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Showing posts from March 31, 2023

General Motors Plans to Replace Apple CarPlay, Android Auto With Google's Infotainment System in Future EVs

General Motors plans to phase out widely-used Apple CarPlay and Android Auto technologies that allow drivers to bypass a vehicle's infotainment systems, shifting instead to built-in infotainment systems developed with Google for future electric vehicles. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto systems allow users to mirror their smartphone screens in a vehicle's dashboard display. GM 's decision to stop offering those systems in future electric vehicles , starting with the 2024 Chevrolet Blazer, could help the automaker capture more data on how consumers drive and charge EVs. GM is designing the on-board navigation and infotainment systems for future EVs in partnership with Alphabet 's Google . The decision to phase out CarPlay smartphone projection technology is a setback for Apple Inc in the competition with Google to capture more real estate on vehicle dashboards in North America. GM's Chevrolet brand in the past boasted of offering more models with CarPlay or Andr

US Chipmaker Micron's Products to Be Examined in China for Cybersecurity Risks

China's cyberspace regulator will conduct a cybersecurity review of products sold in the country by US memory chip manufacturer Micron Technology, the regulator said on Friday. The move, which comes amid a spat over chip technology between Washington and Beijing, is aimed at protecting the security of the supply chain for critical information infrastructure, prevent hidden risks and safeguard national security, the Cyberspace Administration of China said in a brief statement. It gave no other details, including which Micron products it was reviewing. The United States has imposed a series of export controls on chipmaking technology to China for fear it could be used to produce chips for applications such as artificial intelligence which could be used by China's military, and blacklisted a number of China's largest chip firms, including Micron rival Yangtze Memory Technologies Co Ltd . Micron, one of the world's largest memory chip makers, did not respond immediatel

DigiYatra Facility Rolls Out at Kolkata Airport for Check-Ins Through Facial Recognition

Passengers travelling through the Kolkata airport will now be able to check in for their flights and board planes with facial recognition technology as DigiYatra was rolled out here on Friday, an official statement said. Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport is the fourth one in the country after airports in Delhi, Bengaluru and Varanasi have the facility that provides a seamless entry and embarkation process for air passengers. ‘DigiYatra' was rolled out in those three airports in the first phase in December last year. "Its main objective is to enhance passenger experience by eliminating the need for verification of ticket and ID at multiple touch points and to achieve better movement of passengers through existing infrastructure using a digital framework," the Kolkata airport said in a statement. The trials of the technology started at the Kolkata airport on February 21, and till Thursday, 9,206 passengers utilised the facility. Passengers travelling th

Samsung Said to Be Planning to Set First Chip Test Line in Japan for Advanced Chip Packaging

South Korea's Samsung is considering setting up a chip test line in Japan, five people said, to bolster its advanced packaging business and forge closer ties with Japanese makers of semiconductor equipment and materials. It would be the first such test line for Samsung , the world's largest maker of memory chips, in Japan. It would also come as the United States increasingly urges allies to work together to counter China's rising might in chips and advanced technology. Japan on Friday said it will restrict exports of 23 types of chip-making tools, aligning its technology trade controls with a US push to curb China's ability to make advanced chips. Samsung is looking at establishing the facility in Kanagawa prefecture, next to Tokyo, where it already has a research and development (R&D) centre, according to four of the people, all of whom declined to be identified because the information isn't public. Although the details have not yet been finalised, includin

Indian-Origin Engineer Amit Kshatriya to Head NASA's Moon to Mars Programme

Amit Kshatriya, a decorated Indian-American software and robotics engineer was appointed as the first head of NASA's newly-established Moon to Mars Programme that will help the agency ensure a long-term lunar presence needed to prepare for humanity's next giant leap to the Red Planet. Kshatriya will serve as NASA's first head of the office, with immediate effect, the agency announced on Thursday. The new office aims to carry out the agency's human exploration activities on the Moon and Mars for the benefit of humanity, a NASA press release said . “The golden age of exploration is happening right now, and this new office will help ensure that NASA successfully establishes a long-term lunar presence needed to prepare for humanity's next giant leap to the Red Planet," said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. “The Moon to Mars Programme Office will help prepare NASA to carry out our bold missions to the Moon and land the first humans on Mars,” Nelson explained. T

Japan Said to Restrict Chipmaking Equipment Exports, to Align With US China Curbs

Japan said on Friday it will restrict exports of 23 types of semiconductor manufacturing equipment, aligning its technology trade controls with a US push to curb China's ability to make advanced chips. Japan, home to major global chip equipment makers such as Nikon and Tokyo Electron, did not specify China as the target of the measures, saying equipment makers would need to seek export permission for all regions. "We are fulfilling our responsibility as a technological nation to contribute to international peace and stability," Minister for Economy, Trade and Industry Yasutoshi Nishimura told a news conference. Japan wants to stop advanced technology being used for military purposes and does not have one specific country in mind with the measures, he said. But Japan's decision is seen as a major diplomatic win for US President Joe Biden's administration, which in October announced sweeping restrictions on China's access to US chipmaking tech to slow its t

Air India Testing Algorithm-Based Software for Pricing, ChatGPT Under Tata Ownership: Report

Air India, until recently tied to an antiquated manual pricing system when setting airfares, is shifting to algorithm-based software long used by rivals to help it squeeze out more revenue from each flight. In another sign of the formerly government-owned carrier's whirlwind transformation under its new owner Tata Group, Air India is testing ChatGPT , OpenAI's popular chatbot, to replace paper-based practices. The push to modernise underscores the decay left by years of under-investment as Air India looks to shed decades-old bureaucratic processes and recapture customers from Dubai's Emirates and powerful domestic rival IndiGo. "Frankly the system is almost so bad it's good," Chief Executive Officer Campbell Wilson told Indian airline executives last week, adding that this offered the chance to start from scratch rather than "jury-rig" existing architecture. Air India is not only reworking every aspect of operations - from systems to supply chai