EU warns investigation into Microsoft’s investment in OpenAI
The European Commission warned Microsoft about its investment in OpenAI, the company that owns the ChatGPT chatbot, which could face further investigation under the bloc’s merger regulations.
The statement from the European Commission states: “The European Commission is examining whether Microsoft’s investment in OpenAI needs to be re-examined under EU Merger Regulations.”
This is seen as an effort by the EU to ensure the bloc’s oversight capacity over the rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI) and prevent large companies from eliminating competitive rivals.
In 2023, Microsoft invested more than $10 billion in OpenAI and got a seat on the board of directors. But Microsoft insists this is just an investment and does not own any stake in OpenAI.
China persists in developing AI in 2024
Nicolas Gaudois, head of Asia-Pacific technology research at UBS, said in an online seminar hosted by the bank on January 9: China will continue to develop large language models, technology used to train ChatGPT and similar AI chatbots by leveraging domestic AI accelerator programs and saving more in computing resource usage.
US export control measures have blocked China’s access to advanced Nvidia chips used for AI projects. But according to Nicolas Gaudois, the Asian country’s ability to overcome those obstacles should not be underestimated.
In another development, Nvidia’s Chinese customers are refusing lower-powered AI chips, manufactured to circumvent US export restrictions, and are switching to buying Huawei chips.
According to the WSJ, in 2023, Huawei received orders for at least 5,000 Ascend 910B chips from major Chinese internet companies. This chip is considered the closest available Chinese alternative to Nvidia’s banned high-performance A100 chip.
Chinese government procurement officials, such as those in state-owned telecoms, have called for the use of domestic chips such as Huawei’s. For its part, Huawei has worked to expand its software ecosystem and plans to launch a new high-end AI chip in the second half of 2024.
CES 2024: Launching a series of new tech products
CES 2024 officially kicked off and a series of impressive tech products from major brands immediately created a sensation at the exhibition.
The first surprise was that both Samsung and LG unveiled see-through TV models. LG’s see-through TV is called OLED T, 77 inches in size with 4K resolution, while Samsung’s Transparent microLED line comes in three versions (2 color glass versions and 1 transparent like Glass and frameless). The microLED technology helps the screen have a high pixel density and sharpness.
In addition to see-through TVs, the first day of CES 2024 also witnessed many impressive products such as automatic washing and drying robot vacuums; Smart mirrors; Biometric smart locks; a series of AI-supported laptops; Heart rate measuring headphones; New AI chips from Nvidia and AMD…
OpenAI counters New York Times
OpenAI rebutted the New York Times lawsuit, arguing that the lawsuit was unfounded. The company that owns the ChatGPT chatbot asserts that their use of copyrighted works to train AI is compliant with the law.
