business and industry sectors

Elon Musk wants to colonize Mars. Is that profitable?

13Dec

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Technology

Elon Musk wants to colonize Mars. Is that profitable?

Austin, TX CNN Business — Elon Musk has spent nearly two decades rallying SpaceX fans around his goal of colonizing Mars, something world governments aren’t currently attempting — in part because of the unfathomable price tag such a mission will entail. Musk, the company’s CEO and chief engineer, refers to his interplanetary ambitions more like a sci-fi protagonist with a moral calling than an entrepreneur with a disruptive business plan. “If there’s something terrible that happens on Earth, either made by humans or natural, we want to have, like, life insurance for life as a whole,” Musk said during a virtual Mars conference on Aug. 31. “Then, there’s the kind of excitement and adventure.” ...

26Oct

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Technology

Sony’s PlayStation Access controller offers a new social lifeline for gamers with disabilities

CNN — Grant Stoner said that he has loved playing video games his entire life, and that his earliest memory is of playing Super Nintendo in his parents’ bedroom at roughly 3 years old. “Gaming, for me, has always been a social activity,” Stoner, a Pittsburgh native who has spinal muscular atrophy type 2, a neuromuscular disorder, told CNN. “Because I’ve never really, physically, been able to participate in schoolyard events or sporting events or what have you, so I would bond with family and classmates through gaming.” For people with disabilities, Stoner said gaming has served as a lifeline for forming friendships and community. But for years, he adds, the technology underpinning the gaming secto...

Microsoft, Google post strong quarterly sales growth as Big Tech continues its comeback

25Oct

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Technology

Microsoft, Google post strong quarterly sales growth as Big Tech continues its comeback

New York CNN — Big tech companies are continuing a turnaround from last year, as Alphabet, Microsoft and Snap kicked off earnings season with strong sales results for the quarter ended in September. Google parent company Alphabet on Tuesday reported quarterly sales of $76.69 billion, up 11% from the same period in the prior year. The company also posted profits of $19.69 billion for the quarter. Meanwhile, Microsoft posted 13% year-on-year sales growth to $56.5 billion, also beating expectations. Microsoft’s quarterly profits hit $22.3 billion, up 27% from the year-ago period. Snapchat parent Snap on Tuesday reported a return to sales growth in the September quarter, after two consecut...

Google Maps and Waze temporarily disable live traffic data in Israel

24Oct

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Technology

Google Maps and Waze temporarily disable live traffic data in Israel

New York CNN — Google is temporarily disabling live traffic conditions on its mapping service apps, Google Maps and Waze, in Israel, the tech company confirmed Monday, as the country prepares for a potential ground invasion into Gaza. “As we have done previously in conflict situations and in response to the evolving situation in the region, we have temporarily disabled the ability to see live traffic conditions and busyness information out of consideration for the safety of local communities,” a Google Maps spokesperson said. Google did not say whether the tools would be disabled in Israel, Gaza or both. It also did not say whether the action was at the request of the Israel Defense Forces. CNN has...

Adobe previews new AI and 3D editing tools- including an animated dress- at Max event

21Oct

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Technology

Adobe previews new AI and 3D editing tools- including an animated dress- at Max event

New York CNN — Photo-editing software maker Adobe unveiled a slew of new AI-powered tools and features last week at its annual Max event, including a dress that transforms into a wearable screen and streamlined ways to delete elements from photos. The company previewed a series of prototype tools that make use of both generative AI and 3D image technology in the Adobe MAX Sneaks showcase. Covering photo, audio, video, 3D, fashion and design, the new capabilities are meant to give the public a sneak peak into early-stage ideas that might one day become widely used components of Adobe products. A highlight of the event was Adobe’s Project Primrose, an inte...

21Oct

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Technology

Medical imaging struggles to read dark skin. Researchers say they’ve found a way to make it easier

CNN — Traditional medical imaging – used to diagnose, monitor or treat certain medical conditions – has long struggled to get clear pictures of patients with dark skin, according to experts. Researchers say they have found a way to improve medical imaging, a process through which physicians can observe the inside of the body, regardless of skin tone. The new findings were published in the October edition of the journal Photoacoustics. The team tested the forearms of 18 volunteers, with skin tones ranging from light to dark. They found that a distortion of the photoacoustic signal that makes the imaging more difficult to read, called clutter, increased with darkness of skin. “When you h...

Taiwan’s Foxconn to build ‘AI factories’ with Nvidia

20Oct

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Technology

Taiwan’s Foxconn to build ‘AI factories’ with Nvidia

Taipei CNN — Taiwan’s Foxconn says it plans to build artificial intelligence (AI) data factories with technology from American chip giant Nvidia, as the electronics maker ramps up efforts to become a major global player in electric car manufacturing. Foxconn Chairman Young Liu and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang jointly announced the plans on Wednesday in Taipei. The duo said the new facilities using Nvidia’s chips and software will enable Foxconn to better utilize AI in its electric vehicles (EV). “We are at the beginning of a new computing revolution,” Huang said. “This is the beginning of a brand new way of doing software — using computers to write software that no humans can.” Large compu...

Apple continues its sweep to roll out USB-C to more devices

19Oct

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Technology

Apple continues its sweep to roll out USB-C to more devices

CNN — Apple (AAPL) quietly announced its next-generation Pencil that works with iPads and now includes USB-C charging. The change comes nearly a month after Apple retired its Lightning charger, a milestone moment toward universal charging amid pressure from EU regulators. Like previous models, the third-generation Apple Pencil is intended for taking notes, sketching and marking up documents. It also supports the hover feature, which allows users to preview and switch between different tools and app controls, when used with a 12.9-inch iPad Pro 12.9-inch (6th generation) and 11-inch iPad Pro (4th generation). The price is $79, down $20 from the second-generation Apple Pe...

AI chip exports: US escalates tech battle by cutting China off from more semiconductors

18Oct

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Technology

AI chip exports: US escalates tech battle by cutting China off from more semiconductors

Editor’s Note: Sign up for CNN’s Meanwhile in China newsletter which explores what you need to know about the country’s rise and how it impacts the world. Hong Kong/Washington CNN — The Biden administration is reducing the types of semiconductors that American companies will be able to sell to China, citing the desire to close loopholes in existing regulations announced last year. On Tuesday, the US Commerce Department unveiled new rules that further tighten a sweeping set of export controls first introduced in October 2022. The updated rules “will increase effectiveness of our controls and further shut off pathways to evade our restrictions,” US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said in a st...

Baidu says its AI is in the same league as GPT-4

17Oct

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Technology

Baidu says its AI is in the same league as GPT-4

Editor’s Note: Sign up for CNN’s Meanwhile in China newsletter which explores what you need to know about the country’s rise and how it impacts the world. Hong Kong CNN — Chinese tech giant Baidu is officially taking on GPT-4. On Tuesday, the company unveiled ERNIE 4.0, the newest version of its artificial intelligence chatbot that it directly compared to the latest iteration of OpenAI’s ChatGPT. The new ERNIE Bot “is not inferior in any aspect to GPT-4,” Baidu’s billionaire CEO, Robin Li, told an audience at its annual flagship event. Speaking onstage, Li showed how the bot could generate a commercial for a car within minutes, solve complicated math problems and create a plot f...