself as Hong Kong’s largest trade financing platform for SMEs, has closed a $15 million Series A led by CreditEase FinTech Investment Fund (CEFIF), with participation from returning investors Alibaba Hong Kong Entrepreneurs Fund and MindWorks Ventures, both participants in its seed round. To date, Qupital has raised $17 […] Continue reading Hong Kong-based fintech startup Qupital raises $15M Series A to expand in mainland China→

Alibaba acquires Israeli VR startup Infinity Augmented Reality

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Infinity Augmented Reality, an Israeli virtual reality startup, has been acquired by Alibaba, the companies announced this weekend. The deal’s terms were not disclosed. Alibaba and InfinityAR have had a strategic partnership since 2016, when Alibaba Group led InfinityAR’s Series C. Since then, the two have collaborated on augmented reality, computer vision and artificial intelligence […] Continue reading Alibaba acquires Israeli VR startup Infinity Augmented Reality→

HoneyBook, a client management platform for creative businesses, raises $28M Series C led by Citi Ventures

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HoneyBook, a customer-relationship management platform aimed at small businesses in creative fields, announced today it has raised a $28 million Series C led by Citi Ventures. All of its existing investors, including Norwest Venture Partners, Aleph, Vintage Investment Partners and Hillsven Capital, also returned for the round. Citi is a strategic partner for HoneyBook and […] Continue reading HoneyBook, a client management platform for creative businesses, raises $28M Series C led by Citi Ventures→

Creative agency Virtue introduces genderless voice Q to challenge biases in technology

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Siri, Alexa, Google Assistant, Cortana and Bixby–almost all virtual assistants have something in common. Their default voices are women’s, though the role that plays in reinforcing gender stereotypes has been long documented, even inspiring the dystopian romance “Her.” Virtue, the creative agency owned by publisher Vice, wants to challenge the trend with a genderless voice […] Continue reading Creative agency Virtue introduces genderless voice Q to challenge biases in technology→

Baidu announces Apollo Enterprise, its new platform for mass-produced autonomous vehicles

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Baidu made several big announcements about Apollo, its open-source autonomous vehicle technology platform, today at CES. The first is the launch of Apollo Enterprise for vehicles that will be put into mass production. The company claims that Apollo is already used by 130 partners around the world. One of its newest partners, Chinese electric vehicle […] Continue reading Baidu announces Apollo Enterprise, its new platform for mass-produced autonomous vehicles→

Google will make it easier for people without accounts to collaborate on G Suite documents

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Soon it will be easier for people without Google accounts to collaborate on G Suite documents. Currently in beta, a new feature will enable G Suite users to invite people without G Suite subscriptions or Google accounts to work on files by sending them a pin code. Using the pin code to gain access allows […] Continue reading Google will make it easier for people without accounts to collaborate on G Suite documents→

Ansarada gets $18M in Series A funding to help companies better prepare for major deals

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Australian startup Ansarada, which provides tools for companies preparing for a major transaction, will expand in the United States, Europe, the Middle East and Africa after raising an $18 million Series A. The funding was led by Ellerston Capital, with participation from Tempus Partners, Belay Capital and Australian Ethical Investments. A noteworthy detail about the […] Continue reading Ansarada gets $18M in Series A funding to help companies better prepare for major deals→