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Sep 4, 2024 | 
asia.nikkei.com | Ryotaro Yamada
PALO ALTO, California -- Deceptive online actors from Iran and China are trying to manipulate U.S. public opinion ahead of the presidential election, using artificial intelligence to craft appeals that sound more natural to the American audience, experts warn. A website called Nio Thinker often posts articles on the November election that are harshly critical of Republican candidate Donald Trump. One essay uses terms such as "raving mad litigiosaur" and "opioid-filled elephant."
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Aug 15, 2024 | 
asia.nikkei.com | Ryotaro Yamada
PALO ALTO, California -- The U.S. venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz is set to establish its first Asian office in Japan, Nikkei has learned. The California-based investor aims to incorporate Japanese companies that want to invest in startups. Silicon Valley venture capital firms are increasingly looking to Japan for alternatives to Chinese investors amid rising tensions in the high-tech sector between the U.S. and China.
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Aug 7, 2024 | 
asia.nikkei.com | Tomoko Wakasugi |Ryotaro Yamada
SHANGHAI/PALO ALTO, California -- Amazon is making a push to acquire more sellers in China, aiming to expand its offerings of affordable products in the U.S. and elsewhere to take on Temu and other Chinese competitors. At the end of July, Amazon held an event for online sellers in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, telling them it would support their efforts to enter the global market.
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Jun 18, 2024 | 
asia.nikkei.com | Ryotaro Yamada
PALO ALTO, California -- Hewlett Packard Enterprise will supply $200 million of AI servers to Japan's National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) as the country looks to make a breakthrough in homegrown generative artificial intelligence. The servers will feature thousands of H200 graphics processing units from Nvidia, which boast higher processing power for AI workloads than the current A100 and are shipping out this quarter.
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May 3, 2024 | 
asia.nikkei.com | Ryotaro Yamada
LOS ANGELES -- Airbnb sees great promise for growth in the Asia-Pacific region, CEO Brian Chesky told Nikkei in a recent interview, adding that the leading vacation rental platform will continue to connect Chinese tourists with the world by offering overseas listings. Chesky spoke with Nikkei on Wednesday at a Hollywood movie studio where Airbnb held a product update event.
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Apr 19, 2024 | 
asia.nikkei.com | Ryotaro Yamada
PALO ALTO, California -- Artificial intelligence innovations are diverse, and related business opportunities are expanding to Asia, including India and Japan, Vinod Khosla, a prominent venture capitalist in Silicon Valley, said in a recent interview with Nikkei. His company, Khosla Ventures, one of the earliest backers of OpenAI, is nearing the launch of a $3 billion fund. It has recently placed bets on two AI startups, one in Japan and another in India.
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Mar 15, 2024 | 
asia.nikkei.com | Ryotaro Yamada
AUSTIN, Texas -- As legislation that could ban the TikTok short-video app moves through the U.S. Congress, influencers who rely on the 1-billion-user platform are decrying lawmakers' efforts that could undermine their livelihoods. Nikkei spoke with creators at South by Southwest, an annual festival here celebrating technology, film and music. SXSW's ties to the technology and entertainment industries have made the event a magnet for influencers as well as marketers on social media.
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Mar 6, 2024 | 
asia.nikkei.com | Ryotaro Yamada |Tomoya Onishi
PALO ALTO, California/TOKYO -- Trading house Itochu and investment company SoftBank Group are investing in Blue Laser Fusion, a nuclear fusion startup in the U.S. headed by a Japanese Nobel Prize winner in physics that is developing a method for stable power generation using proprietary laser technology. The two high-profile companies are the first investors from the Japanese private sector in BLF, which aims to make the technology commercially viable by 2030.
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Mar 6, 2024 | 
asia.nikkei.com | Ryotaro Yamada |Tomoya Onishi
PALO ALTO, California -- Trading house Itochu and investment company SoftBank are investing in Blue Laser Fusion (BLF), a nuclear fusion startup in the U.S. developing technology for stable electricity generation using proprietary laser technology. The two high profile companies are the first investors from the Japanese private sector in the company, which has set 2030 as its commercial launch target date.
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Mar 6, 2024 | 
asia.nikkei.com | Ryotaro Yamada
PALO ALTO, California – Trading house Itochu and investment company SoftBank are investing in Blue Laser Fusion (BLF), a nuclear fusion startup in the U.S. developing technology for stable electricity generation using proprietary laser technology. The two high profile companies are the first investors from the Japanese private sector in the company, which has set 2030 as its commercial launch target date.
