News

Samsung says it will build $17B chip factory in Texas

Samsung said it plans to build a $17 billion semiconductor factory outside of Austin, Texas, amid a global shortage of chips used in phones, cars and other electronic devices. “This is the largest foreign direct investment in the state of Texas, ever,” Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said in announcing the project Tuesday. Samsung said it […]

Coalition of States Examines Instagram’s Psychological Effect on Teens

A coalition of states attorneys general launched Thursday an investigation into Instagram’s ways of attracting and affecting the younger generation, especially younger girls, in their latest attempt to harshen regulatory scrutiny on Meta Platforms Inc, according to The Wall Street Journal. The examination into the social networking platform led by eight states, with Massachusetts and Nebraska […]

U.S.-Taiwan meeting covers semiconductor chip shortage, China coercion

Taiwan’s Economy Minister Wang Mei-Hua revealed on Tuesday that the U.S. discussed with its country potential plans to address the semiconductor chip shortage, in addition to finding the needed approaches to counter China’s economic “coercion.” During the second session of an economic dialogue initiated last year, the discussion followed a week after a virtual meeting […]

GM exploring electric boats, buys 25% stake in engine maker

General Motors is testing the water in electric boating by buying a 25% stake in a Seattle company that makes battery-powered outboard motors. The Detroit automaker said Monday that it bought the stake in Pure Watercraft for a venture that it says will develop and commercialize battery electric watercraft. Pure Watercraft, founded in 2011, is […]

Asian stocks mixed after late slump on Wall Street

Asian shares were mixed Tuesday after a late drop left major Wall Street indexes mostly lower. Tokyo was closed Tuesday for a holiday. Hong Kong and Seoul declined while Shanghai advanced. Market players appeared to be relieved to learn that President Joe Biden will nominate Jerome Powell for a second four-year term at the helm […]

EU opens door to giving aid for semiconductor production

The European Commission said Thursday that it could approve aid to fund production of semiconductors in the 27-nation bloc amid a global chip shortage and intense worldwide competition to fill the need. The EU’s executive arm expects that the scarcity of semiconductors — a key component in everything from smartphones to cars — will last, […]

Alibaba shares drop as rivals’ rise, warns from consumer spree shift

E-commerce giant Alibaba Group’s shares plummeted on Thursday in both New York and Hong Kong listings by more than 10 percent, following the giant’s drastic cut in sales, led by slow growth in China’s consumer spending.  Following the quarterly results, Alibaba revealed expectations of reaching a 20 to 30 percent rise in sales in the […]

U.S. Congress examines China tech bill

U.S. Congress leaders revealed on Wednesday that lawmakers are working on a draft to discuss a definitive settlement on a bill to elevate semiconductor manufacturing and U.S. technology rivalry with China. The Senate and the House of Representatives leaders declared their latest tactic to heighten the country’s technological empowerment margin. Democratic New York Senator and […]

Hate speech in Myanmar continues to thrive on Facebook

Years after coming under scrutiny for contributing to ethnic and religious violence in Myanmar, Facebook still has problems detecting and moderating hate speech and misinformation on its platform in the Southeast Asian nation, internal documents viewed by The Associated Press show. Three years ago, the company commissioned a report that found Facebook was used to […]