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BUSINESS

Tech

A key aspect of AI technology that is often forgotten is that it requires an enormous amount of energy to develop and run. And that’s where utilities come in.

BUSINESS / Tech / FOCUS

Apr 28, 2024

AI boom’s secret winners? The companies expected to power it

Across the U.S., utilities are preparing for historic increases in electricity demand led by data centers and AI.

Apple and OpenAI have begun discussing terms of a possible agreement on how some artificial intelligence features would be integrated into the next iPhone operating system, sources have said.

BUSINESS / Tech

Apr 27, 2024

Apple intensifies talks with OpenAI for iPhone generative AI features

The latest development comes about a month and a half before an Apple conference where it's poised to introduce new AI software and services.

TikTok accounts for a small share of ByteDance's total revenues and daily active users, so the parent would rather have the app shut down in the U.S. in a worst-case scenario than sell it to a potential American buyer, sources said.

BUSINESS / Tech

Apr 26, 2024

ByteDance prefers TikTok shutdown in U.S. if legal options fail, sources say

By Kane Wu and Julie Zhu

A shutdown would have limited impact on its business, and it would not have to give up its "secret sauce" — the algorithm that pushes videos to users.

While some publicly traded bitcoin mining companies release details of their energy use, there is no reliable data on exactly how much electricity the industry as a whole consumes.

BUSINESS / Tech / ANALYSIS

Apr 25, 2024

Bitcoin miner environmental battles heat up in U.S.

By Avi Asher-Schapiro

As cryptocurrency groups work to shield mines from local regulations, U.S. President Joe Biden proposed an excise tax on bitcoin energy use.

The Fair Trade Commission took an administrative action against Google for using tactics that limited Yahoo Japan’s ability to compete in targeted search ads.

BUSINESS / Tech

Apr 22, 2024

Japan watchdog says Google hurt local rival’s ability to compete

By Takashi Mochizuki

From 2015 to 2022, Google blocked Yahoo Japan from technology needed to receive targeted ad revenue from searches on mobile devices, the FTC said.

Many U.S. lawmakers from both the Republican and Democratic parties and the Biden administration say TikTok poses national security risks because China could compel the company to share the data of its 170 million U.S. users.

BUSINESS / Tech

Apr 22, 2024

TikTok braces for U.S. divest-or-ban law — and a fresh legal fight

By Alex Barinka

The legislation has been fast-tracked and tied to a crucial aid package for Ukraine and Israel, which the Senate is set to vote on in the coming days.

U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo speaks at an event held by the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations and the U.S.-China Business Council on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in San Francisco in November.

BUSINESS / Tech

Apr 22, 2024

Raimondo says Huawei’s chip breakthrough is years behind U.S. tech

Raimondo said the technology gap shows the Biden administration’s success in imposing export controls on China.

From easily navigable train stations to the helpfulness of its municipal staff, Tokyo has earned high praise for its commitment to accessibility for disabled travelers.

[Rebroadcast] Japan is doing better on accessibility than you may think

When trying to trace your lineage in Japan, the "koseki" is the most important form of document you'll encounter.

Climbing the branches of a Japanese family tree

By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Leading Japan’s sustainability from Tokyo

Leading Japan’s sustainability from Tokyo

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