Staff timeout needed? Too many virtual meetings can be stressful for the human brain, research from Microsoft has revealed
TECHNOLOGY POWERING BUSINESS
April 2021
Amazon Posts Record Results, As Prime Video Catches Netflix
E-commerce and cloud services giant Amazon is another pandemic winner, after it posted record profits and revenues thanks to strong growth
Darktrace Enjoys Successful London IPO
Darktrace enjoys successful public listing in London on Friday, valuing the AI security specialist at £1.7 billion ($2.4 billion)
Eutelsat Buys 24 Percent Stake In OneWeb For $550m
French satellite operator Eutelsat joins British government and Bharti, with investment so as to access to its LEO broadband constellation
Trade Union Evidence Could Overturn Amazon Vote, Labor Board Says
US Labor Board warns evidence submitted by a trade union after historic vote at Amazon Alabama warehouse, could see it overturn the vote
Chip Shortage Will Not End Soon, Forrester Warns
Analyst house Forrester warns global shortage of semiconductors is not going to end any time soon due to fabless chip manufacturing trends, supply hoarding
Apple Profits Double As Users Upgrade To 5G iPhones
Apple reaps reward from strong spending on Macs, apps and iPads during lockdown, coupled with people upgrading to 5G iPhones
Judge Refuses To Dismiss AWS Claim Of Trump JEDI Interference
Failure for attempt by Microsoft and US DoJ to dismiss complaint from Amazon Web Services about Trump's JEDI contract interference
Taiwan Dashes EU Hopes Of Advanced Chip Production In Europe
EU setback. Taiwanese government minister rejects EU plan, and points to TSMC decision to focus chip expansion in Taiwan, not Europe
Google Tracking Of Safari Users, Heads To UK Supreme Court
Ten years after it emerged Google had tracked Safari users browser history, the landmark case is to go before the Supreme Court
Jeff Bezos Blue Origin Protests NASA’s SpaceX Contract
Battle between the world's richest men, sees Elon Musk mock Jeff Bezos, after Blue Origin files official protest over SpaceX's NASA contract
Washington DC Police Dept Threatened After Ransomware Attack
Russian hackers who stole 250GB of data from Washington DC police department in ransomware attack, threaten to expose police informants to gangs
UK To Regulate Self-Driving Cars On Motorways
The future of driving? Self-driving cars are to be approved for slow speed use on British motorways, as soon as this year
Telsa Executives Says Fatal ‘Driverless’ Crash Had Driver
Tesla contradicts official investigators and insist deformed steering wheel shows someone was behind the wheel at fatal crash
Apple To Build $1 Billion Campus In North Carolina
As part of a $430 billion investment over five years in the US, Apple is to build a new campus for AI research and software engineering
OneWeb Grows Total Constellation To 182 satellites With New Launch
Latest satellite launch in Russia by government-owned OneWeb, increases total number of in-orbit constellation to 182 satellites
Apple iOS Update With Tracking Consent Prompts Mixed Reaction
Apple's release of its iOS 14.5 update this week requires app developers to ask user permission to track their activity online
Toyota Buys Lyft’s Autonomous Car Unit for $550m
Japanese car maker Toyota acquires the autonomous vehicle division of ride-hailing firm Lyft, after four years of development
Former Post Office Boss Apologises After Horizon Scandal
Fallout continues after Horizon IT scandal, with the former Post Office chief executive stepping down from other executive roles
Twitter Removes Critical Tweets Of Indian Government Covid Response
Indian government asks Twitter to remove tweets critical of official response, as the country battle terrible Coronavirus outbreak
Foxconn Scales Back $10bn Wisconsin Factory
Taiwanese manufacturing giant Foxconn dramatically scales back US factory that was heavily touted by former President Donald Trump
Silicon UK In Focus Podcast: Hybrid Workers
The need for ‘hybrid skilled’ workers who possess both technical knowledge and softer, ‘people-focused’ skills is growing rapidly. Standout examples include software developers who are able to ‘establish customer rapport’ has increased ...
EU Industry Chief To Meet With Intel, TSMC Execs Amidst Chip Crisis
EU industry commissioner Thierry Breton to meet with Intel chief Pat Gelsinger and top TSMC executive amidst pressure to increase bloc's chip 'autonomy'
GCHQ Boss: West Faces Tech ‘Moment Of Reckoning’
UK must invest in skills and ensure China does not take control of key technologies such as networking and quantum computing, says GCHQ's Jeremy Fleming
Malware From Google Play Store Infects 700,000 Users
Etinu malware bypasses Google's security protections, infects 700,000 Android users to make unauthorised purchases before being removed
Massive ‘Parcel Delivery’ SMS Scam Campaign Hits UK
Millions of scam text messages hit UK mobile phones pretending to be from parcel delivery firms, but in reality spreading banking malware Flubot
SpaceX Launches Third Crewed Flight Into Orbit
SpaceX's third-ever crewed flight reuses both Crew Dragon capsule 'Endeavour' and Falcon 9 booster, in a first for company
Turkish Crypto Exchange Boss Flees Country Amidst $2bn Fraud Probe
Chief executive of Turkish cryptocurrency trading platform Thodex flees to Albania as estimated $2bn in investors' assets reportedly lost
Cryptocurrencies Shed $200bn Over US Tax Reform Fears
Cryptocurrencies lose $200bn in value, while Bitcoin drops below $50,000 as investors react to US proposals that would nearly double capital gains for wealthiest
Post Office Slammed After Convictions Overturned
Convictions overturned due to Post Office's faulty Horizon computer system, with Prime Minister calling the convictions "an appalling injustice"
Damaging Week For Apple, Google In Senate Hearings
App makers and others testify against the dominance of Apple and Google in US Senate antitrust hearing on Wednesday
Tesla ‘Easily Tricked’ Into Driving Without Driver, Consumer Reports Finds
As official investigations continue, Consumer Reports warns Tesla cars can easily be tricked into driving without anyone in the driver's seat
Telephone Landline Usage In ‘Terminal Decline’, Uswitch Finds
As usage of WhatsApp, Zoom etc soars, the humble telephone landline declines, with 26 percent not even bothering to connect a handset
Signal Hacks Cellebrite Phone Hacking Kit
Sweet revenge? Signal said it has hacked the phone hacking kit from Cellebrite, used by law enforcement to access mobile devices
Chip Shortage: Jaguar Land Rover To Suspend Production At Two Factories
Ongoing global silicon shortage forces Jaguar Land Rover to suspend operations in Birmingham and Liverpool from next Monday
Amazon Now Largest Corporate Buyer Of Renewable Energy
With nine new wind and solar projects in UK, Europe and North America, Amazon becomes corporate buyer of renewable energy
One In Six Android Phones In Developing Markets Infected
Mobile specialist Upstream warns large percentage of Android phones in developing markets infected with malware, due to a number of reasons
Apple Blueprints Stolen In Supplier $50m Ransomware Attack
REvil hackers are reportedly seeking to extort Apple, after hitting one of its suppliers with a ransomware attack and stealing product blueprints
Dutch Report Flagged Huawei Monitoring Of KPN Concerns – Report
Report ten years ago from Capgemini reportedly warned that Huawei may be able to monitor calls made by KPN's 6.5 million users
European Commission Proposes Tough AI Regulation, Fines
Huge fines and tough rules for the 'unacceptable' use of artificial intelligence, has been proposed by European Commission
Brits Home Working Spend More Time Doing Job
Official report finds Britons working from home during Coronavirus pandemic spent more time doing unpaid work for their jobs, compared to those at offices
Fatal Tesla Crash: Elon Musk Says Autopilot Not Engaged
Tesla boss Elon Musk says Tesla Autopilot was not engaged during fatal crash in Texas, despite investigators insisting no one was driving
Apple Refreshes iPad Pro, iMac Portfolio
Spring Loaded event on Tuesday also sees Apple refreshing its iPad Pro tablet and iMac desktop product line, along with AirTag
Automation is Dead: Welcome to Hyperautomation
Describing the application of AI and ML to vastly increase the use of automation across more business processes and even augmented humans, Silicon UK assesses whether hyperautomation is the future of digital transformation and how busi ...
Apple Unveils AirTag, Apple TV 4K, Purple iPhone 12
Apple's Spring Loaded event reveals AirTag, Apple 4K TV, as well as purple iPhone 12. Other announcements include a refresh of iPad Pro and iMac range,
NASA Helicopter Makes History With First Flight On Other Planet
Historic first flight of small helicopter on an offworld planet, after NASA successfully launches small helicopter on Mars
Rural Mobile Phone Masts To Be Heightened By 20 Percent
Government efforts to tackle rural not spots will see mobile phone masts being up to five metres taller than existing rules
Apple To Readmit Parler On App Store
Controversial social media app Parler is to be allowed back into Apple's App Store after removal following US Capitol storming
Two People Die As Tesla With No Driver Crashes
Autopillot abuse? Tesla car crash in Texas kills two passengers, with police reporting that no one was actually in the driver's seat
UK Taskforce To Consider British Digital Currency
Fancy using Britcoin? Bank of England and HM Treasury taskforce is to explore the option of a central bank digital currency
Government Intervenes In ARM Sale To Nvidia, Citing National Security
UK's digital secretary issues 'public interest intervention notice' over £29bn ARM sale, citing national security implications
Tesla Settles Lawsuit Against Ex Staffer Over Source Code
Tesla settles lawsuit against former employee who allegedly copied source code the Autopilot, before leaving to join rival
Apple $200m ‘Restore Fund’ Targets Climate Change
Apple reveals $200 million investment fund called the 'Restore Fund', to remove carbon emissions and support sustainable forestry
EU’s Proposed Rules For AI Usage Leaked Online
Leaked document shows European regulators are considering ban on indiscriminate surveillance and AI use in credit scoring etc
US Hits Russia With Fresh Sanctions Over Solarwinds Hack, Expels Diplomats
President Joe Biden signs executive order and imposes more sanctions on Russia over SolarWinds hack, and expels Russian officials
Jeff Bezos Urges Amazon Staff Focus In Final Shareholder Letter
World's richest man Jeff Bezos urges Amazon to focus on its 1.3 million staff in his final letter as CEO to shareholders of the firm
Dell To Offload Ownership Stake In VMware
The valuable 81 percent ownership stake in VMware held by Dell Technologies is to be spun off, generating a $12 billion shareholder dividend
Irish Regulator Investigates Facebook Over ‘Data Leak’
After the discovery last week of a dataset of 533 million Facebook users, Irish regulator warns firm it may have broken multiple laws and begins probe
Nvidia Unveils Data Centre ARM CPU Dubbed ‘Grace’
New 'Grace' server chip from GPU giant Nvidia is designed to take the fight to Intel and AMD in the data centre CPU segment
UK Regulator Provisionally Approves Virgin, O2 Merger
CMA gives provisionally blessing to the 50/50 merger between Virgin Media and O2, after initial concerns over backhaul pricing
Bitcoin Value Reaches $63,000 Record High
The value of the Bitcoin cryptocurrency continues to fluctuate, but has now surpassed $63,000 in value - in a new record high
Iran’s Natanz Cyberattack Blamed On Israel
Second Stuxnet? Iran's Natanz nuclear facility suffered another cyberattack at the weekend, with the finger once again pointed at Israel
Google Founders Larry Page, Sergey Brin Personal Fortune Grows
Share surge in Alphabet over the past year allows founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin to join the exclusive $100 billion plus club
Apple Teases New Devices With ‘Spring Loaded’ Event
New devices to be revealed next week may include new iPads, AirTags, or even augmented reality glasses, after Apple announces 'Spring Loaded' event
Chip Shortage – Renault To Extend Idle Factories Until September
Three of Renault's four car factories in Spain will be partly idled until end of September, as silicon shortage continues to bite
NHS Website Crashes Briefly Amid Rush For Vaccine Bookings
After the government authorises Covid-19 vaccines for over 45s, NHS booking website crashes briefly under the strain
US Proposal Would Ban Big Tech Firms From Buying Anything, Ever
Proposal by US Senator Josh Hawley would permanently ban companies over $100bn in market capitalisation from all mergers and acquisitions
AI Security Firm Darktrace Plans London IPO
Darktrace, a pioneer in applying artificial intelligence techniques to cyber-security, makes first major London IPO bid following Deliveroo flop
Phone App Reminds Users To Stay Alert While Walking
Google begins rolling out Android 'digital wellness' feature that reminds users to look up from their phone while walking
NHS Covid-19 App Update Blocked Over Privacy Rules
Update to NHS' Covid-19 contact-tracing app blocked by Apple and Google over feature that would have allowed users to upload log of venues they had visited
Alibaba Makes Changes Following Record Fine
Chinese tech giant Alibaba Group lowers fees and charges for vendors following record $2.8bn fine over 'abusive' exclusivity arrangements
FBI Arrest Man Over ‘Plot To Blow Up Internet’
Texas man allegedly sought to 'kill off about 70 percent of the internet' to deal blow to 'oligarchy' by blowing up AWS buildings with C-4 explosive
Microsoft Focuses On Healthcare With $20bn AI Buy
Microsoft's purchase of speech recognition pioneer Nuance Communications gives it leading cloud AI tools that are widely used in healthcare industry
How Good is Your Enterprise’s Contingency Planning?
The recent fire at the French cloud service provider OVHcloud, which resulted in many websites going offline, illustrates the vulnerability of physical data infrastructures. Businesses often focus their attention on protecting their da ...
Apple App Store Security ‘Like Bringing Butter Knife To Gunfight’
Apple senior engineer compared App Store security to 'butter knife in a gunfight', says Epic Games as companies square off for landmark antitrust case
Judge Deals Amazon Setback In New York Labour Row
US federal judge gives Amazon setback with ruling to move New York Attorney General lawsuit back to state court, amidst broader labour controversy
US Senate Chastises Apple Over ‘Abrupt’ Testimony U-Turn
US Senate criticises Apple for 'abruptly' ending negotiations to provide testimony at upcoming competition hearing with little over two weeks' notice
Software Glitch Led To ‘Serious’ Tui Flight Incident
Investigators find 'simple' software problem due to language difference led to flight being more than one tonne heavier than expected
Neuralink Video Shows Monkey Playing Pong With Its Mind
Video posted by Elon Musk start-up Neuralink shows macaque monkey playing Pong with brain signals transmitted via wireless interface
Google Loses Dispute Over Data Centre Working Conditions
Google and contractor Modis forced to reinstate suspended worker who had complained about working conditions and discussed unionisation
Amazon Defeats Alabama Unionisation Drive
Amazon roundly defeats effort to unionise warehouse in Bessemer Alabama in battle that drew international attention to company's labour policies
HMD Revamps Budget, Midrange Nokia Handsets
Six new Nokia handsets from HMD, ranging from budget to midrange handsets with prices starting as low as 75 euros and up to 349 euros
US Blacklists Seven Chinese Supercomputing Entities
Entity list additions. US Commerce Department adds seven Chinese supercomputing entities to US blacklist, for working with Chinese military
Amazon Takes Early Lead In Historic US Vote
Historic vote at Amazon fulfilment centre in Bessemer, Alabama, sees e-commerce giant take early lead in trade union count
LinkedIn Data Of 500 Million Users Being Sold Online – Report
Scraped data of nearly half a billion LinkedIn users is being sold online, with two million records being published as proof
Apple ‘Find My’ App To Locate Third-Party Items
Wireless earbuds, electric bikes, and other third-party products can now be tracked or located using Apple's 'Find My' app
British Reseller Sues Microsoft Over Pre-owned Licences
British software reseller ValueLicensing alleges Microsoft is abusing its power over second hand software licences, and sues Redmond in High Court
Apple, Google Slammed For Links To China
Prominent tech investor and co-founder of PayPal and Palantir, Peter Thiel, criticises both Apple and Google over links to China
FTC Asks US Court Not To Grant Facebook Antitrust Dismissal Request
FTC and US states ask US federal court not to grant Facebook's request to dismiss their antitrust lawsuits filed against social networking giant
Chip Shortage Hits Apple iPad, Mac Production – Report
Production has reportedly been delayed or postponed for some Apple Macbooks and iPads due to ongoing shortage of silicon chips
Tesla Car Cameras Not Activated Outside North America
No spying. US electric car giant Tesla tells China that the cameras on its cars are not activated outside of North America
Microsoft Edge Overtakes Firefox On Desktops
Worrying development for Mozilla Foundation, as user numbers of the Firefox browser on desktop shrinks, allowing Microsoft Edge to overtake it
European Commission Suffers ‘IT Security Incident’ – Report
Cyberattack carried out last month on the IT systems of the European Commission and a number of other European Union organisations
Microsoft Submerges Servers In Boiling Liquid
Keeping it cool. After submerging a data centre in the North sea, Microsoft now submerges its servers in so called 'bath tubs'
Google Research Manager Resigns After Recent AI Firings
Timnit Gebru fallout continues at Google AI research unit, with Samy Bengio being the latest and highest profile staffer to resign from the team
Nokia, Lenovo Settle Patent Dispute
PC manufacturer Lenovo is to make an undisclosed payment in order to settle Nokia's legal action over video technology patents
Russia Extends Punitive Twitter Slowdown Into May
Russia extends punitive slowdown of Twitter services in country into next month as it tries to force social media company to delete 'illegal' posts
Cryptocurrency Market Capitalisation Hits $2tn
Market capitalisation for all cryptocurrencies surpasses $2tn, with Bitcoin alone remaining over $1tn for a full week as large investors come on board
Amazon Apologises For Denying Staff Pee In Bottles
Amazon apologises to US politician for denying its workers are at times forced to pee in bottles, amidst controversy over its labour practices
Facebook Says Massive Leak Involves ‘Old’ User Data
Facebook says public leak of personal details of 530 million users involves 'old' data from 2019, while Irish data protection office promises action
Google Wins Over Oracle In Decade-Long Case
US Supreme Court hands victory to Google in decade-long spat with Oracle over search giant's use of Java SE API code in Android
LG Quits Smartphone Business, Citing Losses
LG, which introduced first-ever capacitive touchscreen smartphone, to stop making phones after failing to compete against Apple and Samsung
US Labour Officials Find Amazon Illegally Fired Internal Critics
US labour officials find Amazon illegally retaliated against two staff who led protests over company's environmental and pandemic safety practices
Deliveroo Flop Raises Questions For London Tech IPOs
Questions raised over Deliveroo pricing strategy after biggest London IPO in a decade delivers biggest flop in recent memory
Snapchat Owner ‘Explored Ways’ Of Violating Apple’s Privacy Rules
Snap, owner of Snapchat, admits it conducted tests into tech that could bypass Apple's privacy controls to track iPhone users
Lawyers In Huawei Extradition Case Argue Against US ‘Power Grab’
Extradition hearings for Huawei chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou enter final weeks as her lawyers argue against US imposing 'limitless jurisdiction'
Tencent’s Timi Studios ‘Made $10bn’ In 2020
Tencent's Timi Studios, developer of Call of Duty Mobile, reportedly brought in $10bn in revenues last year, possibly making it world's biggest games developer
Tesla Posts Record Deliveries, Beating Expectations
Tesla posts record electric vehicle deliveries for first quarter, as strong demand for less-expensive models offsets global chip shortage
Apple’s Siri No Longer Uses Female Voice By Default
Apple ends default choice of female voice for Siri, as Microsoft pulls plug on Cortana for Android and iOS
Uber Ordered To Pay $1.1m To Disabled Passenger
Uber found legally liable for discrimination against drivers' discrimination against blind passenger and her guide dog, in spite of contractor status
LG Likely To Exit Smartphone Market – Report
Decision reportedly already made by LG management to stop selling smartphones, and pull out of mobile communication sector altogether
Apple Details Carbon Neutral Progress, Announces Energy Storage Project
New energy storage project for Apple, as it aims to achieve totally carbon neutral supply chain and products by 2030 deadline
Microsoft 365 Restored After Outage
Problems with Microsoft 365 and Teams have been resolved Microsoft confirms, after outage on Thursday for thousands of people
CMA Deepens Probe Of Facebook Giphy Deal, After No Concessions
Facebook refuses to offer any antitrust concessions over Giphy acquisition, prompting in-depth probe by UK competition watchdog
TSMC Pledges $100 Billion Over Three Years, For ‘Advanced’ Chip Making
Mammoth investment over three years to bolster advanced chip making, in order to keep up with rising demand, amid the global silicon shortage
Microsoft Kills Cortana iOS, Android App
Protracted death of digital assistant continues, as Redmond officially pulls support for the Cortana apps on the Android and iOS platforms
Google Reopens ‘Limited’ Offices, As It Restricts Remote Working
Google is ramping up the partial re-opening of its offices in the US, but places restrictions on remote working in the future
Microsoft Wins US Army Contract For Augmented Reality Headsets
Win for HoloLens technology, as Microsoft signs ten year contract with US Army worth $21.9 billion for augmented reality headsets
Facebook Removes Donald Trump Interview Video
Nope, you are still banned. Video of interview with former US President Donald Trump removed from his daughter-in-law Facebook page