India and the AI race; Eric Schmidt calls for Indo-US AI alliance

#India #AIrace - India lags behind significantly in the global AI race, compared to the US or China. Indian universities or institutes are not yet top-notch AI-research entities, either measured by citations or other parameters such as winning prestigious AI contests. (LiveMint)

#India #R&D - A total of $2.2 billion will be spent on training future researchers and scientists over the next five years under Singapore’s Research, Innovation and Enterprise (RIE) 2025 plan.. (Straits Times)

#Japan #SouthKorea #US #robotics - Hyundai Motor Group to acquire controlling interest in Boston Dynamics, valued at $1.1 billion, with the goal of advancing robotics and mobility to realize progress for humanity, according to a company press release. (PR Newswire)

#Singapore #retail - At the new Cheers convenience store in Our Tampines Hub, you can walk in, grab the items you need and walk out without having to whip out your phone, credit card or cash to make payment. (Straits Time)

#China #Pakistan #coronavirus - iFLYTEK is interested in smart control of Covid-19 in Pakistan, China Economic Net (CEN) reported on Friday. The company will launch an AI Outbound Calling System for Epidemic Prevention and Control in the country next month. (Pakistan Today)

#China #shipping - Intelligent shipping will transform China from a large shipping country into a maritime power, thanks to the ongoing digitalization and “new infrastructure” efforts, experts said. (China Daily)

#India #US #AIdiplomacy - The US and India could address common geopolitical concerns using AI, said Eric Schmidt, former CEO of Google parent Alphabet Inc. Schmidt said that the formal US-India strategic tech alliance would enable the strategic refocus of US policy in Asia around India. (Inc24)

#China #India #US #geopolitics - India has been reluctant to offend China and adopted a middle course, but this has been challenged by Beijing’s military actions in the past few months, US Democratic lawmaker Mark Warner said. (Hindustan Times)

#China #US #semiconductors - Intel CEO Bob Swan didn’t single out China’s Greater Bay Area project, a development zone that seeks to replace Silicon Valley as semiconductor and microchip manufacturing and design hot spot, but he should have. (FORBES)

#China #US #telecom - Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said on Friday U.S. claims about risks to national security were completely false, following a U.S. decision to halt China Telecom U.S. operations. (Reuters)

Carrington Malin is a UAE-based entrepreneur, marketer and writer who focuses on emerging technologies.