Smart city operator CCI nets $76m; Japan is creating a $61b MaaS market

#China #funding - China’s big data solutions operator City Cloud Technology Co., Ltd (CCI) has secured 500 million yuan ($76 million) in a pre-D round of financing led by Zhejian Fu Zhe Capital Management. (Dealstreet Asia)

#Singapore #funding - Quantela, a smart city enabler and outcomes-as-a-service provider with over a 100 smart city deployments across the globe, today announced a strategic investment in Silicon Valley founded and Singapore based Graymatics, a cognitive multimedia analytics company with an industry-leading AI platform to transform installed CCTV video feeds into compelling customer-centric solutions in different industry verticals. (Egove Lets Online)

#India #Singapore #funding - Personalised messaging software start-up Aampe on Tuesday said it has raised USD 1.8 million (about Rs 13.2 crore) in funding led by Sequoia Capital India’s Surge. (Outlook India)

#China #unicorns - In 10 years no one will remember the names of China’s artificial intelligence unicorns. While many aspects of the coming AI revolution remain unpredictable, one thing is clear: no AI company will emerge as a Big Tech brand. (Asia Nikkei)

#Japan #MaaS - According to Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, MaaS is a system of search, reservation, payment, etc. that optimally combines multiple public transportation and other travel services in response to the travel needs of each local resident or traveler on a trip-by-trip basis. (Forbes)

#China #UAM - The General Office of the State Council of China has issued a circular proposing that the development of urban air mobility (UAM) should be accelerated in the country. According to autonomous aerial vehicle developer EHang, the letter urges the development of policies and standards which it hopes will regulate the industry and encourage progress. (Intelligent Transport)

#China #fooddelivery - KFC’s franchises in China are now offering all its products on the streets of Shanghai in self-driving trucks. Part of a partnership between Chinese tech startup Neolix and Yum Brands, which owns KFC. You can place an order on the screen and it accepts payment via QR-code. (ZME Science)

#Japan #AVs - It was announced in early November 2020 that Honda had become the world’s first automaker to receive a national certification for Level 3 (‘eyes-off’) autonomous driving technology in Japan. (Lexology)

#Japan #transport - Electronic panels equipped with AI debut at major train stations in the Tokyo area to provide tourist and transfer information for a trial period, with the railway operator aiming to use them to make up for a future labor shortage. (Kyodo News)

#SouthKorea #skincancer - Researchers at Asan Medical Center (AMC) said Tuesday that they have confirmed the efficacy of a deep learning-based AI algorithm in detecting about 43 types of skin cancer and diseases. (Korea Biomed)

#SouthKorea #coronavirus - Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI) said Tuesday that it has developed the first local technology to predict the risk of Covid-19 infection in multipurpose facilities, jointly with two startups – VAIV Company and iCaptain. The development comes as the nation fights against Covid-19 spread. (Korea Biomed)

#China #patents - Baidu, Inc. holds the most AI-related patents and has filed the most AI-related patent applications of any company or organization in China, according to a recent study published by two units of China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT). (PR Newswire)

#Japan #robotics - A 60-foot (18-meter) ‘Gundam’ robot was unveiled in Japan on Monday. The robot is expected to help efforts to invigorate the country’s tourism sector which has been hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. (GizmoChina)

#SouthKorea #AIvoice - Portal operator Naver Corp. has unveiled a new artificial intelligence (AI) service that automatically converts speech, meeting notes and interviews into text. Naver launched the Clova Note service on Sunday. (Korea Bizwire)

#Germany #Singapore #AIchips - Infineon Technologies has unveiled plans to set up a global artificial intelligence (AI) development hub in Singapore, where it will launch 25 AI projects by 2023. It also plans to partner local organisations to offer AI courses and certifications. (ZDNet)

#India #manufacturing - In an initiative undertaken by the Centre of Excellence in Advanced Manufacturing Technology at IIT Kharagpur, researchers are on a mission to make AI & ML applications affordable for India’s industrial sector including MSMEs. (KGP Chronicle)

#China #smartfarming - Pinduoduo, the Chinese e-commerce retailer that sells everything from home electronics to farming goods, is hoping to shift China’s food production towards smart ways of growing and distributing crops. (CNBC)

#India #robotics - Amid growing concerns of many Indian farmers in the matter of profitability of their traditional ‘Agri’ businesses, Promoter of India’s first Robotics and AI Technology Park, Sumant Parimal of Innogress has offered stakes in its upcoming project to Indian farmers. (Avenue)

#China #ExportControlLaw - China’s new export controls allow it to take action against any country that violates restrictions or endangers national security The regulation, which came into effect on Tuesday, is widely viewed as a response to US curbs on Chinese technology firms. (SCMP)

#China #US #tradewar - China has introduced tough new laws which restrict the export of “controlled items”. The rules primarily focus on the export of military technologies and other products that might harm China’s national security. (BBC)

#China #US #tradewar - Nearly every high-tech device not made in China that is proudly labeled “Made in the USA” – from fighter jets to cell phones to wind turbines – deserves another more dubious moniker, “Made with components imported from China.” (Real Clear Energy)

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