Tech, AI and Semiconductor Industry News: July Week 2

1. Business Moves

i. Huawei Builds R&D Centre in Shanghai as Chip War Intensifies

Huawei Technologies is nearing the completion of its largest global chip R&D centre in Shanghai. The investment totals 10 billion yuan, and the centre aims to support breakthroughs in semiconductors for devices, wireless networks, and the Internet of Things. This Qingpu district facility, which spans 1.6 million square metres, features its own road network, railway system and bridges. It will accommodate around 30,000 personnel. Huawei has been navigating US sanctions and export controls, and last year, it managed to launch a 5G phone with a domestically produced seven-nanometer chip. However, the Biden administration has since imposed further restrictions to impede Huawei’s chip advancements. Industry observers are eagerly awaiting Huawei’s upcoming Mate 70 smartphone to gauge China’s progress in chip development following the success of the Mate 60.

Read the full article about Huawei’s Shanghai chip centre.

ii. AMD Buys Europe’s Largest Private AI Lab for $665m

AMD announced the acquisition of Finnish AI startup Silo AI in an all-cash deal worth approximately $665 million. Founded in 2017, Silo AI is currently Europe’s largest private AI lab, with a team of over 300 AI scientists and engineers. This acquisition aligns with AMD’s strategy to provide comprehensive AI solutions based on open standards and in collaboration with the global AI ecosystem. Silo AI, headquartered in Helsinki, Finland, operates in Europe and North America, offering AI-driven solutions to customers like Allianz, Philips, Rolls-Royce, Unilever, and even AMD’s competitors Nvidia and Intel. The company is known for its multilingual large language models (LLMs) and the SiloGen platform. Silo AI’s CEO, Peter Sarlin, will continue to lead the team under AMD’s Artificial Intelligence Group. The move aims to enhance AMD’s AI strategy, enabling rapid AI solution development and deployment for global customers. Silo AI has a strong track record in training large language models on Europe’s fastest supercomputer, and this collaboration is expected to optimise AI model training further.

Read the full article about AMD’s acquisition of Silo AI.

Read the full Chinese article about Lisa Su.

iii. Samsung Buys British AI Tech Startup Oxford Semantic

Samsung Electronics acquired the British startup Oxford Semantic Technologies to enhance its in-device AI capabilities. Established by Oxford University professors in 2017, the startup specialises in knowledge graph technology, which organises and processes data like human memory and reasoning. This makes it vital to integrate and link data on user habits and usage trends to develop advanced AI solutions. Their AI engine, RDFox, is used in various industries, including finance, e-commerce and manufacturing. This acquisition aims to improve Samsung’s personalised AI experiences, starting with the latest Galaxy S24 series and will be applied across their product range.

Read the full article about Samsung’s acquisition of Oxford Semantic.

iv. Thai Billionaire’s Grandson Raises US$60m for AI Startup

Amity, a tech startup run by Korawad Chearavanont, the grandson of Thai billionaire Dhanin Chearavanont, raised US$60 million in its latest investment round. The company’s generative AI chatbots help enterprise customers resolve issues and respond to queries efficiently. The funding, led by Insight Capital, will support acquisitions of legacy SaaS products with the potential to gain traction internationally. Since its inception in 2012, Amity has raised $90 million. Although Korawad’s family, controlling the Charoen Pokmphand Group, is among the richest in Thailand, they contributed less than 10% to this round. Amity generates 35 to  40% of its revenue in Thailand and plans to list its Thai business, Amity Solutions, next year.

Read the full article about Amity’s fundraising.

v. Google Offers to Buy Cybersecurity Startup Wiz for US$23b

Google’s parent company, Alphabet, is in advanced negotiations to acquire cybersecurity startup Wiz for around US$23 billion. If finalised, this would be Google’s largest acquisition, surpassing its US$12.5 billion purchase of Motorola. The potential acquisition underscores Google’s significant investment in cybersecurity. Discussions began after Wiz raised US$1 billion from venture capitalists earlier this year. Google previously acquired cybersecurity firm Mandiant for US$5.4 billion in 2022. The acquisition of Wiz would help Google compete with cloud services from Microsoft and Amazon. Wiz, founded in 2020, has grown rapidly and serves 40% of Fortune 100 companies, including BMW, Slack, and Salesforce. The acquisition talks are ongoing, and the deal is not yet finalised.

Read the full article about Google’s interest in Wiz.

vi. OpenAI Developing New Reasoning Technology Named Strawberry

OpenAI is developing a new AI project named “Strawberry” to enhance its models’ advanced reasoning capabilities. The project’s details are secretive, but it aims to enable AI to autonomously navigate the internet and conduct “deep research,” a level of capability not achieved by current models. This involves a specialised post-training process to fine-tune the AI after initial training on large datasets. Strawberry’s goal is to improve the AI’s ability to plan, solve complex problems, and understand the world more like humans. Internal demonstrations have shown promising results, but the public release timeline is unclear. The project may involve methods similar to Stanford’s “Self-Taught Reasoner” (STaR), which iteratively improves AI by creating its own training data. OpenAI hopes these advancements will push AI closer to human-level intelligence and enable it to autonomously perform complex, long-term tasks.

Read the full article about OpenAI’s plans for Strawberry.

2. People Moves: AIA, IBM and Renault Group

AIA: AIA Singapore promoted Afees Ashroff to Chief Technology Officer. Ashroff will replace Peter Lee, who stepped down for personal reasons. Ashroff has 20 years of experience in banking and insurance and has served as AIA Singapore’s head of digital technology since 2018.

IBM: Hans Dekkers was promoted to General Manager of IBM Asia Pacific. Dekkers succeeds Paul Burton and will oversee IBM’s strategic and operational activities. These include sales, marketing, services, technology, and delivery across Australia, New Zealand, Southeast Asia, Korea, India, South Asia, Hong Kong, Taiwan and the Greater China. Dekkers was previously IBM’s General Manager for North, Central, and Eastern Europe.

Renault Group: Renault Group appointed Philippe Krief as the new Chief Technology Officer (CTO), effective September 1. Krief succeeds Gilles Le Borgne and will hold the position in parallel with his current role as CEO of Alpine. He has a background in automotive engineering and experience at Ferrari. Krief will oversee the group’s engineering activities and foster a team to create future technologies and intelligent vehicles. His recent work at Alpine includes developing new electric vehicle platforms and a prototype incorporating hydrogen power technology.

Read the full article about Dekkers’s promotion to GM.

Read the full article about Krief’s promotion to CTO of Renault Group.

Stay Ahead of the Pack with Strategic Insights

Looking to learn more about how you can leverage these market trends to your advantage? Schedule a coffee chat with our tech recruitment consultants today:

• David Tan: david.tan@jcconsulting.sg
  

Having spent years honing our craft in providing bespoke HR and business consultancy services globally, you can trust that our experience equips us to offer you a holistic perspective to drive your success forward.

For employers: If you’re looking for support beyond the HR field, our executive search firms in Singapore and China also have dedicated teams for several sectors, including:

• Financial services recruitment
• Legal recruitment
• HR recruitment
• Life sciences recruitment
• Luxury & retail recruitment

Image Sources:

• TNW
• ARY News
• Renault Group