Accenture Cloud First launches with $3 billion Investment
Accenture announced the formation of Accenture Cloud First with a $3 billion investment over three years to help clients across all industries rapidly become “cloud first” businesses and accelerate their digital transformation to realize greater value at speed and scale. Karthik Narain will lead Accenture Cloud First and join the Global Management Committee, effective October 1. .....»»
UK approves Amazon buy of robotic vacuum maker iRobot
Britain's Competition and Markets Authority regulator said Friday it has approved Amazon's $1.7-billion purchase of iRobot, the US maker of robotic vacuum Roomba. The CMA "has now concluded that the deal would not lead to competition concerns in the UK", it announced in a statement. The transaction, announced in August 2022, aims to expand Amazon's artificial intelligence and smart home ambitions. The US retail titan welcomed Friday's news. "We're pleased with the UK CMA's decision and are committed to supporting regulatory bodies in their work. We look forward to similar decisions from other regulators soon," said a spokesperson. Massachusetts-based iRobot builds robots and "intelligent home" innovations, having introduced the Roomba self-operating vacuums a decade ago. Amazon's deal to buy iRobot for $61 per share along with acquiring the company's debt was subject to the approval of shareholders and regulators. iRobot has a 30-year track record in robotics and underlying software such as mapping and navigation. Amazon has meanwhile invested in smart home and automation technologies with acquisitions such as Ring doorbells, Kiva warehouse robots, and self-driving startup Zoox. Friday's decision comes after the CMA had in April decided to block Microsoft's $69-billion takeover of "Call of Duty" video games giant Activision Blizzard, arguing it would harm competition in cloud gaming. That decision will be appealed by both companies. The post UK approves Amazon buy of robotic vacuum maker iRobot appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
‘Largest’ cosmic blast baffles astronomers
Astronomers said on Friday they have identified the “largest” cosmic explosion ever observed, a fireball 100 times the size of our Solar System that suddenly began blazing in the distant universe more than three years ago. While the astronomers offered what they think is the most likely explanation for the explosion, they emphasized that more research was needed to understand the puzzling phenomenon. The explosion, called AT2021lwx, is not the brightest flash ever observed in the universe. That record is still held by a gamma-ray burst in October that was nicknamed BOAT — for Brightest Of All Time. Philip Wiseman, an astrophysicist at Britain’s University of Southampton and the lead author of a new study, said that AT2021lwx was considered the “largest” explosion because it had released far more energy over the last three years than was produced by BOAT’s brief flash. Wiseman said it was an “accidental discovery.” The Zwicky Transient Facility in California first spotted AT2021lwx during an automated sweep of the sky in 2020. But “it basically sat in a database” until being noticed by humans the following year, Wiseman said. It was only when astronomers, including Wiseman, looked at it through more powerful telescopes that they realized what they had on their hands. By analyzing different wavelengths of light, they worked out that the explosion was roughly eight billion light years away. That is much farther away than most other new flashes of light in the sky — which means the explosion behind it must be far greater. Brighter than sun It is estimated to be around two trillion times brighter than the Sun, Wiseman said. Astronomers have looked into several possible explanations. One is that AT2021lwx is an exploding star — but the flash is 10 times brighter than any previously seen “supernova.” Another possibility is what is called a tidal disruption event, when a star is torn apart as it is sucked into a supermassive black hole. But AT2021lwx is still three times brighter than those events, and Wiseman said their research did not point in this direction. The only somewhat comparable bright cosmic event is a quasar, when supermassive black holes swallow huge amounts of gas in the center of galaxies. But they tend to flicker in brightness, Wiseman said, whereas AT2021lwx suddenly started flaring up from nothing three years ago, and it is still blazing away. “This thing we have never, ever seen before — it just came out of nowhere,” Wiseman said. Plausible In the new study, published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, the international team of researchers laid out what they believe is the most likely scenario. Their theory is that a massive, single cloud of gas — around 5,000 times larger than the Sun — is slowly being consumed by a supermassive black hole. But Wiseman said that “in science, there’s never a certainty.” The team is working on new simulations to see if their theory is “fully plausible,” he added. One problem could be that supermassive black holes sit in the center of galaxies — for an explosion this size, the galaxy would be expected to be as vast as the Milky Way, Wiseman said. But no one has been able to spot a galaxy in the vicinity of AT2021lwx. “That’s an absolute puzzle,” Wiseman admitted. Now that astronomers know what to look for, they are searching the skies to see if other similar explosions have been missed. The post ‘Largest’ cosmic blast baffles astronomers appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Phl, 7 other nations, neo market source
The next generation of consumers, an army of over one billion who are digital-native, are emerging in eight fast-growing countries, including the Philippines, in the next decade, creating new areas of growth for companies globally, according to a new global commerce study by Accenture. Living in Bangladesh, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Nigeria and the Philippines, these digital consumers are between the ages of 6 and 26 and represent 36 percent of the cited countries’ population. The report said their behaviors today offer key insights for companies looking to capture the next wave of commerce-driven growth. The report, “The Next Billion Consumers: A Fast-growing Opportunity for Digital Commerce,” this next generation of consumers presents a significant opportunity for global companies, particularly because digital commerce eases some of the traditional barriers to entry in these markets. Despite the digital commerce revenues having quadrupled in these markets since 2017, equating to $211 billion in 2022, most multinationals are not set up to serve these digital-first consumers. “This moment is like the tectonic shift the telecommunications industry had when consumers leapfrogged landlines to mobile or similarly in the movement from the theater to streaming services,” Fabio Vacirca, Global Commerce lead, Accenture Song said. “The companies that will gain first-mover advantage will recognize they need to be as digital on th e inside as they are on the outside and reinvent their commerce model to meet the needs of their future consumer,” he added. Accenture Song is the interactive unit of the global business process outsourcing giant. “However, strategies based on the Western model of consumerism — the steady evolution from brick-and-mortar to digital commerce models that occurs over decades — won’t work for these consumers. Companies will need to be digital-first, leapfrogging older legacy approach.” Generation next The report spotlights how digital shopping behaviors of the emerging consumers have the potential to transcend boundaries and influence purchasing habits more broadly. Four core digital shopper archetypes were identified from 3,000 digital consumers surveyed across eight countries. They are digital-native purchasers, digitally-savvy millennials, content creators and digital alpha influencers. The post Phl, 7 other nations, neo market source appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Alibaba to build first data center in PH
Alibaba Cloud, the digital technology and intelligence backbone of Alibaba Group, announced plans to build its first data center in the Philippines by the end of 2021, forming part of the $1-billion expansion of the tech giant to Southeast Asia in the next three years......»»
Microsoft ramps up telemedicine with $19.7 billion purchase of Nuance
Microsoft will acquire artificial intelligence and cloud computing company Nuance for $19.7 billion, bolstering the telemedicine services that became essential during the pandemic, the tech giant announced Monday......»»
Cloud spending in Philippines to reach $2.6 billion in 2024
Enterprise spending on cloud services in the Philippines is expected to rise to as much as $2.6 billion by 2024 amid a growing digital economy......»»
UnionBank expands cloud-based service
Aboitiz-led Union Bank of the Philippines is further expanding its cloud-computing footprint through its partnership with Amazon Web Services as it continues to reap the benefits of its annual P3 billion investments in the digital space......»»
Alibaba Cloud invests $283 million to accelerate global partner innovations
Alibaba Cloud, the data intelligence backbone of Alibaba Group, today announced that it will invest RMB2 billion (US$283 million) during this fiscal year to empower global partners and accelerate joint innovations in the post-pandemic era. The investment aims to bring its partners up to speed with digitalization capabilities and create joint products and solutions to benefit even more customers across all sectors......»»
Alibaba Cloud grows by 62% YOY, sees bullish momentum continuing despite pandemic
Alibaba Cloud continued its rapid growth in the past fiscal year, with revenue reaching P282 billion (RMB 40 billion), an increase of 62% year-on-year......»»
Belmonte, Binay call for climate action funding from development banks
The C40 coalition of cities, a network of nearly 100 mayors, asked MDBs to increase urban climate investment, integrate urban climate action into their strategies, and implement tailored programs to support city projects. .....»»
Milk tariff collections rise by 31% to P2.4 billion
Revenues raised by the government from various imported milk products jumped by 31 percent to P2.36 billion in 2023, the highest in at least eight years, from P1.8 billion in 2022......»»
Unilab launches hub for health policy issues
Unilab Foundation recently launched the Unilab Center for Health Policy to serve as a venue for stakeholders to examine health policy issues.....»»
Cebu Pacific books P8 billion profit in 2023
Low-cost carrier Cebu Pacific found itself landing on solid ground in 2023, as it booked a profit of nearly P8 billion on the back of a resurgent demand for air travel......»»
Mega Millions Jackpot Winner of $1.13 Billio
A lucky individual in Monmouth County, New Jersey struck gold this week by winning the $1 billion Mega Millions jackpot. The winning ticket was sold.....»»
Opinion - South China Sea- Philippines must softly manage disputes or miss out economically
Manilas assertive transparency strategy is touted as a model for managing maritime disputes but it diminishes key economic opportunities. As Chinese investment pours into other Southeast Asian countries, the Philippines must reduce geopolitical risks without acquiescing to Beijing......»»
JG Summit FY23 profit: P19.6-B (up 216%)
JG Summit, the Gokongwei Family’s diversified conglomerate, teased its FY23 financial results headlined by a 216% increase in the company’s net income to P19.6 billion......»»
Globe closed on an additional P1.16-B in tower sales
Globe Telecom, the Zobel Family’s telecommunications company, disclosed that it closed on the sale of another 91 cell towers to Frontier Towers to raise approximately P1.16 billion in cash......»»
P1.1 billion released to restore heritage school buildings
The Department of Budget and Management has released P1.1 billion to conserve and restore heritage school buildings in the country......»»
Globe gets P5 billion from sale of towers
Telco-to-tech provider Globe Telecom Inc. raised almost P5 billion from the sale of towers in the first quarter, providing it with some of the capital needed to upgrade services and pay debts......»»
BTr raises P120 billion from T-bond sale
The government raised the entire program of P120 billion in long-term securities this month even as investors’ asking rates were mixed......»»