Xiaomi to start mass production of electric vehicles by early 2024

BEIJING, OCT 20: Chinese smartphone major Xiaomi announced on Tuesday that the company would begin mass production of its electric vehicles by the first half of 2024.

The news was revealed by the company's Chief Executive Officer Lei Jun at an investor day meeting.

The news was also later confirmed by Zang Ziyuan, a director in Xiaomi's international marketing department, who posted the news on his verified Weibo account.

In March this year, Xiaomi announced its foray into the electric car market and revealed plans to invest 10 billion dollars in the business over a period of 10 years.

Later in September, the company officially registered Xiaomi EV, Inc, its electric vehicles brand.

The electric vehicle business has employed 300 people and they were selected from among more than 20,000 applicants.

Xiaomi EV will set up its first plant for the mass production of electric vehicle cars in the Beijing suburb of Yizhuang. The electric vehicle brand is headed by CEO Lei himself.

Commenting on the developments, Lei Jun said: "The release of an electric car is not a PR stunt. It so happened that cars from ordinary means of transportation have turned into smart and technological devices.

"The advent of the electric car is another step in building your own ecosystem, where everything is focusing on comfort and improving the user experience."

The race to dominate China's electric vehicle market is heating up with not only Xiaomi but other brands like search engine Baidu also announcing a standalone EV company in January and appointing a CEO thereafter.

Names like Nio, Xpeng and Elon Musk' Tesla are also forces to reckon with when the Xiaomi electric vehicle debuts in the market.

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Courtesy anews

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Apple expected to unveil new Macs with more powerful chips

 

Cupertino, OCT 18: Analysts expect Apple Inc to unveil new Mac laptop computers with more powerful processor chips at an event that will be streamed later Monday.

Bloomberg has previously reported that Apple plans to release two new MacBook Pro models with 14-inch and 16-inch screens. The Cupertino, California-based company introduced some new laptop models last year that for the first time used its “Apple Silicon” chips, which it said would be phased into the company’s desktop and laptop lineup over the course of two years.

Before Monday, Apple’s most powerful laptops still relied on chips from Intel Corp. The company has already placed a first generation in-house-designed M1 chip into some MacBooks as well as its Mac Mini and iMac desktop machines, but the new larger MacBook Pro models are expected to feature a second, more powerful generation of the company’s chip.

The new chip, along with a general rise in laptop sales as employees and students stocked up on tech hardware to work and learn from home, prompted a boom in Mac sales during the pandemic. Revenue rose 11% to $28.6 billion in Apple’s fiscal 2020, even as iPhone revenue declined 3%.

The expected MacBook Pro introduction comes weeks after Apple overhauled its iPhone, Apple Watch and iPad lineup.

Some analysts believe Apple on Monday will also update its AirPods wireless ear buds, though rumors of an update have circulated ahead of other Apple events this year without coming to pass. Add-on devices like AirPods tend to be large sellers during holiday shopping seasons and have become one of Apple’s fastest-growing categories, with its home and accessories segment growing 25% to $30.6 billion in Apple’s fiscal 2020.

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Microsoft for Startups’ GrowthX Accelerator program kicks off in Pakistan

• The program announces its first cohort of 15 start-ups that will work with partners such as Etihad Airways, Unilever, Flow, Akbank, KPMG and IKEA.

ISLAMABAD, OCT 14: Microsoft today, in partnership with the Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO), inaugurated the first cohort of its GrowthX Accelerator program in Pakistan.

“Abu Dhabi is focused on empowering startups that can create a lasting impact in the digital economy,” said M. Ali Al Shorafa, Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development.“

As a founding partner of GrowthX Accelerator, ADIO is partnering with Microsoft to empower visionary entrepreneurs with the technology, mentoring and market access they need to get off the ground. 

ADIO’s work with Microsoft will accelerate innovation and boost entrepreneurship, in line with Abu Dhabi’s unwavering commitment to support the private sector.”

As part of a larger strategic partnership between ADIO and Microsoft, GrowthX Accelerator is designed to bridge the gap between corporates and B2B startups across the Middle East and Africa by connecting startups with large corporations.

The 12-week program empowers B2B startups with the technology, mentoring and market access they need to solve the corporate partners’ unique challenges and problem statements.

“Startups are now in the driver’s seat to fulfilling their potential through the GrowthX Accelerator. It is exhilarating to facilitate an empowering experience for B2B startups to make the most of the technology, mentoring, and access to the market that this program will provide,” said Roberto Croci, Managing Director, Microsoft for Startups, MEA. 

“Alongside our partners, we look forward to enabling our first cohort of B2B startups to compete at the highest level, and in hopes of transforming the region into a globally leading hub for technology and entrepreneurship.”

The first cohort consists of 15 startups that will hit the ground running, offering breakthrough solutions that meet corporate clients’ challenges and requirements. These include:

•    Spitch – a global provider of B2B and B2C Conversational AI solutions.

•    Gener8 – enables users to control and be rewarded from their own data.

•    Poltio – helps the world’s top brands engage and learn from their users with interactive content.

•    Getbee – an ecommerce platform that engages with customers on a more human and immersive level.

•    OPLOG –a pioneer in e-logistics, simplifying the cost, time and resources for supply chain operations.

•    Fero –shaping the future of digital freight with technology to automate the logistics industry,

•    Urbantz – a SaaS solution to transform last mile delivery and logistics across industries.

•    Barakatech – delivers super-app platforms, blockchain solutions, and next-gen FinTech micro services.

•    Hi55 – a digital payroll scheme to empower individuals and businesses with cash flow.

•    Nym Card – provides dynamic and secure building blocks for building fast and easy card programs.

•    Artiwise – an AI and NLP startup that provides cloud-based analytics solutions to enterprises.

•    B2Brain – delivers tailored analytics to automate research and intelligence to improve conversations.

•    Alpha Sense – an intelligence platform that helps businesses make data-driven decisions.

•    NexDegree – enables brick & mortar retail stores to improve customer experience and sales.

•    Udentify – reduces the need for manmade market research, utilizing body tracking technologies.

Microsoft for Startups is working with Etihad Airways, Unilever, Flow, Akbank, KPMG and IKEA in the first cohort as Corporate Engagement Partners. 

B2B startups will work with these partners directly for the duration of the program, to ultimately co-create technology solutions that address the corporate partners’ challenges.

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Amazon to take team-wise approach on remote work policy

WASHINGTON, OCT 12: Amazon.com Inc will let individual teams decide for how many days corporate employees would be expected to work from office in a week, Chief Executive Officer Andy Jassy said in a message to employees on Monday.

Earlier, Amazon's policy required for employees to return to office from Jan. 3 for at least three days a week.

In his message that was posted on Amazon's blog, Jassy said the company's corporate employees will be permitted to work up to four weeks per year fully remotely from any location within the country of employment.

Amazon, one of the largest private employers in the United States, would also require its employees to be close enough to their teams to be able to make it to meetings at a day's notice.

The company, which started on-site vaccinations for its frontline employees in the United States in March, has taken to a flexible approach to reopening like tech peer Microsoft Corp, which said it would take a site-by-site approach to U.S. office reopenings.

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Germany unveils first self-driving train

BERLIN, OCT 11: German rail operator Deutsche Bahn and industrial group Siemens on Monday unveiled the world’s first automated, driverless train in the city of Hamburg, billing it as more punctual and energy efficient than traditional trains.

Four such trains will join the northern city’s S-Bahn rapid urban rail network and start carrying passengers from December, using the existing rail infrastructure.

Other cities like Paris have driverless metros while airports often have automated monorail trains plying terminals, but those run on exclusive single tracks while the Hamburg train will be sharing tracks with other regular trains.

The project, which Siemens and Deutsche Bahn called a “world first”, is part of a 60 million euro ($70 million) modernisation of Hamburg’s rapid urban rail system.

Deutsche Bahn CEO Richard Lutz said automated trains offer “a more reliable” service “without having to lay a single kilometre of new track”.

“We are making rail transport more intelligent,” said Siemens CEO Roland Busch, estimating that automated trains can transport “up to 30 percent more passengers, significantly improve punctuality and save more than 30 percent energy”.

Although the train is controlled through digital technology and fully automated, a driver will still be present to supervise journeys whenever there are passengers on board, the companies said in a statement.

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