In this week's TechNave Business Bytes Week 4 May 2024, innovation and security were the main focus across various industries. In the beauty industry, L'Oréal is taking a big step to find the next big thing by launching a beauty tech startup competition across Asia and the Middle East. Meanwhile, Malaysians looking to navigate the property market can benefit from a new educational video series created by OpenAcademy in collaboration with real estate expert iHerng.
On the security front, Kaspersky is upping its game with faster response times to critical security incidents. However, their report also highlights an increase in another type of security threat. The world of smartphones is getting smarter with HONOR's announcement of a new four-layer AI architecture developed in collaboration with Google Cloud. This promises to enhance user experiences with on-device AI capabilities.
Keeping pace with the rise of AI, Trend Micro is taking steps to ensure safe and confident AI use for individuals and businesses. Qualcomm is making significant strides in the development of AI-powered PCs, unveiling the Snapdragon Dev Kit for Windows. Additionally, Qualcomm's AI Hub is expanding its reach to support the development of on-device AI apps for Snapdragon devices. In the fight against climate change, Tencent is making a positive impact with the CarbonX program.
L’Oréal launches biggest Beauty Tech startup competition across Asia and MENA
L'Oréal recently launched the Big Bang Beauty Tech Innovation Program in the South Asia Pacific, Middle East, and North Africa (SAPMENA) region, including Malaysia, to foster beauty innovation and support promising startups. The competition focuses on co-creating and co-developing innovative beauty technology and marketing solutions in five challenge themes: Consumer Experience, Content, Media, New Commerce, and Tech for Good. Startups have the chance to connect with industry leaders and mentors, potentially leading to commercial pilots and exposure to 35 markets in the SAPMENA region.
The program aims to leverage the dynamic startup ecosystem and immense consumer potential of these regions, with a focus on young digital natives and innovative e-commerce and social commerce models. The top three SAPMENA Grand Finale winners will receive a L'Oréal-funded commercial pilot opportunity and a year-long mentorship program. Applications are open until July 13, 2024.
OpenAcademy, partners with top real estate expert iHerng to empower homebuyers
OpenAcademy and real estate expert Sean Tan, known as iHerng, have partnered to create a series of educational videos on real estate knowledge for Malaysians. The collaboration aims to enhance house-buying skills and revolutionize how individuals navigate the property market. OpenAcademy offers practical and industry-relevant programs, focusing on authentic insights from active professionals.
The 40 meticulously crafted videos provide guidance on various aspects of property buying, empowering both novice and experienced home buyers. The content focuses on market trends, financing options, legal considerations, and strategic investment opportunities. This partnership signifies a shared commitment to advancing education and accessibility within the real estate sector, aiming to bridge the information gap and assist young Malaysians in their real estate investment journey.
Kaspersky: Response time to high-severity incidents reduced by 17%
Kaspersky's recently announced MDR report analyzes incidents requiring customer action, categorizing them into high, medium, and low severity. In 2023, the SOC team reported high-severity incidents 17% faster, taking an average of 36.37 minutes. Medium-severity incidents, mostly malware-related, saw an increase in response time due to their prevalence. Low-severity incidents had a longer waiting time for analysis.
Around 74% of incidents were resolved after one alert, indicating effective response scenarios. Complex threats or customer-monitored situations accounted for incidents with multiple alerts. Kaspersky recommends regular privileged group inventory, threat hunting, cyber exercises, multi-layered security, and managed security services for effective incident management. Check out their site for more details.
HONOR Unveils Four-Layer AI Architecture with Google Cloud for More AI Experiences at VivaTech 2024
At VivaTech, HONOR recently showcased its innovative approach to on-device AI and unveiled its pioneering Four-layered AI Strategy. HONOR and Google Cloud will collaborate on Gen-AI experiences for upcoming smartphones, enhancing user experiences while prioritizing privacy. The Four-Layer AI Architecture integrates AI into MagicOS, enabling personalized experiences and seamless AI integration across devices and operating systems.
Magic Portal, the industry's first intent-based UI, simplifies complex tasks and supports various scenarios. The upcoming HONOR 200 Series will revolutionize portrait photography with AI-enhanced features inspired by Studio Harcourt's expertise. HONOR also plans to roll out MagicOS 8.0 to more devices, democratizing AI technology.
Trend Micro announces AI PC protection measures
Trend Micro recently announced plans to protect consumers using generative AI applications and AI PCs. AI offers benefits but also risks like scams, fraud, misinformation, and misuse of personal data. Trend Micro aims to ensure safe and confident AI use for individuals and organizations. The company will release solutions in the second half of 2024, including AI application protection, protection from malicious AI content, and NPU-powered cybersecurity capabilities for AI PCs. Trend Micro is mapping its capabilities to MITRE's ATLAS matrix to assess AI-related risks.
Qualcomm Accelerates App Development for Next Generation AI PCs with Snapdragon Dev Kit for Windows
Qualcomm recently announced the Snapdragon Dev Kit for Windows, a compact PC powered by Snapdragon X Elite for developers to create and optimize apps for the next generation of AI PCs. The Dev Kit features a special accelerated Developer Edition of the Snapdragon X Elite processor, enabling developers to quickly adapt and recompile Windows applications natively for Snapdragon. It includes the native Windows on Snapdragon toolchain, including Visual Studio/VSCode, runtimes, libraries, and frameworks.
The Dev Kit is designed to be compatible with developers' multi-monitor systems and offers maximum power and flexibility. Qualcomm's senior vice president, Kedar Kondap, emphasized the Dev Kit's purpose in accelerating the development of on-device AI applications for PCs. The Snapdragon Dev Kit for Windows is available for pre-order and will retail for $899.99 from June 18.
Qualcomm AI Hub Expands to On-Device AI Apps for Snapdragon-Powered
Qualcomm recently expanded its AI Hub to support Snapdragon X Series Platforms, enabling developers to create innovative AI applications for next-generation Windows PCs. Developers can now bring their own AI models and optimize them to run directly within devices, offering advantages like superior responsiveness, enhanced privacy, and improved reliability. The Qualcomm AI Hub provides resources, tools, and services for on-device AI performance, including a library of pre-optimized AI models.
Developers can easily test and validate models on cloud-hosted devices in less than five minutes. Leading global PC OEMs are set to launch PCs powered by Snapdragon X Elite and/or X Plus Compute Platforms, allowing developers to use the Qualcomm AI Hub to bring superior experiences to these devices. Developers have access to various AI development tools and resources, including deep integrations with ONNX Runtime and Hugging Face Optimum, as well as support for Llama.cpp.
Tencent Announces Winners of Flagship CarbonX Program to Combat Climate Change
Tencent's CarbonX Program, launched in March 2023, aims to advance low-carbon technologies and combat climate change. The program recently awarded 13 exceptional teams from over 300 applicants with financial support totaling RMB 100 million (US$14 million). CarbonX focuses on carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) and technology-based carbon removal to reduce emissions from hard-to-abate industries and mitigate fossil fuel reliance. Backed by Tencent's mission of Tech for Good, the program supports cutting-edge technologies in transitioning from research to commercial scale, aligning with the Paris Agreement's emission reduction targets.
The program encompasses three tracks: CarbonX Lab for research institutions, CarbonX Accelerator for climate-tech startups, and CarbonX Infrastructure for capacity building. Tencent collaborates with Tsinghua University to develop Measure, Reporting, and Verification (MRV) tools for accurate decarbonization progress assessment. The program's success will lead to a global launch later this year to further drive early-stage climate tech innovation.
Nutanix Announcements on Hybrid Multicloud, AI, and Sustainability from .NEXT 2024
Nutanix recently made several announcements including new AHV deployment options for infrastructure modernization, reusing existing hardware investments. Nutanix Kubernetes Platform simplifies management of container-based applications, enabling faster innovation with a consistent operating model across environments. Project Beacon expands to include cloud-native block and file storage services for consistent management across clouds and data centers.
Nutanix and EnterpriseDB partner to offer a modern data platform combining Nutanix's automation with EDB's performance and security capabilities. Nutanix enhances GPT-in-a-Box with integrations and an AI Partner Program to support generative AI applications. Nutanix collaborates with NVIDIA to simplify enterprise adoption of generative AI through integrated microservices. Nutanix adds power monitoring capabilities to its platform, providing visibility into power consumption for improved sustainability planning.
Kaspersky: geo-distributed companies encounter network problems at least once a month
A Kaspersky report revealed that 59% of geographically distributed businesses experience network issues monthly. Network outages, lost connections, and poor performance were common challenges. Around 46% faced problems one to three times a month, while 13% experienced weekly issues.
Network failures (55%), connectivity loss, and poor service performance (45%) were prominent. Inadequate connection capacity (37%) and network shutdowns (32%) were also reported. Kaspersky recommends centralized and automated network management solutions like Kaspersky SD-WAN to minimize network problems. Check out their site for more details.
Exabytes hosts contest to win a brand-new Tesla Model 3 for MYNIC digitalization
Exabytes recently announced that it is collaborating with MYNIC to advance the digitalization of Malaysian businesses. This initiative aligns with the government's focus on boosting economic competitiveness through digital adoption. To encourage digital transformation, Exabytes is launching a contest where individuals or businesses that register a MYNIC domain extension with a 5-year subscription will have a chance to win a Tesla Model 3. Customers spending a certain amount on hosting solutions or renewing their domain name for 5 years or more will also earn an entry.
The Tesla Model 3, known for its innovation and safety features, symbolizes Exabytes' mission to drive innovation and digital growth. Exabytes aims to inspire more businesses and individuals to embrace their digital potential through this contest and other promotions. Check out their site for more details.
Samsung Celebrates a Decade of Leadership in the Global Soundbar Market
Samsung has maintained its dominance in the global soundbar market for ten consecutive years, leading with a 20.3% market share and contributing 18.8% to industry sales in 2023. Samsung's soundbars are renowned for their exceptional sound quality and innovative features like Q-Symphony and SpaceFit Sound, providing users with an immersive listening experience tailored to their environment. Industry experts and reviewers have praised Samsung's soundbars, with the HW-Q990C receiving accolades for its immersive audio and exceptional object-based sonics.
This year, Samsung continues to innovate with enhanced AI audio features and connectivity options in its soundbar lineup, exemplified by the flagship Q-series soundbar, HW-Q990D. The HW-Q990D offers an impressive 11.1.4-channel surround sound, AI-powered voice channel analysis for clear dialogues, and SpaceFit Sound Pro for customized audio calibration. Samsung remains committed to pushing the boundaries of home entertainment, leveraging AI-based sound technology to enhance the consumer experience and solidify its position in the global market. Check out the details at the site.
FICO Survey: 1 in 3 Malaysians Worried About Being Scammed As Real-Time Payment Risks Grow
The FICO Survey has revealed that Malaysians are concerned about payment fraud, with 32% citing it as their top financial crime worry. Identity theft is also a concern, with 37% believing they may have been victims. Real-time payment scams are on the rise, with 76% receiving scam communications and 19% admitting to sending payments for goods or services never received.
Despite these concerns, only 28% report actual or suspected losses to their banks. Malaysians prioritize good fraud protection and ease of use when selecting financial service providers. The survey involved 1,000 Malaysian adults and approximately 12,000 consumers from other countries.
Funding deals, venture capital roadmap among key initiatives for Startup growth in Malaysia
Malaysia aims to become a top 20 global startup hub by 2030, with its startup ecosystem currently valued at US$46 billion. The country offers a diverse and multilingual talent pool, strategic location, and supportive government policies, including the recently revealed Malaysia Venture Capital Roadmap and various funding and capacity-building programs.
The government emphasizes the importance of responsible investment that fosters prosperity, progress, and social justice, and plans to promote technological innovations aligned with empathy, equity, and social justice during its ASEAN chairmanship next year.
Alibaba Cloud to Help Elevate Olympic Viewing with AI-Enhanced Multi-Camera Replay Service
Alibaba Cloud and Olympic Broadcasting Services recently tested an AI-enhanced multi-camera replay service at the Olympic Qualifier Series in Shanghai. The innovation enables viewers to experience the Olympic Games from multiple angles through cloud-based 3D reconstruction and video rendering. The system will be deployed at 12 competition venues during Paris 2024, enriching coverage with dynamic replay footage for global Media Rights Holders.
Alibaba Cloud's powerful computing architecture facilitates near real-time processing of high-precision 3D reconstruction and video rendering. First introduced at the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022, the multi-camera replay system was used to immerse fans in the action. As the official cloud service provider for the International Olympic Committee, Alibaba Cloud drives broadcasting innovation and redefines the future of sports viewing experience.
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