News

The team at Hokkaido University has made a pivotal advancement in developing recyclable and durable plastics from plant cellulose, presenting a sustainable alternative to traditional plastics and contributing to efforts to mitigate environmental pollution. Their findings, detailing a novel method for creating various polymers from plant-based chemicals, were recently published in the journal ACS Macro Letters.

Google Cloud and NVIDIA have announced an enhanced their partnership to empowering the machine learning (ML) community with advanced technology to streamline the development, scaling and management of generative AI applications. This collaboration integrates Google Cloud’s global infrastructure with NVIDIA’s Grace Blackwell AI computing platform and DGX Cloud, alongside the NVIDIA Clara computing suite, to foster innovation across various sectors.

Amazon Web Services (AWS) has partnered with South Korean AI startup Upstage to launch SOLAR MINI, a Small Language Model (SLM) designed to facilitate a broad spectrum of language tasks in Korean and English, with Thai and Japanese support anticipated soon. This initiative aims to simplify the integration of generative AI for Upstage’s customers, enabling the creation of industry-specific applications without the need for extensive model training from scratch.

Microsoft Corp. has announced a collaboration with NVIDIA aimed at leveraging advanced cloud technology, generative AI and accelerated computing to advance healthcare and life sciences. The partnership combines Microsoft Azure’s global scale, security and computing capabilities with NVIDIA DGX Cloud and the NVIDIA Clara suite to accelerate research and improve patient care in these sectors.

BioCatch, a leader in behavioral biometric intelligence for fraud detection and financial crime prevention, has announced a partnership with Google Cloud. This collaboration aims to extend BioCatch’s fraud prevention solutions to new markets, with Southeast Asia being the primary focus. The partnership seeks to equip banks and financial institutions with advanced tools to address the growing challenge of digital financial crime in the region.

RailPulse, a consortium aimed at revolutionizing the rail sector with advanced telematics (remote tracking and management of railway assets), has partnered with Nexxiot, a leading provider of railcar telematics solutions. This collaboration, announced on March 7 and effective from January 5, 2024, facilitates easier access for railcar owners in North America to Nexxiot’s innovative products and services, encouraging participation in the RailPulse platform.

Microsoft Corp. and Oracle are extending their collaboration to meet the increasing demand for Oracle Database@Azure worldwide. This expansion will see Oracle Database@Azure becoming available in five additional regions, bringing the total planned multi-cloud availability to 15 regions globally.

Uber is stepping up to improve travel experiences in the Caribbean as the region prepares for a busy Spring Break and Easter season. Carolina Coto, Communications Manager for Uber in the Caribbean and Central America, highlights the company’s commitment to boosting tourism through services like Uber Select.

Amazon’s subsidiary, Blink, recently introduced the Blink Mini 2, an upgraded version of its compact security camera. This new model offers improved functionality and versatility, featuring a weather-resistant design suitable for both indoor and outdoor use with an optional weather-resistant power adapter. 

Retail giant Walmart has announced a collaboration with the forward-thinking clothing startup, unspun, to integrate the Vega 3D weaving technology into their supply chain, starting with men’s chinos. This collaboration aims to overhaul traditional apparel production by utilizing 3D weaving technology, which promises to reduce the environmental footprint of garment manufacturing. It also explores the potential of on-demand manufacturing to revitalize the U.S. apparel industry and aligns with the growing consumer demand for sustainable, locally produced garments.

Harpe Bioherbicide Solutions, Inc.’s plant-based herbicides have demonstrated through over 1,000 global trials in fields and greenhouses that its plant extract-based herbicides offer effective control against a wide array of weeds, including those resistant to current herbicides. This breakthrough addresses the growing consumer demand for natural food production methods and the challenges farmers face with managing resistant weeds.

In a recent development within the mobile gaming industry, Yoozoo’s strategy-based game, Echocalypse, is set to become more accessible to players worldwide through integration with Aptoide, a prominent independent Android app store. This collaboration aims to offer an improved, secure and engaging gaming experience for fans of the game.