Author: Akin Naphtal

Digital Dubai has become the first city to issue secured digital certificates using Soulbound Token technology, the most advanced generation of non-fungible tokens. The technology ensures that certificates are permanently linked to a person’s account in their digital wallet and ownership cannot be transferred, sold or disposed of. Digital Dubai’s director general, Hamad Al Mansoori, said that the certificates allow individuals and institutions to showcase their achievements in a sovereign and trusted way without relying on third parties. The move is part of Dubai’s drive to become a global leader in the digital economy. READ ALSO:Biden Administration Threatens to Ban…

The Biden administration is intensifying its pressure campaign against TikTok, warning of a potential U.S. ban on the app if the company doesn’t sever ties with its Chinese ownership. The U.S. government is once again seeking to separate the app from its Chinese owners, demanding the sale through the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. (CFIUS). However, TikTok has pushed back against the new White House demand, claiming that the proposed solution wouldn’t resolve the U.S. government’s concerns. TikTok’s proposed solution involves undergoing an audit by U.S.-based tech giant Oracle, among other measures and ensuring transparent, U.S.-based protection of…

China’s search engine giant Baidu has introduced its own chatbot called Ernie Bot, following the announcement of Microsoft 365’s AI makeover and the debut of GPT-4. Baidu has been widely considered the closest Chinese candidate to build an equivalent to the OpenAI chatbot. Ernie’s launch was much anticipated and Baidu CEO Robin Li gave a one-hour presentation on Ernie that only offered a small glimpse into the chatbot. Ernie is currently only available for testing through invitation and others need to get on a waitlist. The public was clearly underwhelmed by the presentation. Industry observers inside and outside China pointed…

Africa Data Centres, a Cassava Technologies business, has teamed up with TechAccess to deploy a Data Centre Infrastructure Management (DCIM) solution. DCIM software is used to measure, monitor and manage all of the IT equipment and supporting infrastructure housed within data centres. TechAccess is responsible for the software, hardware, integrations, project management, professional services and other project deliverables that make up the DCIM platform. The DCIM solution includes data centre optimisation software from EkkoSense and an asset management platform from Assetspire. It will be deployed in Africa Data Centres’ two sites in Johannesburg, as well as its facilities in Cape…

Abu Dhabi has announced the development of Falcon LLM, a large language model designed to compete with existing models from OpenAI, DeepMind and Google. The model is still in development for a range of applications including language translation, chatbots, content generation and sentiment analysis. The team at the Technology Innovation Institute (TII), a government-backed research hub, has its sights set on OpenAI’s platform and aims to offer the Falcon LLM to government entities, start-ups and the private sector as an alternative to the models from the major tech players. READ ALSO:Samsung Gulf Electronics and etisalat by e& Partner to Enhance…

Samsung Gulf Electronics and etisalat by e& have entered into a partnership to provide customers with a comprehensive ecosystem of wearables, smart gadgets and accessories, as well as digital experiences and cutting-edge solutions. The collaboration will also offer Samsung’s smart watches and Samsung Care+ across all smart devices, as well as the new fitness and wellness platform GoWell. The agreement was signed by Masood M Sharif Mahmood, CEO of etisalat by e& UAE and Doohee Lee, President of Samsung Gulf Electronics. The digital services alliance aims to enhance the customer experience and provide them with the latest innovative products and…

Hundreds of travelers at Hong Kong’s international airport faced delays on Thursday as the check-in system experienced an “abnormality” in its computer network. The Airport Authority shut down registration for check-in at several rows, causing scores of people to wait in queues with their luggage. However, the check-in system has fully resumed normal operation after the computer system was restored and five departure flights experienced delays of less than 30 minutes during the period. One of the airlines most affected was Cathay Pacific Airways, the flagship carrier of the city. The South China Morning Post reported that Cathay did not…

Taiwanese contract manufacturer Foxconn has won an order from Apple to manufacture AirPods and plans to construct a factory in India for the wireless earphones, according to two people familiar with the matter. The deal marks Foxconn’s first time as an AirPod supplier and demonstrates its efforts to diversify production beyond China, where the company assembles approximately 70% of all iPhones. AirPods are presently manufactured by several Chinese suppliers. Foxconn will reportedly invest over $200 million in the new India AirPod plant, located in the southern Indian state of Telangana, according to one of the sources, who requested anonymity because…

Microsoft’s search engine Bing has reportedly lifted the waitlist for its new interface powered by OpenAI’s GPT-4 technology. While the landing page still displays a “Join the Waitlist” button, users can sign in and access the new Bing interface instantly. However, not all email IDs tested gained instant access. Microsoft, which is a major investor in OpenAI, said it is running various experiments to onboard more users and that the preview period remains ongoing. The company is expected to announce more news related to Bing during its “reinvent productivity with AI” event. READ ALSO:Ministry of Environment, Water, and Agriculture of…

The Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has received the Global Summit Prize and was ranked first globally in the Digital Environment and Electronic Services category. This new global award is the latest addition to the ministry’s series of achievements. In a statement, Deputy Minister for Environment, Water and Agriculture, Eng. Mansour bin Hilal Al-Mishaiti, said that winning this prize is a result of the unlimited support of the country’s leadership for the ministry’s systems, in line with the objectives of its digital transformation strategy 2030 under the Kingdom vision 2030. READ ALSO:Ooredoo Kuwait…