Former head of Uber’s self-driving unit Anthony Levandowski files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy

Anthony Levandowski, the former head of Uber Technologies Inc’s self-driving technology unit, has filed for bankruptcy protection following a court order confirming that he must pay $179 million to Google to end a lawsuit over his split from Alphabet Inc’s Waymo. In December, an arbitration panel had ruled that Levandowski, a former key engineer in…

Microsoft asks staff in Seattle region and in San Francisco Bay Area to work from home

Microsoft Corp has joined the growing bandwagon of U.S. companies asking employees to work from home so as to limit their exposure to China’s coronavirus. Microsoft has asked many of its employees in the Seattle region and in the San Francisco Bay Area to work from home until March 25. “Taking these measures will ensure…

Alphabet Inc cancels Google I/O midst global coronavirus outbreak

Alphabet Inc has canceled its annual developer event, Google I/O, midst growing concerns on China’s coronavirus which has started spreading outside China. “Over the coming weeks, we will explore other ways to evolve Google I/O to best connect with and continue to build our developer community,” said Alphabet Inc. On Monday, Alphabet had said it…

Samsung Electronics building $220M R&D center in Vietnam

On Monday, in a statement the Vietnamese government stated, South Korean electronics giant Samsung Electronics has started building a $220 million research and development center in the country. The construction will be completed by the end of 2022, said the Vietnamese government while adding that the research center will employ around 2,200 to 3,000 people.…

Tesla & Panasonic end partnership on solar cells production

On Wednesday, Japanese news daily the Nikkei reported that Tesla and Panasonic are ending their partnership to produce solar cells following the Japanese electronics company ramping up efforts to divest unprofitable businesses. The development comes in the wake of Tesla diversifying away from Panasonic as its sole battery supplier for electronic vehicles after it brought…

AI firm SambaNova Systems raises $250M in Series C funding round

In a statement, SambaNova Systems, an artificial intelligence computing firm stated, it has raised $250 million in its latest funding round which was led by BlackRock Inc. Investors at SambaNova’s Series C funding round included the venture capital arms of both Intel Corp and Alphabet Inc, Walden International, WRVI Capital and Redline Capital. Palo Alto,…