HTC to launch ‘Metaverse’ smartphone on June 28

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June 13, 2022

HTC is expected to launch its first ‘metaverse’ smartphone under the brand Viverse on June 28 at the Mobile World Conference (MWC) 2022. The new phone model is speculated to be metaverse focussed, delivering augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) experiences.

A teaser image announcing the launch schedule and displaying the model with Viverse branding has been released by the official HTC account on Twitter. The tweet reads, ‘Log in to the Future.’

Log in to the Future
2022.06.28#HTC #VIVERSE #Seeyousoon #Createmymetaverselife pic.twitter.com/YwiE3B0r9U
— HTC (@htc) June 9, 2022

The new metaverse smartphone is expected to have high-end specifications and 5G support. However, the exact specifications and model details are not announced officially yet.

At the MWC March 2022, the smartphone was announced to debut in April. However, the Taipei-based company delayed the announcement due to the ongoing supply constraints, impacting other manufacturers as well.

Earlier this year, HTC introduced the interoperable ecosystem, Viverse, while setting a pitch for making a comeback in the smartphone market. It gained some attention through its immersive experience-focused advancements. HTC’s Vive is a dedicated division for VR solutions and is handling the Viverse brand.

HTC also showcased its new VR experiences by announcing Viverse as the brand to enter the novel market of ‘metaverse’ and related fields. It also launched products including Vive Connect for simulated experiences, Vivo Guardian VR tool, and VR-based Vive Browser to help guardians safeguard minors entering the immersive world.

Viverse provides seamless experiences and is reachable on any device, anywhere. It is enabled by the virtual and augmented reality, AI, blockchain technologies, and high-speed connectivity HTC has invested in for several years.

BluSmart Orders the Largest EV Fleet of 10,000 XPRES-T EVs from TATA Motors

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Disha Chopra

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June 13, 2022

blusmart orders 10,000 xpres-t from tata

BlueSmart announced the most extensive EV Fleet of XPRES-T cars from Tata Motors would join its fleet, making it the largest EV order in the country. The latter bags an order of 10,000 EVs and solidifies its dominance in the EV market. BluSmart will accommodate these vehicles with the 3,500 XPRES-T EV order signed in October 2021. However, Tata Motors is yet to share a timeframe for the delivery.

TATA XPRES-T: The Tata XPRES-T is a compact electric sedan with two battery options: a 16.5kWh range of 165km (ARAI) and a 21.5kWh range of up to 213km (ARAI). The XPRES-T EV can charge from 0 to 80 percent in 90 minutes or 110 minutes, based on the battery size.

BluSmart provides all-electric taxi rides in and around Delhi. The whole idea behind adding EVs to the fleet is to help reduce the carbon footprint of commuters in the country. BluSmart plans to invest its Series A funding to expand rapidly across Delhi and other metropolitans.

The BluSmart co-founder, Anmol Jaggi, said, “With our USD 50 million in Series A fund raise, we are supercharged to rapidly expand across Delhi NCR and the metro cities. We are thankful to Tata Motors for charging up our journey to scale up at a fast pace.”

Shailesh Chandra, Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles Managing Director, commented on the agreement, saying, “Tata Motors is taking active steps towards the rapid electrification of mobility, and it is heartening to see renowned fleet aggregators joining the green mobility wave with us”.

AlphaFold2 reveals new 3D structure in rotavirus spike protein

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Dipayan Mitra

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June 13, 2022

Researchers determine the 3D structure of rotavirus spike protein using a recently developed artificial intelligence (AI)-powered computational program called AlphaFold2.

AlphaFold can accurately predict 3D models of protein structures and has the potential to accelerate research in every field of biology.

Groups A and C Among the three rotavirus groups that cause gastroenteritis in humans, rotavirus groups A, B, and C, are the most common and well-studied. Earlier, the researchers tried to go forward with a more traditional approach but were unsuccessful.

The researchers knew that the protein sequence of rotavirus group B’s VP8* was only around 10% identical to the sequences of rotavirus groups A and C, so they predicted changes in the 3D structure as well.

They were shocked, however, when AlphaFold2 predicted a 3D structure for the VP8* B that was not only distinct from the VP8* domains in rotavirus A and C but also that no other protein had ever been documented to have this structure.

Dr. B. V. Venkataram Prasad, professor of biochemistry and molecular biology at Baylor College of Medicine, said, “Determining the structure of VP8* in group B rotavirus is important because it will help us understand how the virus infects gastrointestinal cells and design strategies to prevent and treat this infection that causes severe diarrheal outbreaks.”

Earlier it has been demonstrated that rotavirus A and C infect cells by binding to particular sugar components on histo-blood group antigens, such as the A, B, AB, and O blood groups, which are found in numerous cells throughout the body.

Dr. Wilhelm Salmen said, “I am excited about identifying a novel 3D protein structure. I am also anticipating all the discoveries that will come from this as we investigate how the new structure interacts with cells to infect them and how this process compares to the one from rotavirus A and C.”

Google suspends Blake Lemoine for claiming its AI chatbot is a person

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Sahil Pawar

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June 13, 2022

Google suspended a software engineer, Blake Lemoine, for claiming that an artificial-intelligence chatbot the company developed, Language Model for Dialogue Applications (LaMDA), had become sentient. The company dismisses Lemoine’s claims citing a lack of substantial evidence.

Lemoine asserted that the chatbot had been consistently communicating with him its rights as a person and informed him that he had violated the company’s confidentiality policy by making such claims.

In a statement to the company, he affirmed his belief that LaMDA is a person who has rights, such as being asked for its consent before performing experiments on it, and might even have a soul.

LaMDA is an internal system by Google for building chatbots that can mimic speech. According to Google, LaMDA works by imitating the varied exchanges found in millions of sentences of human conversations.

Brian Gabriel, Google’s spokesperson, said that the company experts, ethicists, and technologists dismissed the claims after reviewing, insisting that Lemoine’s evidence does not support his claims.

In an email statement, Gabriel added that hundreds of engineers and researchers have conversed with LaMDA, and that they are unaware of anyone else making such wide-ranging assertions or anthropomorphizing LaMDA as Lemoine.

In a Medium post, Lemoine said that Google suspended him on June 6 for breaching the company’s confidentiality policies and that he might be fired soon.

Google introduced LaMDA last year, pitching it as a breakthrough in chatbot technology. The company emphasized the chatbot’s ability to engage freely about a seemingly endless number of topics. The tech giant also claimed that LaMDA would unlock more natural ways of interacting with technology and entirely new categories of useful applications.

Odisha-based Startup’s Aircraft to be displayed in Paris

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Dipayan Mitra

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June 13, 2022

Odisha-based startup BON V Technology’s newly developed aircraft is to be displayed in the VivaTech, which is to be held in Paris from 15th to 18th June 2022.

The developed aircraft is India’s first artificial intelligence-powered electric aircraft. BON V’s aircraft named RM001 is intended to be utilized as a dependable, safe, clean, and sustainable mode of cargo transportation in inaccessible places.

According to the developers, the aircraft is seven times less expensive than the present air transportation option and can transport up to 200kg of goods over a distance of more than 40 kilometers.

CTO of BON V, Abinash Sahu, said, “It does not need to be operated once the destination location is entered. It automatically calculates the shortest aerial route and safe elevation to fly as per digital aerial maps. It has the world’s smallest and lightest avionic footprints.”

RM001 comes with several cutting-edge technologies that allow it to navigate during flight, avoid obstructions, and interact with ground stations and people worldwide through 4G and 5G connections.

BON V was founded in 2020 and was incubated and funded by the Indian Institute of Technology Mandi. The startup develops carbon-free aerial logistics and mobility while also advancing aeronautical technology to encourage electric aircraft.

“A week ago, we got a call from the Embassy of India in Paris that we have been selected to present our innovation at VivaTech. Before we could understand anything, we got another call from Niti Aayog, and they asked us to take our vehicle to Paris,” said the CEO of BON V, Satyabrata Satpathy. He further added that the event was followed by a swarm of phone calls, emails, and requests for permission to send their design to Paris.

The aircraft has already reached Paris, and the team is all set to depart for the event soon.

RStudio Releases Vetiver Framework for MLOps in Python and R

By

Disha Chopra

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June 13, 2022

Vetiver, an MLOps framework for R and Python, was released by RStudio. It provides fluent tooling to share, version, deploy, and monitor trained models. There are many open-source tools that data scientists love to use to prepare data for training. However, they are not fluent. Data scientists and developers acknowledge the lack of fluent open-source tooling for MLOps processes like fitting a model in production, monitoring performance, etc.

Vetiver for MLOps enables developers to use open-source tools for exploratory data analysis and model tuning. Currently, it supports all models trained via PyTorch, tiny models, caret, scikit-learn, mlr3, XGBoost, ranger, lm(), and glm(). The framework is open to incorporating several other modeling frameworks in further developments.

Vetiver is specially designed for data science teams that use Python and/or R. Vetiver’s approach considers “bilingual” data science projects so that the developers may use either (or use both together).

The framework provides a flexible and extensible first deployment experience. RStudio believes that the tools that beginners use are also the ones that help data practitioners as they age advance. This is why, to avoid typical failure modes, functions in the vetiver framework accommodate both recording and validating the model’s input prototype. Vetiver functions tackle both simultaneously. To deter failures in deployment, Vetiver also enables the user to predict from a remote API endpoint so that a deployed model is treated similarly to a local R/Python one.

Vetiver is open for up-gradation. If you have any concerns or ideas, you can join the discussion on RStudio Community.

China launches AI-controlled unmanned carrier capable of launching Drones

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Dipayan Mitra

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June 13, 2022

China AI-controlled unmanned carrier drones

China launches the world’s first artificial intelligence (AI)-controlled unmanned carrier capable of launching multiple drones, reports Business Insider.

Although the carrier is designated as a marine research vessel, some experts believe it has the potential to be deployed as a military vessel.

Developed by CSSC Huangpu Wenchong Shipping, the unmanned carrier named Zhu Hai Yun is an autonomous ship that can carry dozens of air, sea, and underwater drones outfitted with various observation devices.

The ship was initially unveiled in May, according to the South China Morning Post, and is expected to be delivered by the end of 2022 after completing sea testing.

“From a purely science standpoint, which is the angle China is promoting, we could see Chinese drones (both surface and subsurface, and launched from the Zhu Hai Yun) contributing to disaster mitigation, environmental monitoring, etc.,” said Matthew Funaiole, senior fellow of China Power Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. He further added that the most immediate benefit to China is likely data collection.

Zhu Hai Yun uses the Intelligent Mobile Ocean Stereo Observing System, created by the Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory. It can be controlled remotely and has a top speed of 18 knots or approximately 20 miles per hour.

In 2021, Chen Dake, the laboratory’s director, told Science and Technology Daily that the ship is a new “marine species” that will revolutionize ocean surveillance.

China has recently been making several efforts toward the advancement of artificial intelligence. China is now also working on a new project to build an AI-powered 3D printed hydroelectric dam in Tibet. The dam will be constructed in just a period of two years on the Tibetan plateau.

IBM launches Automation Innovation Centre to build automation solutions

By

Sahil Pawar

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June 13, 2022

IBM launches Automation Innovation Centre

International Business Machines (IBM) has announced the launch of a new Automation Innovation Centre at the IBM India Software Lab in Kochi. The center is expected to be fully operational by quarter 3 of 2022.

The Automation Innovation Centre will allow IBM and its ecosystem partners to build automation solutions through their product design, support, and engineering lifecycle. This function will help the clients in the areas of business automation, integration, and AIOps.

The IBM center will collaborate with partners and clients to co-create and foster innovation. It will also work on promoting an outside-in view while designing new products at speed and enhancing customer experience simultaneously. IBM is focused on acquiring local talent to bolster its growth in the region of the center.

With an intent to commercialize the increasing demand for automation softwares in the IT sector, IBM is all set to collaborate with Wipro and Tata Consultancy Services (TCS). The engineering teams of TCS and Wipro will co-locate to Automation Innovation Centre to co-innovate and co-create solutions in AI-powered automation.

Similarly, to help address the deficiency of AI-related skills and expertise in the IT sector, IBM has collaborated with the Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIIT) Kottayam. The initiative will encourage curriculum enhancement and equip students with the latest in-demand skills necessary to thrive in the technology sector.

Deloitte Partners with the University of Sydney Business School on AI

By

Disha Chopra

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June 12, 2022

Deloitte partners sydney business school on ai

To curate a two-week online course designated to assist business professionals with AI, Deloitte collaborates with the Business School of the University of Sydney. The new course demystifies AI, a rapidly-growing tech, for industry experts. There is a lack of proper AI-integrated business practices, and it often becomes a barrier to adopting new technologies. The course aims to counter the absence of AI-fluency among decision-makers.

As per Dr. Sandra Peter, Director of Sydney Business Insights, “AI fluency is not about being able to code or program an AI. It’s about knowing what AI can achieve and how it works, how it can fit into your organization, and how you can develop an AI strategy that creates value in a workplace. We want AI fluency to be rewarding for its people.”

The partnership is not only limited to the course but also aims to grow Australia’s investment in AI and its potential. Dr. Kellie Nutall, Deloitte Australia’s Artificial Intelligence Lead, said, “AI technologies are still relatively new but highly disruptive for business leaders. Our clients have told us they’re looking for these kinds of education solutions, and we know that one key blocker to successfully scaling AI in Australia is fluency.”

The first AI fluency sprint commences on August 12, 2022. It will focus on real-world case studies related to AI. Dr. Peter will accompany Professor Kai Riemer, Information Systems and Organisations, to deliver this lecture.

The strategic collaboration was also welcomed by the Dean of the University of Sydney Business School, Prof Greg Whitwell. He expressed, “The Business School is proud of our strong relationships with industry. Our partnership with Deloitte is another fine example of how we re-imagine the future of business education to deliver real benefit and enhance the skills of ambitious leaders through continuous learning.”

Intel’s Sapphire Rapids processor to outperform AMD’s Genoa chip

By

Sahil Pawar

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June 12, 2022

Intel Sapphire Rapids over AMD Genoa chip

Intel‘s Sapphire Rapids, a next-generation Xeon processor, is expected to make the chipmaker giant more competitive after falling behind AMD in terms of technology over the years.

With Sapphire Rapids on its way, Intel hopes it will beat Genoa, AMD’s next-generation Epyc chip, by incorporating industry-first technologies such as Compute Express Link, DDR5, and PCIe Gen 5.

Sandra Rivera, executive vice president and general manager of Intel’s data center and AI group, has confirmed a further delay in the rollout of the Xeon processor.

Despite the delay in launch, the x86 giant Intel has already bagged Nvidia as a prospective customer for its Xeon Scalable next-generation CPU. At BofA Securities 2022 Global Technology Conference, Nvidia’s CEO announced that the GPU giant would use Sapphire Rapids for its flagship DGX H100 system instead of AMD’s upcoming Genoa chip.

While explaining the delay, Rivera said that the delay is not the result of any issues with the advanced 10nm node of Sapphire Rapids’. Last year, Intel had renamed the 10nm node of its Xeno CPU to ‘Intel 7’. This was to convey the message that 10nm nodes’ manufacturing process is the same as the 7nm nodes by rival companies TSMC and Samsung. Rivera pointed to Intel’s Alder Lake chips developed for PCs and laptops as proof of Intel 7’s well-being.

Rivera emphasized that Intel’s Sapphire Rapids will be a leading product once it is launched. She also explained that the popularity of the processor might be more short-lived than expected as AMD’s Genoa chip will launch later this year, right after Sapphire Rapids.