EU warns of investigation into Microsoft investment in OpenAI

The European Commission has warned Microsoft that its investment in OpenAI, the company behind the ChatGPT chatbot, could be subject to further investigation under the bloc's merger rules.

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European Commission warns Microsoft over investment in OpenAI.

"The European Commission is examining whether Microsoft's investment in OpenAI should be reviewed under the EU Merger Regulation," the European Commission said in a statement.

This is seen as an effort by the EU to ensure the bloc's ability to monitor the rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI) and prevent large companies from eliminating competitors.

In 2023, Microsoft invested more than $10 billion in OpenAI and got a seat on the board of directors. But Microsoft insisted that this was only an investment and did not own any shares of OpenAI.

China to Persist in AI Development by 2024

China will continue to develop large language models, the technology used to train ChatGPT and similar AI chatbots, by tapping into domestic AI accelerators and being more frugal in its use of computing resources, Nicolas Gaudois, head of Asia-Pacific technology research at UBS, said in a webinar hosted by the bank on Jan. 9.

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China sticks to 2024 AI development target despite US export controls.

US export controls have blocked China’s access to advanced Nvidia chips used for AI projects, but the Asian nation’s ability to overcome those obstacles shouldn’t be underestimated, according to Nicolas Gaudois.

In another development, Nvidia's Chinese customers are rejecting lower-power AI chips made to circumvent US export restrictions and switching to Huawei chips.

Huawei has received orders for at least 5,000 Ascend 910B chips from major Chinese internet companies in 2023, according to the WSJ. The chip is considered China's closest available alternative to Nvidia's high-performance A100 chip, which is banned from export.

Chinese procurement officials, such as those at state-owned carriers, have called for the use of domestic chips like Huawei’s. For its part, Huawei has been working to expand its software ecosystem and plans to launch a new high-end AI chip as early as the second half of 2024.

CES 2024: Launching a series of new technology products

CES 2024 has officially begun and a series of impressive technology products from major brands have immediately created "heat" at the exhibition.

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Samsung to unveil transparent TV models at CES 2024.

The first surprise is that both Samsung and LG have introduced transparent TV models. LG's transparent TV model is called OLED T, 77 inches in size with 4K resolution, while Samsung's Transparent microLED line includes three versions (2 colored glass versions and 1 transparent like glass and frameless). MicroLED technology helps the screen have high pixel density and sharpness.

In addition to transparent TVs, the first day of CES 2024 also witnessed many impressive products such as Robot vacuum cleaner with automatic washing and drying; Smart mirror; Smart lock with palm recognition; series of AI-enabled laptops; Heart rate measuring headphones; New AI chips from Nvidia and AMD...

OpenAI counter-sues New York Times

OpenAI has responded to the New York Times lawsuit, calling it meritless. The company behind the ChatGPT chatbot has maintained that its use of copyrighted material to train AI is legal.

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OpenAI has disputed the New York Times' lawsuit.

Previously, the New York Times , one of the most prestigious newspapers in the United States, accused OpenAI and Microsoft of causing them billions of dollars in losses. The lawsuit stated that OpenAI arbitrarily collected thousands of articles produced by the New York Times to train AI.