Technology

Rio Tinto's Chile deal is a bet on unproven tech and lithium price bounce

SANTIAGO (Reuters) - Global miner Rio Tinto will tackle one of the biggest technological challenges in the lithium industry as it takes the lead in Chile's first major project involving the battery metal in years, alongside state-run copper producer Codelco.

Technology

Bitcoin rises to new record high, eclipses January top

LONDON (Reuters) -The price of Bitcoin rose to its highest level on record on Wednesday, eclipsing the previous high from January, as risk sentiment continues to improve after last month's tariff-induced sell-off.

Technology

Factbox-Cyber threats disrupt global firms in US, UK and Europe

(Reuters) -Global companies are grappling with a surge in cyber and ransomware attacks, with increasingly sophisticated threat actors disrupting operations and compromising sensitive data across diverse sectors—from healthcare and financial services to retail and regulatory bodies.

Technology

Bell Canada restores internet service after outage hits users in Quebec, Ontario

(Reuters) -Bell Canada said on Wednesday it had rolled back an update and restored internet services after a nearly two-hour outage hit tens of thousands of customers in the provinces of Quebec and Ontario.

Technology

Shopify launches AI tool that builds complete online stores from keywords

(Reuters) -Shopify on Wednesday rolled out a generative artificial intelligence feature that would allow merchants on its e-commerce platform to set up their online stores by entering descriptive keywords.

Technology

M&S says cyber hackers broke in through third-party contractor

LONDON (Reuters) -Marks & Spencer said hackers broke into its systems by tricking employees at a third-party contractor, skirting its digital defences to launch a cyberattack that will disrupt the British retailer for months.

Technology

Just 8% of Italian enterprises using AI, many people lack digital know-how

ROME (Reuters) -In Italy, long burdened by slow economic growth, the number of companies using artificial intelligence is limited compared to other European Union countries, according to figures released on Wednesday by national statistics bureau ISTAT.

Technology

UAE launches Arabic language AI model as Gulf race gathers pace

DUBAI (Reuters) -The United Arab Emirates launched a new Arabic language artificial intelligence (AI) model on Wednesday as the regional race to develop AI technologies accelerates in the Gulf.

Technology

OpenAI's biggest data center secures $11.6 billion in funding, WSJ reports

(Reuters) -A data center in Texas that startup Crusoe is building for OpenAI has secured $11.6 billion in funding to expand from two to eight buildings, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday.

Technology

Fintech Airwallex valued at over $6 billion in latest funding round

(Reuters) -Payments firm Airwallex said on Wednesday it was valued at $6.2 billion in its latest fundraise of $300 million, marking a nearly 11% jump in valuation from its previous financing in 2022.

Technology

OpenAI, Google, xAI battle for superstar AI talent, shelling out millions

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) -The contest in Silicon Valley to dominate artificial intelligence is playing out on a new court: superstar researchers.

Technology

Paris named as Europe’s leading tech ecosystem, beating London

STOCKHOLM (Reuters) -Paris has been named as the new European tech champion, beating London for the first time on some metrics, according to data from Dealroom, which collects information on startups and venture capital firms.

Smartphones

Infinix GT 30 Pro phone with 6.78in Amoled screen launches from RM1,299

Infinix today (May 21) launched the GT 30 Pro, a new gaming-centric midrange smartphone featuring a 6.78in Amoled display with a refresh rate of up to 144Hz.

AI

Alibaba and DeepSeek’s home province launches AI spending spree to become innovation hub

A new plan from the Zhejiang government will see billions of yuan spent through 2027 to support AI companies and attract 'top talent'.

Mobile apps

WhatsApp had no plans to vie with Facebook, co-founder says

WhatsApp co-founder Brian Acton said that his messaging company had no plans to build social networking features to compete with Facebook before he sold the company to Mark Zuckerberg, a claim that bolsters Meta's defence as it faces US federal antitrust allegations.

Technology

Google, Volvo Cars deepen partnership to develop Android software for vehicles

(Reuters) -Volvo Cars and Alphabet's Google said on Wednesday the Swedish carmaker was now the lead development partner for Android automotive software, which should give its buyers access to new versions long before they are available via car industry rivals.

Smartphones

Chinese smartphone exports to US plunge to lowest since 2011

Chinese shipments of Apple Inc's iPhone and other mobile devices to the US dived to their lowest levels since 2011 in April, underscoring how the threat of US tariffs choked off the flow of big-ticket goods between the world's two largest economies.

AI

AI PCs still year or two from fulfilling promise, Asus CEO says

The new crop of artificial intelligence-powered PCs will take until 2026 or later to drive the market forward, according to Asustek Computer Inc co-chief executive officer Samson Hu.

Technology

M&S' $400 million cyberattack upheaval to linger into July

LONDON (Reuters) -A "highly sophisticated and targeted" cyberattack will cost Marks & Spencer about 300 million pounds ($403 million) in lost operating profit, and disruption to online services is likely until July, the British retailer said on Wednesday.

Technology

Congo's coltan miners dig for world's tech - and struggle regardless of who is in charge

Nestled in the green hills of Masisi territory in Congo, the artisanal Rubaya mining site hums with the sound of generators, as hundreds of men labour by hand to extract coltan, a key mineral crucial for producing modern electronics and defense technology – and fiercely sought after worldwide.