Japan’s SoftBank and South Korea’s Naver Corp to create $30 billion tech giant to fight Rakuten Inc

On Monday, Japan’s SoftBank Corp stated, it plans on merge  Yahoo Japan with messaging app operator Line Corp in order to create a $30 billion tech giant, as it aims to group together struggling internet companies to bulk up against rivals such as Rakuten Inc. In a statement SoftBank said Yahoo Japan, which last month…

Amazon.com contests Pentagon’s $10 billion cloud computing award to Microsoft

In a statement Amazon.com Inc disclosed it is contesting the Pentagon’s award of an up to $10 billion cloud computing deal to Microsoft Corp. Amazon.com has expressed concerns that politics may have got in the way of a fair contracting process. Last Friday, Amazon.com had filed a notice that it will formally resist the decision…

Goldman Sachs should pull Apple Card algorithm if it can’t explain it: Democratic presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren

Following a series of tweets by David Heinemeier Hansson wherein he criticized Apple Card’s algorithm, saying it gave him 20 times the credit limit compared to the one his wife received, U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren questioned Goldman Sachs’s response to the allegations of bias in how the bank evaluates applicants for Apple Inc’s credit card.…

Japanese fashion group Fast Retailing Co Ltd to increase automation at its warehouses and facilities

On Wednesday, Japan’s fashion group Fast Retailing Co Ltd stated, it has partnered with two robotics startups to help improve efficiency in its warehousing and distribution strategy. Fast Retailing, the owner of clothing chain Uniqlo and also Asia’s biggest fashion retailer by sales said, it plans on investing $916.59 million (100 billion yen) to increase…

Brazil signs technology safeguard agreement with the U.S.

In a development that paves the way for U.S. companies to use Brazil’s Alcantara base in the Northeastern-state of Maranhao to launch satellites, the Brazilian Senate has approved the ratification of an agreement signed earlier this year to safeguard U.S. space and defense technology. The agreement was earlier signed in March 2019 during an official…

Chinese EV startup Xpend raises $400 million in latest funding round

On Wednesday, Alibaba Group Holding Ltd backed Chinese electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer Xpeng stated it has raised $400 million from investors including Xiaomi Corp, to fund its growth. The fundraising comes at a time when industry watchers as well as bankers describe as an increasingly tough financing environment for Chinese EV startups who are jostling…

Office for Civil Rights scrutinizes Google-Ascension data deal

As per a report from the Wall Street Journal, a U.S. federal regulator has initiated an investigation into a cloud computing deal between Alphabet Inc’s Google and Ascension Health which would give Google access to detailed health information of millions of patients. The Office for Civil Rights in the Department of Health and Human Services…