Thailand's CP Group invests in AI, data centers to power up telecom business
Last month, the group marked the completion of a 20-megawatt "hyperscale" data center with massive processing power near Bangkok. CP says it is the first facility in the country to specialize in artificial intelligence and machine learning.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Japan Today
9 hours ago
- Japan Today
U.S. chip maker Intel says revenue rose as it cut ranks
Silicon Valley chip maker Intel says it cut about 15 percent of its 'core workforce' in the recently ended quarter By Glenn CHAPMAN Intel this week posted quarterly revenue that topped market expectations, saying it has cut about 15 percent of its workforce to be "more agile." The U.S. chip maker also said it "will no longer move forward" with projects in Germany and Poland as part of a push to save billions of dollars. The struggling chip maker's earnings report came as rivals specializing in graphics processing units (GPUs) for artificial intelligence thrive due to rapid adoption of the technology. Intel is one of Silicon Valley's most iconic companies, but its fortunes have been dwarfed by Asian powerhouses TSMC and Samsung, which dominate the made-to-order semiconductor business. The company was also caught by surprise with the emergence of Nvidia as the world's preeminent AI chip provider. Intel's niche has been in chips used in traditional computing processes, steadily being eclipsed by the AI revolution. Intel reported $12.9 billion in sales in the recently ended quarter, topping forecasts, but logged a $2.9 billion loss that included $1.9 billion in restructuring charges. "Intel has completed the majority of the planned headcount actions it announced last quarter to reduce its core workforce by approximately 15 percent," the company said in an earnings release. "These changes are designed to create a faster-moving, flatter and more agile organization." Intel shares were down slightly in after-hours trades that followed the release of the earnings figures. Intel chief executive Lip-Bu Tan took the helm in March, announcing layoffs as White House tariffs and export restrictions muddied the market. Malaysia-born tech industry veteran Tan has said it "won't be easy" to overcome challenges faced by the company. Meanwhile, South Korean chip giant SK hynix reported record quarterly profits Thursday thanks to soaring demand for artificial intelligence technology. The world's second-largest memory chip maker dominates the market for high-bandwidth memory semiconductors and is a key supplier for US titan Nvidia. Riding the AI wave, last week Taiwan chip giant TSMC announced a surge in net profit for the second quarter. "Nvidia suppliers like SK hynix will continue to enjoy strong demand in the coming months and years for memory chips due to the high memory content needed to make AI chips functional," G. Dan Hutcheson of TechInsights told AFP. Dutch tech giant ASML last week said it booked higher net profits in the second quarter of 2025 compared with the same period last year. The firm, which makes cutting-edge machines for the manufacture of semiconductors, warned that the growth outlook for next year was somewhat less rosy than before. "Looking at 2026, we see that our AI customers' fundamentals remain strong," said Chief Executive Officer Christophe Fouquet in a statement. "At the same time, we continue to see increasing uncertainty driven by macro-economic and geopolitical developments," he cautioned. Washington has sought to curb exports of state-of-the-art chips to China, concerned that they could be used to advance Beijing's military systems and otherwise undermine American dominance in AI. © 2025 AFP
Japan Times
a day ago
- Japan Times
Thailand hits Cambodia with F-16s as border clash erupts
Thai F-16 fighter jets struck military sites in neighboring Cambodia as a border dispute between the Southeast Asian nations, stretching back decades, erupted in fresh clashes that killed at least 14 people. Both nations accused each other of starting the worst border violence in about 14 years, which also left dozens injured amid conflict in six locations along their frontier. The eruption Thursday, which included reports of artillery and rocket fire, follows a buildup of tensions since a Cambodian soldier was killed in an exchange of gunfire in May and a chain of political events in Bangkok that has threatened the ruling coalition. Thailand said its fighter jets hit at least three Cambodian army bases near the border in separate airstrikes and reported that rockets fired from Cambodia killed several civilians. An 8-year-old boy was among 14 Thai fatalities, which included one soldier, according to revised health ministry figures released Thursday evening. It added 32 civilians and 14 soldiers were wounded. There was some variance in the figures reported by authorities in Bangkok, and casualties on the Cambodian side remain unclear. Thailand's military operation has been successful but may "take some time,' the army said in a briefing late Thursday. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet asked the United Nations Security Council to convene an urgent meeting, citing "extremely grave aggressions' that it was forced to respond to in self-defense. Army vehicles drive along a road in Buriram province, after Thailand scrambled an F-16 fighter jet to bomb targets in Cambodia following artillery volleys from both sides that killed civilians, in Thailand on Thursday. | REUTERS "The dispute is escalating rapidly and could turn into a serious conflict if left unattended,' said Jayant Menon, a senior fellow at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore. "Although the conflict is unlikely to spread beyond the two countries, it will disrupt trade and people movement, which will negatively affect the regional economy.' The fighting comes as both countries face trade threats from U.S. President Donald Trump's tariff war. The baht, which earlier rose to its highest since February 2022, declined 0.3% to 32.25 per dollar. Thai stocks closed 0.6% lower. The neighbors have a long history of border tensions, although relations have remained largely stable since the 2011 conflict, which left dozens dead. The last major flareup centered on the Preah Vihear temple, a longstanding point of contention dating to French colonial rule. Much of the contemporary border disputes between the neighbors stem from different maps based on the text of Franco-Siamese treaties of the early 1900s that laid out boundaries between Thailand and Cambodia, then part of the French Indochina. There are no bilateral talks with Cambodia yet, acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai said after a meeting of Thailand's security council, describing the "clashes' as falling short of a full-scale conflict. "This is not a declaration of war,' Phumtham said. Still, Thailand ordered evacuations within 50 kilometers of the border. Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, the current chair of regional group Asean, said he has spoken with the leaders of both countries and appealed for an immediate ceasefire. "Malaysia stands ready to assist and facilitate this process,' Anwar said in a statement. Both the U.S. and China expressed concern over the violence and sent advisories to their citizens. "The United States urges an immediate cessation of hostilities, protection of civilians, and a peaceful resolution of the conflict,' State Department deputy spokesperson Tommy Pigott told reporters in Washington on Thursday. Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Guo Jiakun urged both sides to "properly address issues through dialogue and consultation.' Cambodia's defense ministry spokesperson Maly Socheata condemned the Thai military's action, saying Thailand's use of heavy weapons and deployment of troops "to encroach on Cambodian territory is a clear violation' of international law. Diplomatic downgrade Since the clash in May, both countries have massed troops along the frontier and limited land crossings that are vital trade routes. The fighting Thursday came just hours after Thailand expelled Cambodia's ambassador and recalled its own envoy from Phnom Penh in response to a landmine explosion that injured five Thai soldiers on Wednesday. People wait in line to get food at a shelter following recent clashes along the disputed border between the two countries, according to authorities people have been killed across three border provinces, in Buriram province, Thailand, on Thursday. | REUTERS In retaliation, Cambodia further downgraded diplomatic ties by withdrawing its diplomats and requesting that Thailand do the same, according to Cambodian state media. Thailand, a long-standing ally of the U.S., has a military edge over its neighbor. Cambodia lacks air assets to counter Thailand's advanced jets, Bloomberg Intelligence analysts Eric Zhu and George Ferguson wrote in a note, but the country possesses Chinese-made KS-1C air defense systems. Those have a reported range of as much as 70 km, according to the Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance. As well, Cambodia doesn't have any combat aircraft in its inventory, according to the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London, with its military only flying transport planes and helicopters. Thailand's air force has two squadrons of modern Lockheed Martin Corp. F-16s and a squadron of Saab Gripen C/Ds, according to IISS. Thai politics The dispute has already shaken Thailand's domestic politics. In early July, a court suspended Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra pending an investigation into allegations of ethical misconduct in her handling of the border issue. Paetongtarn had attempted to defuse tensions in a telephone call with former Cambodian leader Hun Sen, father of the current premier. But the call was leaked, generating a backlash at home and protests demanding her resignation. She has until July 31 to submit her defense in the court case. After the clash in May, Cambodia called for the International Court of Justice in The Hague to help resolve four disputed land areas. Thailand, however, said it does not recognize the court's jurisdiction in the matter.
Kyodo News
a day ago
- Kyodo News
Kyodo News Digest: July 25, 2025
TOKYO - The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News. ---------- Bessent says U.S. to prod China to pause Russia, Iran oil purchases WASHINGTON - U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Thursday that his delegation will stress the importance of China pausing its purchases of Russian and Iranian oil in a meeting with Chinese officials next week in Sweden. Bessent said in a Fox Business interview that he believes the United States can move on to such issues concerning China, given that trade is now "in a good place." ---------- Top Japan, S. Korea diplomats to pursue stable development of ties TOKYO - Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya and his new South Korean counterpart Cho Hyun agreed Thursday to work together to promote the stable development of bilateral relations and maintain close communication, Japan's government said. During their phone talks, Iwaya and Cho also affirmed the importance of cooperating not only bilaterally and also trilaterally with their common ally, the United States, "under the current strategic environment," according to the Foreign Ministry. ---------- 11 Thai civilians killed in armed clashes at Thai-Cambodian border BANGKOK/PHNOM PENH - Armed clashes broke out between Thailand and Cambodia in a disputed border area Thursday morning, marking the latest flare-up since May, with Thai authorities saying at least 12 people, mostly civilians, were killed. The Thai government and army said the 11 civilian deaths included an 8-year-old boy, with a Thai soldier also killed, and that more than 20 others, along with seven soldiers, were injured by Cambodian artillery. ---------- Sony to take stake in Bandai Namco in anime business partnership TOKYO - Sony Group Corp. will take a 2.5 percent stake in major Japanese toymaker Bandai Namco Holdings Inc. for 68 billion yen ($464 million) as they joined hands in the anime business, the two companies said Thursday. The Japanese tech conglomerate plans to expand anime works and products based on intellectual property copyrighted by Bandai Namco through the partnership. ---------- Japan gov't panel approves human embryo creation using iPS cells TOKYO - A Japanese government panel on Thursday broadly agreed to allow the creation of human embryos using eggs or sperm derived from pluripotent stem cells such as iPS cells, but only for research purposes into matters such as infertility and hereditary diseases. According to a report compiled by the expert panel on bioethics, the culture period of such embryos would be limited to a maximum of 14 days, as with conventional fertilized egg research, and implantation into a human or animal uterus would be prohibited. ---------- Russian plane carrying dozens crashes in Far East, no survivors MOSCOW - A Russian Angara Airlines plane carrying nearly 50 people crashed in the country's Far East on Thursday, with an investigation committee saying no survivors have been found, Tass news agency said. No Japanese nationals were on board, according to the Japanese Consulate General in Khabarovsk. ---------- Sumo: Onosato survives against Ichiyamamoto, stays 1 win off pace NAGOYA - New yokozuna Onosato stayed one win off the pace at the Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament following a lucky escape against joint overnight leader Ichiyamamoto on Thursday. The 25-year-old grand champion won a rematch with the No. 8 maegashira after the ringside officials could not determine a clear winner in the day's final scheduled bout, which was initially awarded to Ichiyamamoto. ---------- Video: Junglia Okinawa theme park readies for July 25 opening
