• A deep-dive into the problems with electric vehicles and their battery systems, focusing on the impact on Indonesia’s nickel sector
• Taiwan’s TSMC confirms it will build two chip manufacturing plants in Arizona, more than tripling TSMC’s original investment to $40BN
• Australia: An overview of proposed Australia-wide drone deliveries, and the issues this raises
“…subscribers to the top 100 Chinese YouTube accounts at 169 million, with influencer channels accounting for 45% of that fan base. If YouTube is blocked in China, how is this possible?”
• Singapore’s Haulio digital haulier announces first overseas acquisition with controlling stake taken in Indonesia’s Logol, a logistics-focused platform
• Philippines: A-Labs launches $10M Web3 fund, with first cohort for its Archipelago Labs Accelerator Block set to run in 2023
• India: Gov’t is considering making ‘net and social media firms legally ‘accountable’ for algorithms deployed to tailor content based on browsing history and user profiles
Looking for a more civilized form of social media? It could be time to try Post.
• Taiwan bans TikTok, Douyin and Xiaohongshu from public sector devices as it has been listed as ‘a product that endangers national information and communication security’
• Huawei and Saudi Ministry of Comm’s and IT ink MOU with goal of a ‘10GPS Society’, and with Huawei gaining a cloud computing region in the Kingdom
• Japan: Huawei switches focus to Japan’s smartwatch market as US limits bite, releasing devices for business users which don’t require cutting-edge semiconductors
• Tesla to officially launch in Thailand this month, with documents also registered around sale of solar panels and energy storage systems
China: Hangzhou Internet Court rules that “NFT collectibles condenses the creator’s original expression of art and has the value of related intellectual property rights”
• Taiwan: 700 private surveillance cameras containing chips made by a subsidiary of Huawei found to be transmitting online due to security vulnerabilities
• India: Former Flipkart exec lands $5.8M seed funding with Flash, a digital identity for use across retail sites making processing, communication and rewards programs easier
• Malaysia: Paywatch earned wage access service provider raised $9M Pre-Series A, focusing on Malaysia and South Korea, sights on Philippines and HK expansion
• Sri Lanka: A look at the recent Innovate Lanka event and 2022 Demo Day, and 10 finalists that pitched solutions in cashless payments, asphalt from recycled plastics and more
Can Taiwan’s engineers help solve Silicon Valley’s talent shortage? Startup Island Taiwan podcast discusses the possibilities.
• The Cambodia Data Exchange — CamDX — platform takes 2022 Open Source Adaptation of the Year win at Future of Government Awards, following Estonia’s approach to decentralized data
• Australia: Consumer watchdog to pay Google’s legal costs following court dismissal of claim that Google deceived or misled users over use of their data
• Western Australia Innovation Strategy is now available to download, outlining the state’s 10-year plan to establish WA as a global hub of invention, investment, innovation and impact
• Indonesia: Central bank states that planned ‘digital rupiah’ can be used in future to buy products in the metaverse, allowing it to be “integrated, interconnected, and interoperable [with other CBDCs]”
Twitter’s influence: “…we underestimate it massively…no peer as a forge of public opinion…political analysis, publishing, public health, foreign policy, economics, history, the study of race, even in business and finance…”
• Australia: University of Queensland unveils 12 startups selected for 2023 Ventures ilab Accelerator, working in retail-tech, augmented reality, carbon capture and more
• New Zealand Centre of Digital Excellence funds 5 new Dunedin game development studios in latest round of grants, with the country’s gaming revenue hitting $407M this year
• South Korea: Wemade blockchain game firm to buy back and burn $10M worth of native WEMIX cryptocurrency to stabilize value after 4 local crypto exchanges delist the token
• India: ‘Digital transformation’ spending projected to reach $85BN by 2026, according to International Data Corp report
The problems with ever-more-powerful Text-to-AI generators: “Regulators are going to have to start taking more seriously how these technologies are being weaponized against individuals, societies and democracies.”
• Philippines: A look at how TZ APAC enables Filipino artists and startups to take part in the Web3 space
• Japan: ispace spacecraft departs Earth for Moon, the country’s first lunar mission, with delivery system provided by Musk’s SpaceX
In other news…
Wider-world technology news providing larger points of reference.
» Italy’s Meloni pushes back on shift to digital payments, aiming for merchants to have the right to refuse digital payments for transactions below €60
» Jimmy Fallon, Gwyneth Paltrow and Justin Bieber amongst those sued in proposed class action accusing them and other celebrities of fraud for promoting Bored Ape Yacht Club NFTs
» EU Court of Justice rules Google must remove data from search results if users can prove inaccuracy, with users only having ‘to provide evidence that can reasonably be required of them to find’
» Stripe payments giant launches project to ease fiat-to-crypto payments for businesses in dozens of countries
» The Miniaturization of Force: A look at the impact small systems — drones and unmanned vehicles — are having on defense and military activities
More of Asia’s tech news headlines:
