India now OpenAI’s second largest market, Altman says

FILE PHOTO: OpenAI CEO Sam Altman speaks during a press conference with Kakao CEO Chung Shina to announce partnerships on AI services, in Seoul, South Korea, February 4, 2025. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji/File Photo(Reuters) -OpenAI CEO Sam Altman on Wednesday said India is now OpenAI’s second-largest market by number of users, which have tripled in the past year.Altman met with India’s IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and discussed India’s plan of creating a low-cost AI ecosystem. Altman lauded the country’s rapid AI adoption and growing ambitions.Vaishnaw posted on X that he had a “super cool discussion” with Altman on India’s “strategy of creating the entire AI stack – GPUs, model, and apps” and that OpenAI was willing to collaborate on all three.“I think India should be doing everything. I think India should be one of the leaders of the AI revolution”, Altman said, a reversal from last year when he cast doubt on whether the country could build a substantial model in the OpenAI space with a $10 million budget.It was Altman’s first visit since 2023 to India, where his company faces legal challenges.Vaishnaw last week praised Chinese startup DeepSeek for shaking up the sector with its low-cost AI assistant, likening its frugal approach to his government’s efforts to build a localised AI model.“Our country sent a mission to the moon at a fraction...

Read More........→March 18, 2025

India’s e-waste offers $6 billion economic opportunity: Report

Bengaluru, (IANS): There is an estimated economic potential of $6 billion from recoverable materials through metal extraction as India’s e-waste holds a great economic opportunity, a report said on Friday.India is now the world’s third-largest e-waste producer, after China and the US. The country’s e-waste has doubled from 2 million metric tonnes (MMT) in FY14 to 3.8 MMT in FY24, fuelled by urbanisation and rising incomes, said the report by Redseer Strategy Consultants.Predominantly generated by households and businesses, the consumer segment contributes nearly 70 per cent of total e-waste in FY24.A significant trend in e-waste generation is the shift in material intensity. While appliances are becoming more compact and lightweight, the sheer volume of discarded items is increasing, necessitating efficient recycling strategies.“The volume of e-waste is expected to rise in the coming years. The rising value of metals in e-waste presents a major opportunity for India to enhance recovery efficiency and establish itself as a leader in sustainable metal extraction,” said Jasbir S. Juneja, Partner at Redseer Strategy Consultants.Currently, only 16 per cent of consumer e-waste in India is processed by formal recyclers. Despite projections of a 17 per cent CAGR growth in the formal recycling sector by FY35, it is expected to handle just...

Read More........→February 20, 2025

AI technologies set to revolutionise Indian businesses this year: Report

New Delhi, (IANS): India is expected to witness a transformative shift in its technological landscape this year, driven by advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) and generative AI (GenAI), a report said on Thursday.The Indian organisations are rapidly adopting AI technologies across key domains such as automation, cybersecurity, robotics, and supply chain management, said Capgemini Research Institute’s report.Nearly 80 per cent of surveyed Indian organisations are planning to initiate proof-of-concepts (PoCs) or fully adopt AI agents by 2025.Additionally, 36 per cent of Indian organisations plan to partially implement AI agents in specific areas, said the report.The enthusiasm for AI is also echoed by Indian venture capitalists (VCs) and executives, with 85 per cent of VCs and 70 per cent of business leaders believing AI agents will play a transformative role in the AI and data domain by 2025.Generative AI is also set to make waves in cybersecurity. According to the report, around 63 per cent of Indian organisations surveyed expect Gen AI to enable faster threat detection.Retail and telecom sectors are particularly optimistic, with 92 per cent and 91 per cent of executives, respectively, ranking Gen AI among the top three cybersecurity trends for 2025, said the report.Over 70 per cent of Indian companies are expected to integrate...

Read More........→January 27, 2025

India has talent, expertise to be a global leader in semiconductor industry: MeitY Secy

New Delhi, (IANS): Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) Secretary S Krishnan said that India has the talent and deep expertise to be a global player in the semiconductor industry, an important sector for the country.Speaking at a conference organised by fabless semiconductor firm iVP Semiconductor, Krishnan said that the government is helping the industry to create the ecosystem to build semiconductors.He highlighted the government's commitment to creating an environment conducive to the industry's growth, including providing necessary support and infrastructure.The Secretary also mentioned that iVP Semiconductors plays an important role in creating demand to fill up the manufacturing capacity in the wafer fab."I would like to congratulate iVP Semiconductor on the creation of an Indian fabless chip company," he said.According to the global management consulting firm McKinsey, the semiconductor industry is expected to become a trillion-dollar industry globally, while the India Electronics and Semiconductor Association (IESA) estimated the sector to reach $100 billion by 2030.Meanwhile, a recent report by TeamLease Degree Apprenticeship said that the country will require 2.5 lakh-3 lakh skilled professionals by 2027 across Research and Development (R&D), design, manufacturing and advanced packaging domains.The...

Read More........→July 15, 2024

Wayve secures $1bn in funding for AI-powered autonomous vehicles

UK self-driving car startup Wayve has secured $1.05 billion in investments to develop its artificial intelligence (AI)-powered vehicles, led by Japanese bank Softbank and with1notable contributions from Nvidia and Microsoft.Founded in 2017, Wayve develops AI foundation models to help enable autonomous driving. Its technology equips vehicles with a ‘robot brain’ that can learn from and interact with real-world environments. Known as ‘embodied AI’, the technology will help self-driving vehicles react to situations that do not follow set patterns or rules, such as unexpected events from pedestrians.“AI is revolutionising mobility,” said Kentaro Matsui, Managing Partner at SoftBank Investment Advisers in a press release.“Vehicles can now interpret their surroundings like humans, enabling enhanced decision-making that promises higher safety standards. The potential of this type of technology is transformative; it could eliminate 99% of traffic accidents. SoftBank Group is delighted to be at the forefront of this effort with Wayve,” he continued.“By utilizing Microsoft’s supercomputing capabilities and cloud computing technology, copilot-enabled developer platform, enterprise data management applications, and leading AI model commercialization expertise, Wayve can deliver and scale innovative Embodied AI solutions that enable safer and...

Read More........→May 09, 2024

Cultivated Biosciences secures US$5 million seed funding amid US market launch in 2025

(Image credit: Cultivated Biosciences)07 Mar 2024 --- Cultivated Biosciences, a Swiss biotech start-up, has recently announced the closure of its US$5 million seed funding round. This financial milestone will boost the development of its innovative yeast cream in collaboration with the food industry, setting the stage for a US market launch slated for 2025. The latest funding round attracted a group of investors led by Navus Ventures, a Dutch venture capital firm with a focus on sustainable food and energy systems. The investors were drawn to the company’s progress following a US$1.5 million pre-seed round in September 2022. “This funding validates our innovative approach and enables us to introduce our revolutionary yeast cream to the market,” says Tomas Turner, Cultivated Biosciences’ CEO. “We aim to make alternative dairy products appealing to traditional dairy consumers, not just to reduce CO2 emissions from dairy production but also to tap into a multi-billion dollar market opportunity.” Innovative yeast cream: In the dairy-free sector, efforts to replicate the dairy experience involve utilizing plant-based proteins combined with vegetable oils and various additives such as emulsifiers and texturizers. These attempts aim to recreate both the sensory and functional characteristics of dairy products. Cultivated Biosciences...

Read More........→March 12, 2024

Gold, Diamond Companies Joined IBM to Develop Blockchain Technology

$IBM, $BRK-A, $AU Gold and diamond companies including Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE:BRK-A)Richline Group Inc joined with IBM to develop blockchain technology to track the origin of jewelry and ensure it is ethically sourced, the companies said Thursday. The joint initiative, TrustChain goal to make it easier for consumers to track diamonds and precious metals through the various steps of the supply chain as they become finished pieces jewelry, the companies said. The technology will initially help track 6 styles of diamond and gold engagement rings and is expected to be available to consumers by the end of Y 2018, the companies said. Other firms involved in the initiative include precious metals refiner Asahi Refining, jewelry retailer Helzberg Diamonds, precious metals supplier LeachGarner and 3rd-party verification provider UL. Blockchain 1st emerged as the system powering cryptocurrency Bitcoin (BTC) is a shared database that is maintained by a network of computers connected to the Internet. Because it makes it easier for multiple parties to jointly create and update tamper-proof records, the firms involved in the project believe it is well suited to securely and efficiently track and prove the origin and ethical sourcing of jewelry. Berkshire’s Richline Group had previously attempted to create a similar...

Read More........→April 28, 2018

Spain: Government expects solar to dominate by 2030 with up to 77 GW

Spain has currently an installed PV power of around 4.8 GW. Image: Solaria Energía In a new report, the Spanish Ministry of Industry, Tourism and Digital Agenda has predicted that solar will become the country’s largest electricity source by the end of the next decade. Cumulative installed PV power could even reach 77 GW by the end of 2030, according to the most bullish scenario drafted by the Spanish government.APRIL 3, 2018 EMILIANO BELLINI Spain’s Ministry of Industry, Tourism and Digital Agenda has published a new report, including new growth scenarios for the future of the Spanish energy market, which recognizes solar as the future cheapest source of power, and the dominance of PV above all other energy sources by 2030. The first scenario, called the “distributed generation scenario” (DG), forecasts strong development of renewable energy distributed generation coupled with storage systems. According to the most optimistic figures provided by the ministry, solar is expected to reach a power production capacity of 47.1 TWh by 2030, thus becoming the country’s leading power source, followed by wind (31.0 TWh), combined cycle plants (24.5 TWh), hydropower (23.0 TWh), cogeneration facilities (8.5 TWh), and nuclear power (7.1 TWh). Overall, storage is expected to account for 2.3 TWh of total demand. Under...

Read More........→April 07, 2018

LG Uplus success in demonstrating '31Gbps' speed at 5G base stations

LG Uplus and Huawei engineers demonstrate 31Gbps transmission speed using 5G base stations Using a frequency of 28GHz, which is considered to be a powerful 5G frequency, the 2GB high-definition movie is down in 0.5 seconds. BY YEON CHOUL-WOONG (INFO@KOREAITTIMES.COM): LG Uplus demonstrated the downloading speed of up to 31Gbps, which is more than 100 times faster than the current 3-band LTE_A technology using the test 5G base station, When LG Uplus's 5G base station is commercialized, a 2GB high-definition movie will be downloaded to the mobile phone in 0.5 seconds. This technology demonstration was conducted in cooperation with Huawei, a global network equipment maker. LG Uplus demonstrated the speed of 31Gbps by supporting 'Massive MiMO', which is considered as core technology of 5G network, in ultra high frequency (mmWave) Because it was applicable to Huawei equipment. Massive Massive Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) increases the number of digital signal transmission antennas connected to one base station from two or three to more than 100, delivering data to a large number of users at the same time, It is a next generation network technology that can transmit data. With the application of massive MIMO's ultra broadband support equipment, even if several people connect to one base station at the same...

Read More........→November 15, 2016

World's first 1 terabyte SD card is announced

Hard drive manufacturer Western Digital has announced the first 1 terabyte capacity SD card at Photokina 2016. Western Digital Corporation (WDC), which acquired SanDisk for US$19 billion in May, has unveiled a 1 terabyte (TB) SDXC card prototype at the world's leading trade fair for photo and video professionals. With ever-increasing demand for high resolution content, such as 4K and 8K, the company continues to push the boundaries of technology and to demonstrate the power of exponential growth. "Showcasing the most advanced imaging technologies is truly exciting for us," said Dinesh Bahal, Vice President of Product Management. "16 years ago we introduced the first SanDisk 64MB SD card and today we are enabling capacities of 1TB. Over the years, our goal has remained the same: continue to innovate and set the pace for the imaging industry. The SanDisk 1TB SD card prototype represents another significant achievement as growth of high-resolution content and capacity-intensive applications such as virtual reality, video surveillance and 360 video, are progressing at astounding rates." Since the introduction of a record-breaking 512GB memory card at Photokina 2014, Western Digital has proven it can nearly double the capacity in the same SD card form factor using proprietary technology. Higher capacity cards expand the possibilities...

Read More........→September 28, 2016

Google and GSK invest £540M to create bioelectronic medicines

An early prototype concept for a smart contact lens. This wearable tech would measure glucose levels in tears, using a tiny wireless chip and miniaturised sensor embedded between layers of soft contact lens material. When glucose levels fall below a certain threshold, tiny LED lights will activate themselves to function as a warning system for the wearer. Credit: Google Google's Verily (formerly Google Life Sciences) has announced a partnership with British pharmaceutical giant, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), to form Galvani Bioelectronics – a new company focused on the research, development and commercialisation of bioelectronic medicines. Verily (owned by Google's parent company, Alphabet) has announced an agreement with GSK to form Galvani Bioelectronics to accelerate the research, development and commercialisation of bioelectronic medicines. GSK will hold a 55% interest in the new jointly owned company and Verily will hold 45%. Galvani Bioelectronics will be headquartered in the UK, with the parent companies contributing existing intellectual property rights and up to £540 million of investment over seven years, subject to successful completion of various discovery and development milestones. Bioelectronic medicine is a relatively new scientific field that aims to tackle a wide range of chronic diseases using miniaturised, implantable...

Read More........→August 23, 2016

Indian firm develops ‘world’s first’ Zika virus vaccine

Dr Krishna Ella, Bharat Biotech chairman Suresh Dharur & Aditi Tandon, Tribune News Service, Hyderabad/New Delhi, February 3In a major breakthrough, Hyderabad-based biotechnology research company Bharat Biotech has announced that it has developed the world’s first vaccine for Zika virus. The company has submitted two vaccine candidates — one inactivated and one recombinant — to the Government of India and is waiting for regulatory approvals to produce the vaccine on a large scale. The company officials are confident of producing one million doses of the vaccine, if clinical trials are completed as per the plan and approvals are given swiftly. Zika virus is transmitted through the bite of an infected Aedes mosquito, which also transmits diseases such as dengue and chikungunya. Bharat Biotech submitted the necessary @ flickr.com/photos/thespeakernews/24253989800 by cc by 2.0 licence information to the Indian Council of Medical Research four days ago. The government today called researchers for discussions on the vaccine quality to see if its development can be fast-tracked. Dr Soumya Swaminathan, Secretary, Health Research, and Director General, ICMR, said, “Bharat Biotech has taken a lead in the possibility of developing a Zika vaccine. They applied for a patent for the vaccine almost a year...

Read More........→February 04, 2016

VR startup adds new skin to real world

Tech startup Wild has become the latest company to blend virtual reality with the physical world. The project uses a dedicated environment that serves as a physical framework that the user can explore while interacting with a virtual overlay as seen through a VR headset. WILD is initially aiming its creation at the marketing and visitor attraction markets.  Merging real and virtual environments is a popular concept at the moment, with several companies such as Surreal Vision - a company recently acquired by Oculus Rift – and VOID (Vision Of Infinite Dimensions) developing similar projects. US-firm Wild’s prototype has been built in its offices in Oregon and allows a user to open a door into a world where they can speed up and slow down traffic outside the office’s virtual window and change the weather with the flick of a 'real' switch. The explorers can interact – or in some cases eat – things that exist in both the real and virtual world such as popcorn.  Wild’s prototype uses a Samsung Gear VR headset with integrated smartphone. Multiple sensors track the whereabouts of the user, and establishes their interaction with the items in the space. It is these interactions with real world objects that ‘grounds’ the experience for the user, developers believe, and ultimately makes it more believable. Wild describes itself...

Read More........→September 01, 2015

Google launches new mapping and analysis tool for potential solar customers

BY:  PV MAGAZINE STAFF: The tech giant's latest foray into renewable energy involves aggregating information for customers looking to set up a new pv system, complete with shading analysis, financials and information on local installers. Project Sunroof is currently limited to San Francisco, Fresno and Boston. On Monday Google launched Project Sunroof, a new tool to provide information for prospective solar customers. The product utilizes Google Maps' vast data and a host of other resources, in a bid to make the choice to install PV “easy and understandable for anyone”. When an individual interested in installing PV provides his or her address, the program will provide a complete shading analysis, including trees and other obstructions that could lead to complications in output, as well as cloud patterns. The program is currently limited to San Francisco, Fresno and Boston, however Google plans to extend it to the entire nation. The program then asks for information on customer electricity usage, in order to calculate the optimal system size, with an aim towards 100% coverage. The program also provides information on federal, state and utility rebates and incentives, as well as renewable energy credits and net metering. Finally, Project Sunroof provides potential customers with information on solar providers in their...

Read More........→August 22, 2015

Isro's PSLV-C28 successfully places 5 British satellites in orbit

The Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) on Friday successfully launched five British commercial satellites aboard its PSLV-C28 launch vehicle from its space port in Sriharikota, marking its heaviest commercial mission ever. ISRO's workhorse Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle PSLV-C28, in its 13th flight, placed the five satellites, including three identical DMC3 optical earth observation satellites, in sun synchronous orbit about 20 minutes after lift-off at 9.58 PM from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota. The three DMC3 satellites, each weighing 447 kg, were launched into a 647 km sun-synchronous orbit (SSO) using the high-end version of PSLV (PSLV-XL). ''It's been a wonderful mission… an extremely successful mission,'' a beaming ISRO chairman Kiran Kumar said from the Mission Control Centre. The three identical DMC3 optical earth observation satellites were built by Surrey Satellite Technology Limited (SSTL) of the United Kingdom. The PSLV-C28 also carried two auxiliary satellites from the UK, viz, CBNT-1, a technology demonstrator earth observation micro satellite built by SSTL, and De-OrbitSail, a technology demonstrator nano satellite built by Surrey Space Centre. PSLV-C28 will be the ninth flight of the launch vehicle in 'XL' configuration. With the overall lift-off mass of 1,440 kg of the five satellites,...

Read More........→July 19, 2015

Windows 10 may be selling well, how Microsoft are still not satisfied?

Strong demand for Windows 10 surface (also to be the ultimate test of the market) is more the result of its error correction again in the traditional PC market and the value of compromise, rather than a manifestation of the true value, while the market and users for its functionin the mobile space indifference, but also seems to presage Windows 10 in the mobile market than previous Windows 8 will not have too much outstanding performance. Microsoft has been hailed as the mobile market to reverse the decline and transition heavyweight upcoming Windows 10 operating system market. So Windwos 10 can receive favorable for the market, the relationship with Microsoft's future prospects in the mobile market, and "Mobile led the cloud-first" strategy proposed CEO can be implemented. Recently, the results of a recent survey of IT professionals for research institutions Spiceworks released, Microsoft's Windows 10 operating system abnormalities strong potential demand. That plan to install Windows 10 system users in two years the ratio reached 73%, of which about 40% of users plan to install Windows 10 systems within a year. From that perspective, the demand for Windows 10 system is indeed strong, at least compared with its predecessor Windows 8 system is this. It stands to reason such a high market and customer needs, for Microsoft, should...

Read More........→July 13, 2015

ISRO to launch Google satellite

The Indian Space Research Organisation will be launching a satellite for Google’s Sky Box Imaging for GPS maps this year from its spaceport at Sriharikota. This will be the first US satellite to be launched by Isro. Google, which has acquired the satellite imaging company Sky Box Imaging, wants to develop precision maps using its own network of 180-odd satellites. The first among them is Sky Sat Gen II. Sky Box had entered into an agreement with Antrix Corporation before its takeover to launch the 120-kg satellite. It will be flown as a co-passenger along with the main payload during one of the satellite launchings this year. According to senior officials involved in space research, Google is keen on making use of Skybox satellites to keep Google Maps closer to real-time, accurate with up-to-date imagery. Google is also keen on using Skybox’s team and technology to help improve Internet access and disaster relief, the areas in which the company has long been interested. Shar director Dr M.Y.S. Prasad said that Sky Box Imaging had approached them to launch one of its satellites and had also informed that they had plans to place 180 micro satellites in orbit. “They may launch experimental satellites before going ahead. Although they want to us to launch a single satellite now, there is potential in future. This is the first US-based...

Read More........→March 12, 2015

How to make goat milk lotion

BY THE GOAT CHEESE LADY: I tend to do things at the last minute — I believe they call it procrastination; I call it thriving under pressure. As you know, we had our farm for sale but what I haven't told you yet is that it SOLD! The packing, downsizing, sorting and cleaning all went well, and actually rather smoothly. We have five weeks in between moving out of our old place and moving to our new farm, which is why we are grateful that my parents offered for us to live with them during our stint with no permanent address. By the middle of the second week of staying with my parents, I began to get restless. No goats, no classes, no farm, no laundry or cooking. I love my mom; she’s fed us the entire time! But there was A LOT of goat milk lotion and soap sitting, unsupervised and un-income-producing, in the basement just waiting to take over their kitchen in anticipation of becoming someone's Christmas gift. Here comes the last-minute part; why not launch a two-day online goat milk soap and lotion sale in the midst of moving and right before traveling out of the country? We launched the sale on a Wednesday, and had it end Thursday at midnight. My husband partnered with me to pack and ship all of the orders on the following Friday — two days before we took a trip home to El Salvador. (Yikes — throw in a little excitement, will ya?)...

Read More........→December 29, 2014

Nissan's 100 percent electric commercial vehicle to hit road next year

By Dan McCue, Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. will begin selling its 100 percent electric commercial vehicle, the "e-NV200," in Japan next year, with the intention of eventually offering it to prospective buyers worldwide. The e-NV200 is the Yokohama, Japan-based auto makter's second all-electric model available globally, following on the heels of its successful = Nissan LEAF. Production of the e-NV200 will begin at Nissan’s plant in Barcelona, Spain in mid-2014, the company said. In order to establish an effective model case that leverages the characteristics of e-NV200, Nissan is discussing specific strategies with Yokohama's city government. Under consideration are the use of e-NV200 by Yokohama city for its public services vehicles and the establishment of a vehicle monitor user program which would be available to all city residents. Nissan and the city are already collaborating on the "Yokohama Mobility Project Zero," which aims to create a working model of a functional city with a low carbon footprint. Activities so far have included the use of Nissan LEAF and the Nissan New Mobility CONCEPT, an ultra-compact electric vehicle. The parties may expand the project with the introduction of e-NV200. Measures to utilize the e-NV200 are evolving in Barcelona, Spain, which is involved in a mutually cooperative arrangement with Yokohama city...

Read More........→October 07, 2014

Google and SunEdison to develop new solar project on an old oil field

Google recently finalised an investment to install an 82MW solar power plant on top of an old oil and gas field in California. The new installation will be located in California’s Kern County after Google signed a deal with solar company SunEdison. The Regulus solar plant will generate enough energy to power 10,000 homes and will be SunEdison’s largest developed and constructed project in North America. It is expected to begin operating later this year. The site was once the home of 30 oil wells but now there are only five as the oil resources were depleted. The solar project will be funded with the help of Google’s $145 million equity commitment and will bring 650 jobs to Kern County as well as feeding 82MW of clean solar energy into the grid via a 20-year power purchase agreement. Prudential Capital Group also provided financing for the project. The structured financing arrangements were developed, designed and executed by SunEdison which will be responsible for construction of the plant itself. It will consist of over 248,000 SunEdison mono-crystalline solar PV modules. California is committed to increasing the amount of energy it generates from renewable sources. The Kern County project is the latest of 17 renewable energy investments Google has made since 2010, including 5 in California. “We’re continually looking for...

Read More........→October 04, 2014