May 4, 2024
Tech News
Microsoft announced a significant investment of US$1.7 billion in Indonesia to expand cloud services and artificial intelligence infrastructure over the next four years. This investment aims to support developers and enhance digital infrastructure under the Berdayakan Indonesia initiative, which seeks to accelerate inclusive economic growth. Microsoft plans to establish its first datacenter region in Indonesia and train 2.5 million people in Southeast Asia, including 840,000 in Indonesia, in AI use by 2025.
Luminar, a company specializing in lidar sensors for autonomous driving, is laying off 20 percent of its workforce as part of a broader restructuring to transition to an “asset light” business model. This move involves outsourcing more production to partners. The layoffs come amid financial challenges, with Luminar reporting a net loss of $571.3 million for 2023. The company aims to save $400 million over the next five years through this restructuring.
IBM successfully overturned a US$1.6 billion judgment to BMC Software. The federal appeals court ruled that IBM did not improperly replace BMC’s mainframe software at AT&T with its own, stating that AT&T independently switched to IBM software. This decision reverses a previous ruling that found IBM in breach of their contract with BMC.
Moon Studios, known for the Ori game series, is developing a new action role-playing game titled “No Rest For The Wicked.” Inspired by Dark Souls, Diablo, and Game Of Thrones, the game features a dark fantasy setting with complex combat and political intrigue. Moon Studios aims to innovate within the genre by incorporating elements from various influences and has released a preliminary version on PC to gather player feedback. The game presents creative and technical challenges, including a dynamic camera system and the introduction of online co-op and player-vs-player combat.
Tech Explained
Cloud Services – Cloud services refer to services made available to users on demand via the internet from a cloud computing provider’s servers.
Artificial Intelligence – Artificial intelligence is the simulation of human intelligence processes by machines, especially computer systems, to perform tasks that typically require human intelligence, such as visual perception, speech recognition, decision-making, and language translation.
Lidar Sensors – Lidar sensors are remote sensing technology that uses light in the form of a pulsed laser to measure variable distances to the Earth.
Mainframe Software – Mainframe software refers to software designed to run on large, centralized computing systems known as mainframe computers, which are capable of handling very high volumes of input and output and provide high-speed processing.
