UK start-up backer Tech Nation to shut down operations after government awards critical grant to Barclays digital incubator
TECHNOLOGY POWERING BUSINESS
January 2023
US Justice Department Requests Tesla Self-Driving Documents
Tesla says US Justice Department has requested document related to Autopilot and 'Full Self-Driving' systems amidst regulatory scrutiny
China Start-Up ‘Delivers Quantum Computer’
A Chinese start-up has reportedly developed and delivered a working quantum computer, in a move likely to add to US unease
Spotify Beats Estimates, But Losses Soar
Spotify beats analysts' estimates on user and subscriber growth, but podcast investment strategy sees ballooning losses
Gartner Sees Further Smartphone, PC Sales Slide In 2023
Gartner study projects second straight year of decline in smartphones and PC sales, with demand recovering later in the year
Samsung Chip Business Posts Profit Plunge
Samsung to continue investing in chip production capacity even as it sees poor conditions for first half of year
US ‘Stops Providing’ Huawei Export Licences
US Commerce Department reportedly stops providing export licences for Huawei, in move that could have dire consequences for Chinese firm
Facebook Parent Seeks To Block £3bn UK Lawsuit
Facebook parent Meta seeks to block £3bn UK collective legal action claiming company abusively profited from users' personal data
TikTok Chief Chew To Testify Before US Congress
TikTok chief executive Shou Zi Chew to testify before US House of Representatives in March as lawmakers consider national app ban
Blacklisted China Chip Giant YMTC Cuts ‘Hundreds’ Of Staff
Chinese memory giant YMTC reportedly cutting up to 10 percent of workforce after being placed on US Entity List in December
JD Sports Cyber-Attack Affects Data Of 10 Million Customers
JD Sports says hackers may have accessed the personal data of 10 million customers following a breach of its systems
Japan, Netherlands ‘Join US China Chip Sanctions’
Japan and the Netherlands reportedly join in US campaign to limit China's access to advanced chipmaking equipment following top-level talks
Council Of Europe Warns Over Data Protection Rights
Council of Europe warns 'bleak' international picture invites erosion of human rights including data protection, amidst consumer concerns
Charities Criticise Move To Shut Down AmazonSmile
Charities criticise Amazon for surprise decision to shut down AmazonSmile donation programme that it said was 'spread too thin'
DevOps Live 2023
Data Centre World 2023
Cloud & Cyber Security Expo 2023
Cloud Expo Europe 2023
Big Data & AI World 2023
US Seizes Servers Of Prolific Ransomware Gang Hive
FBI has hacked the hackers, after it “covertly infiltrated Hive Network, thwarting over $130m in ransom demands”
Twitter Partners With Ad Verification Firms To Appease Advertisers
Twitter says it will team up with two digital ad verification companies, in a further attempt to attract advertisers back to platform
NASA And DARPA To Develop Nuclear Rocket Engines For Mars
Partnership between NASA and DARPA seeks to develop nuclear thermal rocket engine for upcoming Mars missions
NCSC Warns State-Linked Hackers In Russia, Iran Are Targeting UK
Hacking groups linked to hostile states are conducting sophisticated campaigns against UK politicians and media, warns UK's cyber guardian
US FAA Grounds Contractors Involved In Computer Outage
American aviation regulator withdraws system access from contractors involved in computer outage that halted American flights
Smartphone Shipments Plunge In Largest Ever Decline
Worrying development. Shipments of new smartphones plunged 18.3 percent in Q4 2022, with total shipment in 2022 down to 2013 levels
IBM And SAP To Cut Thousands Of Jobs
Two more tech players announce culling of thousands of jobs, with IBM letting go 3,900 positions and SAP cutting 3,000
Meta To Reinstate Donald Trump Facebook, Instagram Accounts
Donald Trump regains more social media accounts, after two year ban for inciting an insurrection at US Capitol
Tesla To Invest $3.6 Billion In Nevada Expansion
Multi billion dollar investment will add two factories to Tesla's Nevada Gigafactory complex for battery and semi electric truck production
Recharge Industries Makes Surprise Bid For Britishvolt – Report
Aussie battery startup Recharge Industries reportedly makes non-binding offer for collapsed UK battery firm Britishvolt
Twitter Ad Spending Fell Over 70 Percent In December – Report
New data suggests advertisers continue to shun Elon Musk's Twitter, as another report states there are now just 550 engineers remaining
UK Watchdog Opens Investigation Of $61bn Broadcom-VMware Buy
After initial review of Broadcom’s $61 billion (£51bn) acquisition of VMware, UK regulator confirms phase 1 investigation
US DoJ Sues Google Over Online Ad Domination
US DoJ, plus eight US states, sue Alphabet's Google for its dominance in online advertising market, amid calls for it to be broken up
LastPass Owner GoTo Confirms Hackers Stole Customers’ Backups
It gets worse. Confirmation from LastPass owner GoTo that hackers stole encrypted backups and encryption key for portion of them
Microsoft Investigates Outage With Teams, Outlook
Thousands of users are reporting problems accessing Microsoft services on Wednesday, as firm says it is investigating
Sweden To Upgrade Nvidia-Powered Berzelius Supercomputer
Sweden to add more Nvidia systems to Berzelius supercomputer, turning it into one of world's most powerful AI systems
EU Lawmakers Approve ‘Prohibitive’ Crypto Rules
European Union lawmakers vote to approve draft law that includes 'prohibitive' restrictions for banks holding crypto assets
Crypto Exchange Bizlato ‘Laundered 1bn Euros’ In Crime Funds
Europol says little-known crypto exchange Bizlato laundered some 1 billion euros in crime-linked funds, after arrests of executive team
Spotify To Cut 6 Percent Of Staff
Music-streaming service Spotify to cut 6 percent of staff after chief executive admits being 'too ambitious' with spending during pandemic
Microsoft Seals Multi-Billion Dollar Deal With OpenAI
Microsoft expands relationship with start-up OpenAI in multi-billion dollar deal, in major bet that AI can transform its offerings
Musk Tells Court Tesla Tweet Not A ‘Joke’
Elon Musk tells San Francisco court he tweeted about taking Tesla private in 2018 after meeting with Saudi investment fund, not as a 'joke'
Refurbished versus Remanufactured: What’s the Difference and Why Does it Matter?
Second-hand products have seen a surge in popularity of late as businesses and consumers alike look to save money and live more sustainably. The technology industry hasn’t been without its own mini revolution, seeing refurbished goods ...
Ofcom Opens Probe Into BT Customer Contracts
Telecoms regulator Ofcom to investigate BT and subsidiaries EE and Plusnet over potential lack of clarity in customer contracts
Turning the Unamazing into the Amazing
How can businesses meet the demands of digital-savvy customers and push the boundaries of CX.
Hackers Access Thousands Of PayPal Accounts
PayPal says hackers accessed nearly 35,000 accounts in early December using valid passwords obtained from breaches of other websites
German Regulator Opens PayPal Competition Probe
Germany's Federal Cartel Office opens investigation into PayPal Europe over concerns company is blocking competition
Twitter Shuts Down Third-Party Clients In Policy Shift
Twitter officially changes developer policy following technical changes that abruptly shut down most third-party clients
Musk Says Twitter To Launch Ad-Free Subscription
Elon Musk says Twitter to offer premium subscription tier without advertising, as company seeks new revenue sources
Netherlands, Japan ‘Set To Join’ US’ China Chip Sanctions
Netherlands, Japan reportedly preparing to impose restrictions on chip equipment exports to China after meeting with US president Joe Biden
US Prosecutors Sieze $700m From FTX’s Bankman-Fried
US prosecutors sieze $700m from FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried amidst fraud charges, as current chief considers restarting bankrupt platform
Google Parent Alphabet To Cut 12,000 Jobs
Google parent Alphabet to cut 12,000 jobs worldwide, as tech companies forced to scale back following pandemic-era 'hypergrowth'
Silicon UK In Focus Podcast: Smart Spaces for Successful Remote Working
Learn how the growing tech to create smart homes can help businesses create intelligent working environments in-house and for remote workforces.
Google Delays Portion Of Bonus Payments To Staff
Alphabet is to defer a portion of the bonus given to staff until later in the year - in a move that surprises the workforce
T-Mobile Confirms Hacker Stole Data Of 37 Million Customers
Not again. American mobile operator T-Mobile confirms customer data for 37 million users compromised by hacker
Crypto Lender Genesis Files For Chapter 11
Another victim of the fallout from FTX collapse, as crypto lender Genesis files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection
Twitter Plans More Staff Layoffs – Report
Weeks after Elon Musk tells Twitter staff there will be no further layoffs, comes report of more redundancies
Feds Arrest Russian Founder Of Crypto Exchange Bitzlato
Bitzlato crypto exchange founder arrested in US for money laundering, and charged with $700m financial crimes
Donald Trump Petitions Meta To Restore Facebook Account
Lawyers for Donald Trump petition Meta Platforms to restore his Facebook account, after his ban for 2021 Capitol attack
Elon Musk ‘Lied’ With Tesla Privatisation Tweet, Alleges Attorney
Trial begins in San Francisco between Elon Musk and Tesla shareholders over his controversial “privatisation” tweet in 2018
Safe Homes: Security Tech for Remote Workers
With remote mass working now the norm, and as the threat perimeter moves to wherever each employee chooses to work from, what digital security approaches must all enterprises have in place?
Tech Executives Face Prison For Online Safety Breaches
UK Government reaches agreement with Conservative MPs who had sought to amend the controversial Online Safety Bill
Microsoft Confirms It Will Axe 10,000 Jobs
Software giant Microsoft adds to the glut of job losses occurring within the tech sector, after it confirms 10,000 jobs are to go
Apple Postpones AR Glasses Launch – Report
Launch of Apple's long-rumoured augmented reality headset will still take place this year, but the AR glasses launch has been shelved
FTX Claims $415m Crypto Was Hacked
FTX has now identified roughly $5.5 billion worth of digital assets for recovery, but said $415m has been hacked
Twitter Revenue Down 40 Percent, As 500 Advertisers Pause Spending
Report that more than 500 advertisers have paused spending with Twitter, and it's daily revenue is 40 percent down from a year ago
Apple Launches MacBook Pro With Upgraded M2 Chips
“Game-changing performance and the longest battery life ever in a Mac” are two of the Apple promises with new MacBook Pro
Microsoft To Cut Thousands Of Jobs – Report
Software giant Microsoft said to be finalising plans to axe 11,000 positions, in latest job cull in tech industry
Twitter Auctions Off Office Furniture, Fixtures And Fittings
Surplus to requirements or cost cutting? Elon Musk is selling office furniture, coffee machines, and even statue of famous bird logo
Tesla Executive Admits Self-Driving Video Was Staged
Damaging development? 2016 video used by Elon Musk to promote Tesla's self-driving tech was staged, senior engineer testifies
Britishvolt Calls In Administrators, After Months Of Struggle
Despite staff at battery start-up Britishvolt in Northumberland taking a pay cut last year, the firm has now filed for administration
Foxconn Replaces Head Of iPhone Assembly – Report
Veteran in charge of Foxconn's assembly of Apple iPhones has been replaced, after disruption at the giant Zhengzhou factory last year
Dutch Minister Queries Compliance Over US Chinese Export Controls
The Netherlands will not summarily accept new US restrictions on exporting chip-making technology to China, minister warns
Bank of England Governor Questions Need For Digital Pound
Not surprising. Crypto critic and Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey questions need for a digital pound
Largest European Rare Earth Deposit Found In Sweden
Vital material for mobile phones and electric vehicles found in Sweden to help end dependent on Chinese suppliers
YouTube Tests Free Ad-Supported Streaming Channels
Alphabet's YouTube is reportedly testing free ad-supported TV channels to challenge the likes of Roku and others
TikTok Banned On State Devices In Kentucky
Pressure grows on ByteDance, as Kentucky becomes latest US state to ban popular video app TikTok from governmental devices
Twitter Offers Free Adverts To Major Brands – Report
Elon Musk's plan to turn around collapse in Twitter ad revenues reportedly sees platform offering free ads to existing advertising brands
Crypto.com Axes 20 Percent Of Staff
After the FTX collapse, Singapore's cryptocurrency exchange Crypto.com announces restructuring and axes staff
Tesla Cuts EV Prices In US, UK, Europe
Elon Musk's Tesla continues to cut prices of its electric vehicles, amid slowing demand and huge share price decline
Tim Cook Agrees To Huge Pay Cut
Apple acts on Tim Cook's recommendation and severely reduces his salary, but the CEO will still take home nearly $50 million
Ericsson Provision Filing Hints At Smaller Fine Over Iraq Conduct
Swedish telecoms giant sets aside $220m for a potential fine, amid US investigation into Ericsson’s conduct in Iraq in 2019
Amazon Staten Island Union Victory Upheld By Federal Board
Historic trade union victory at at Amazon’s Staten Island warehouse last year has been upheld, but Amazon said it will appeal again
Twitter Says No Evidence Data Leak Originated From Its Servers
Data on 200 million Twitter users posted online by hacker did not come from a Twitter vulnerability, platform insists
Apple Maps Receives Big Update To Help Local Businesses
Notable update to Apple Maps allows for addition of detailed business listings, photos, buttons and promotions across Apple ecosystem
ARM London Listing Sought By PM Rishi Sunak – Report
British government reportedly makes fresh attempt to convince ARM owner Softbank for public listing in London
Alphabet Unit Verily To Axe 15 Percent Of Staff – Report
Verily is to axe 15 percent of its workforce as it reportedly seeks to distance itself from Google owner Alphabet
Elon Musk Breaks World Record For Loss Of Personal Fortune
But will he care?. Largest ever loss of a personal fortune by Elon Musk has been confirmed by Guinness World Records
Royal Mail Admits Disruption From ‘Cyber Incident’
UK's Royal Mail warns it is “temporarily unable to despatch items to overseas destinations”, after confirmation of 'cyber incident'
FTX Recovers $5bn In ‘Liquid’ Assets
Potential good news for customers, as lawyers for FTX say at least $5 billion of liquid assets have been recovered
Amazon ‘Fully Committed’ To Alexa Despite Job Losses, Says Hardware Boss
Hardware boss insists Amazon is still committed to its Alexa voice assistant, despite major restructuring and job losses
Tesla Seeks $776m Expansion Of Texas Gigafactory
After China factory issues, application is filed to expand Tesla gigafactory in Texas, costing hundreds of millions of dollars
US Grounds Flights After FAA System Outage
Widespread aviation disruption in the United States after Federal Aviation Administration pilot safety system goes offline
Microsoft Abandons Dual-Screen Surface Duo 3 – Report
Another mobile change for Redmond? Next dual-screen phone from Microsoft will reportedly boast a foldable screen design
Twitter Makes More Cuts To Trust, Safety Teams – Report
Is there anyone left to sack? Owner Elon Musk reportedly makes more layoffs to Twitter’s trust and safety teams
UK Mulls Cryptocurrency Version Of Sterling
Government minister confirms UK is progressing a digital pound, following similar digital currency moves in India, Taiwan and elsewhere
Amazon To Close Three UK Warehouses
Amazon to close three UK warehouses this year as it plans to lay off 18,000 employees worldwide, following pandemic-era spending spree
Apple ‘To Replace Key Broadcom Part’ In iPhone
Apple reportedly set to begin using its own combined Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chip in significant blow to chipmaker Broadcom
Chipmaker TSMC Misses Revenue Estimates As Demand Slows
Taiwanese chipmaking giant TSMC expected to report lower-than-expected revenues amidst slowing demand for electronics
First-Ever UK Satellite Launch Ends In Failure
First-ever satellite launch from UK soil ends in failure after 'anomaly' affects Virgin Orbit LauncherOne rocket
YouTuber Apologises For Failed NFT Project CryptoZoo
Popular YouTuber Logan Paul apologises over failure of CryptoZoo NFT project after investigation calls it a 'scam'
Study: Nine In Ten UK Game Sales Went Digital In 2022
Industry figures find nearly nine in ten video game sales were digital downloads last year, amidst pandemic-inspired home entertainment surge
UK Sees Massive Rise In Class Actions Targeting Tech Titans
UK class actions rise sixfold from 2021 to 2022, with tech multinationals such as Apple, Google and Sony sued for tens of billions
Jack Ma Prepares To Cede Control Of Ant Group
Chinese billionaire Jack Ma to cede control of fintech giant Ant Group in move to end long period of regulatory limbo
Meta To Remove Material Praising Brazil Riots
Facebook parent Meta says it will remove material in favour of weekend riots in Brazil that saw protesters invade Congress and Supreme Court
Samsung Profit Drops 69 Percent Amidst Chip Slump
Samsung Electronics expects operating profit drop of 69 percent year-on-year for fourth quarter amidst lower electronics demand
China Tesla Buyers Protest After Sudden Price Cuts
Hundreds of recent Tesla buyers in China gather to protest at Tesla sites after missing out on fresh price reductions
China Ex-Official Publicly Shamed Over Crypto Corruption
Former high-ranking Chinese government official apologises in television broadcast for helping cover up crypto-mining amidst crackdown
US Bank Silvergate Covers $8bn In Crypto Withdrawals
US bank Silvergate hit by more than $8 billion in customer crypto withdrawals in late 2022 amidst 'rapid changes' in industry
Wikimedia Denies ‘Infiltration’ By Saudi Spies
Wikimedia Foundation denies Wikipedia was infiltrated by Saudi agents after report by Middle East human rights groups
WhatsApp To Bypass Regime Internet Shutdowns
Iran, China blow? Internet shutdowns by authoritarian regimes will not prevent WhatsApp users from messaging, Meta confirms
Hacker Posts Twitter Emails Of 200 Million Users Online
Researcher claims hackers stole the email addresses of more than 200 million Twitter users and posted the data on hacking forum
Qualcomm Partners Iridium For Satellite-Based Messaging On Android
Bye-bye mobile not-spots? Partnership will deliver satellite-based messaging for premium handsets running Android OS
Court Rules Celsius Network Owns Customer Crypto Assets
Legal setback for customers of bankrupt Celsius Network, after US judges rules firm owns most of the deposited cryptocurrency
CES 2023: Sony, Honda Officially Unveils Afeela EV Concept
Gaming meets mobility. Sony Honda Mobility reveals its first electric vehicle concept at CES 2023 show in Las Vegas
Meta Blow As Irish Watchdog Confirms Hefty Fine
Facebook parent Meta may be prohibited from using personal data for advertising, after EU ruling and Irish fine
Twitter’s Last Pre-Musk Executives Resign
Katie Marcotte, a 10-year Twitter veteran and it's acting head of human resources, plus product engineering head Behnam Rezaei, have resigned
Amazon To Axe More Than 18,000 Jobs
E-commerce giant Amazon is to axe thousands more staff than previous reported, as major layoffs continue in early 2023
Salesforce To Axe more Than 10,000 Staff
More bad news for Salesforce staffers, as Marc Benioff confirms firm will again axe employees, this time 10 percent of workforce
Foxconn’s ‘iPhone City’ Factory Production At ‘Nearly Full Capacity’ – Report
Manufacturing at the world's largest iPhone factory is back to near full capacity, Chinese state media has reported
Twitter Eases Political Ad Restrictions Amid Falling Revenue
Free speech or needing the money? Elon Musk overturns Jack Dorsey's 2019 ban on all political advertising on the platform
Apple Raises Battery Replacement Costs For Older iPhones
Attempt to encourage users to upgrade to newer iPhone models? Apple raises cost of replacing an out-of-warranty iPhone battery
Microsoft Officially Recognises First Ever Union
More unionisation among tech workforces. Staff at one of Microsoft's recent billion dollar plus acquisitions form trade union
FTX’s Sam Bankman-Fried Pleads Not Guilty To Fraud Charges
Faced a possible 115 years in prison, FTX's Sam Bankman-Fried pleads not guilty to fraud charges, as trial is slated for October
Apple Market Value Drops Below $2 Trillion
Share price decline continues in 2023 as Apple's market value slips below $2 trillion, after it was the first to reach $3 trillion milestone
Google ‘Developing Free Moderation Tool’ For Smaller Sites
Google subsidiary Jigsaw developing free tool to help smaller websites identify and remove extremist materials, as new content laws take effect
South Korea Fines Tesla £1.8m Over Cold Weather Range Loss
Tesla fined £1.8m in South Korea for failing to inform consumers its electric cars lose significant range in freezing weather
Tesla ‘Promotes China Head’ To Global Role
Tesla reportedly promotes head of China Tom Zhu to global role overseeing delivery in major markets and production at key plants
CES 2023: German Bionic Shows Upgraded Exoskeleton
German Bionic to show next-gen AI-powered Apogee exoskeleton for manual workers at CES 2023, following launch of Cray X last year
CES 2023: Japanese Start-Up Shows Unique Smart Home Interface
Ahead of CES 2023 Japanese start-up Mui Lab shows smart-home interface concept that takes form of a block of wood
South Korea Looks To Expand Tax Cuts For Chip Firms
South Korean government wants to expand capex tax cuts for chip companies to as high as 25 percent in revision of bill passed only last week
Silicon UK In Focus Podcast: The Data Dividend
Is the latest drive to use data to deliver tangible change across public services likely to succeed? And how can your business take advantage of the data dividend?
Tesla Ships Record 1.3 Million Cars In 2022
Tesla ships record 1.3 million cars in 2022, up 40 percent from the previous year, but misses Wall Street targets amidst demand concerns
Meta Plans Decision On Facebook Trump Ban
Meta planning decision this month on whether to continue banning Donald Trump from Facebook after reinstatement on Twitter
Russia To Ban Remote Work Abroad
Upcoming Russian law would ban some professions from remote working outside the country, as hundreds of thousands flee Ukraine conflict
Alibaba Prospects ‘Brighter’ After Long Regulatory Crackdown
Alibaba's prospects look 'better' this year, say analysts, after two years of pressure from regulators and slower consumer spending
Apple iPhone Sales Revised Downward Amidst Supply Chaos
Analyst decreases expected iPhone sales for 2022 and first quarter of 2023 as main iPhone plant remains below 70 percent capacity
Royal Mail Apologises After Hours-Long Digital Outage
Royal Mail apologises after outage left customers unable to access digital services via web or app for several hours last week
Twitter Sued As It Stops Paying Rent On Office Space
San Francisco landlord sues Twitter after it stops paying rent on headquarters and other offices, amidst wide-ranging cuts
Twitter Faces Probe After Data On 400m Users Offered For Sale
Ireland data commission to investigate after hacker offers information from 400 million Twitter accounts for sale