China issues warning to US regarding ban on AI; Nvidia’s AI chip price and other updates you may have missed today
Today, February 1, witnessed significant advancements in the realm of artificial intelligence (AI). Following the US government’s restrictions on Chinese companies, a representative in Beijing warned that this action would have negative consequences. Additionally, a recent report by Amazon Web Services revealed that more than one-third of European enterprises utilized AI in 2023 to accomplish their objectives.
All this and more in today’s AI review.
1. China says restrictions on its companies are haunting the US
After the Pentagon on Thursday added several Chinese companies to a list of organizations accused of aiding the PLA, Beijing said the restrictions would “come back to bite them.” According to a Reuters report, as demand for AI chips grows, the US listed China’s largest chipmaker, Yangtze Memory Technologies. This move will not only see these companies face greater scrutiny, but also bar them from receiving future US military contracts. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said: “These US actions violate the principles of market competition and international economic and trade rules.”
2. Nvidia competes with Huawei by selling an AI chip at the same price
Nvidia recently developed an artificial intelligence chip specifically for China and aims to compete with Huawei by selling it at the same price. According to a Reuters report, the chip, called the H20, was designed for the country after the United States banned the export of artificial intelligence chips. Citing two unnamed sources, the report says distributors are advertising the Nvidia chip for around 110,000 yuan, while Huawei’s 910B is selling for around 120,000 yuan.
3. More than a third of European companies utilized artificial intelligence
More than a third of European companies used artificial intelligence to achieve their goals in 2023, a study by Amazon Web Services found. According to a Reuters report, the survey was conducted by Strand Partners and included 16,000 citizens and 14,000 businesses. It found that 38 percent of companies were experimenting with AI. AWS CEO Tanuja Randery told Reuters: “The last year was pivotal; from Malmö to Milan, the accessibility of generative AI created consumer and business appetite for experimentation.”
4. WekaIO partners with NexGen Cloud to provide AI infrastructure
AI-based information platform company WekaIO announced on Thursday a partnership with sustainable infrastructure-as-a-service NexGen Cloud to democratize artificial intelligence. According to the release, this move will provide a high-performance infrastructure foundation for the upcoming AI Supercloud as well as on-demand services provided by Hyperstack, NexGen Cloud’s GPUaaS platform.
5. Genpact announces multi-year cooperation with Advantage Solutions
The global expert services company Genpact announced on Thursday a new multi-year cooperation with Advantage Solutions. According to the release, this partnership combines Genpact’s domain, process and technology expertise with Advantage Solutions’ extensive industry experience, resulting in competitive advantages and growth for global consumer goods companies. Genpact aims to scale Advantage’s commercial operations with AI-enabled and experience-driven digital transformation capabilities.
