Latest news with #andCommunications
The Sun
12 hours ago
- Business
- The Sun
U.S. lawmakers urge probe into OnePlus phone security
WASHINGTON: Two U.S. lawmakers on Friday asked the Commerce Department to investigate whether devices sold by Chinese smartphone maker OnePlus in the United States pose security concerns, according to a letter seen by Reuters. WHY IT MATTERS Representative John Moolenaar, a Republican who chairs a House of Representatives committee on China, and the panel's top Democrat, Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi, noted that major U.S. retailers sell OnePlus devices for use on two U.S. wireless networks. The lawmakers said a recent analysis by a commercial company provided to the committee indicates that these devices may potentially collect and transmit extensive user data -including sensitive personal information to servers under Chinese jurisdiction without explicit user consent. Shenzhen-based OnePlus did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The U.S. Commerce Department also did not immediately comment. CONTEXT BestBuy and both sell OnePlus phones for U.S. consumers, which operate on the Verizon and T-Mobile networks, the committee said. The lawmakers asked the department to task its Information and Communications Technology and Services program with investigating OnePlus phones, including to determine user data types collected by OnePlus devices without explicit user consent "including potential transfers of sensitive personal information and screenshots." Washington in recent years has cracked down on Chinese telecoms, revoking the authorization for China Telecom's U.S. subsidiary and others to operate in the United States, citing national security concerns. The Federal Communications Commission in November 2022 banned approvals of new telecommunications equipment from Huawei and ZTE as well as telecom and video surveillance equipment from Hytera Communications, Hangzhou Hikvision Digital Technology Zhejiang Dahua Technology Co.
The Sun
12 hours ago
- Business
- The Sun
Lawmakers want US Commerce Department to probe Chinese smartphone maker OnePlus
WASHINGTON: Two U.S. lawmakers on Friday asked the Commerce Department to investigate whether devices sold by Chinese smartphone maker OnePlus in the United States pose security concerns, according to a letter seen by Reuters. WHY IT MATTERS Representative John Moolenaar, a Republican who chairs a House of Representatives committee on China, and the panel's top Democrat, Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi, noted that major U.S. retailers sell OnePlus devices for use on two U.S. wireless networks. The lawmakers said a recent analysis by a commercial company provided to the committee indicates that these devices may potentially collect and transmit extensive user data -including sensitive personal information to servers under Chinese jurisdiction without explicit user consent. Shenzhen-based OnePlus did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The U.S. Commerce Department also did not immediately comment. CONTEXT BestBuy and both sell OnePlus phones for U.S. consumers, which operate on the Verizon and T-Mobile networks, the committee said. The lawmakers asked the department to task its Information and Communications Technology and Services program with investigating OnePlus phones, including to determine user data types collected by OnePlus devices without explicit user consent "including potential transfers of sensitive personal information and screenshots." Washington in recent years has cracked down on Chinese telecoms, revoking the authorization for China Telecom's U.S. subsidiary and others to operate in the United States, citing national security concerns. The Federal Communications Commission in November 2022 banned approvals of new telecommunications equipment from Huawei and ZTE as well as telecom and video surveillance equipment from Hytera Communications, Hangzhou Hikvision Digital Technology Zhejiang Dahua Technology Co.
The Citizen
4 days ago
- Business
- The Citizen
Do you have a business in ICT and financial services sector? Here is a competition worth R4.2 million
Through the competition, 14 businesses will be awarded R300 000 each towards their business needs. Panelists at the Old Mutual SMEgo Pitchathon competition. From left to right: Pali Lehohla – former statistician general , Thabang Mkhuma – Technical Advisor 4IR, MICT, Nobesuthu Ndlovu – Director SME, Old Mutual Corporate, Lincoln Mali – CEO Lesaka Technology, Talifhani Banks – CEO Analytics X and Spaza Eats. Picture: Supplied If you have a business in the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) and financial services sectors, Old Mutual is offering a competition in which you could walk away with a share of R4.2 million prize money. The financial services group launched its second edition of the SMEGo Pitchathon on Tuesday in Johannesburg for businesses in the two sectors. This is Old Mutual's initiative to support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in South Africa, as the sector plays a significant role in providing employment opportunities. There is a high rate of small businesses failing in the first five years, with the common denominator being a lack of funding. What does the competition require? Nobesuthu Ndlovu, director of SME at Old Mutual Corporate, said they are looking for businesses that already have a track record, which includes the number of employees, the business's turnover, and other key factors. Another key focus area for entrepreneurs to highlight when entering the business is the solution their business aims to achieve. Through the competition, 14 businesses will be awarded R300 000 each towards their business needs. ALSO READ: Challenges and opportunities for SMEs in 2025 What has the competition achieved? For 2024, 10 businesses were awarded R300 000 each. Lindiwe Shibambo, founder of Maid4U, and Lebogang Maloisane, founder of Softmeetz, used their share prize from 2024 to pay for operational costs, keeping their businesses afloat. During the launch, a panel discussion around 'Addressing crucial issues in financing black – owned businesses in the ICT and Financial Service sectors in South Africa' was held. It featured entrepreneurs who have walked the journey of struggling with funding. Ndlovu highlighted that there is a disconnect between SMEs and lenders because some of these businesses lack a sufficient track record to secure funding. Therefore, they are seeking solutions to address the 5% approval rate that SMEs face in securing funding. Competition helps with employment She said she started her business while still a full-time employee because she wanted to help combat the high rate of unemployment. She has a business in fashion, and raised the question 'if one business can employ 150 people, imagine how many people 10 businesses will employ?' 'The Old Mutual SMEgo Pitchathon is more than just a competition – it is about creating an ecosystem where great ideas can grow into scalable, sustainable businesses.' SME support Pali Lehohla, the former statistician-general, added that the number of black businesses receiving funding is concerning. 'Government funding vehicles do not feature; banks are at 5% since 2001. SMEs are being funded by family and friends. This is the source of funding for businesses.' He said that during the Covid-19 pandemic, R200 billion was made available for businesses, but only a small portion of that money was distributed. 'Even in times of crisis, there is no urgency to address a critical growth vehicle for SMEs. Following the Covid-19 pandemic, there has been no reflection on how we can improve this process. It also speaks to the fact that we are not a learning nation' ALSO READ: Entrepreneurship a solution to youth unemployment – but there are challenges Innovation is key Thabang Mkhuma, Technical Advisor at the MICT SETA, emphasised that innovation is at the heart of economic growth. He said he has noted how many people are worried that the fourth Industrial Revolution will take their jobs, but that is not true, as tech is here to enhance, not replace. 'The only way the fourth Industrial Revolution will take your job is if you do not upskill yourself,' he added. Innovating creates entrepreneurs. 'We have adopted the triple helix model of innovation that involves academia, government and the industry to collaborate to foster innovation' Benefits of tech Talifhani Banks, CEO of Analytics X, spoke about the introduction of cell phones and how they have contributed to society for the better. Stating that any technological innovation will be for the betterment of society. The panellists were asked if tech is the answer. To which they replied yes. They emphasised that entrepreneurs can explore how technology can be utilised to enhance education and increase employment opportunities. How to enter Applications for the Pitchathon open on June 24 and close on August 15, 2025. The Live Pitch events will be held on 17 September in Johannesburg and 19 September in Cape Town. Pre-qualifying criteria include 51% black ownership, an annual turnover of R500 000, and a minimum of six months trading history. To enter, visit NOW READ: Mid-year financial check for SMEs: Tips to prepare for the next six months
Agriland
03-06-2025
- General
- Agriland
Breeding common cranes spotted in Co. Offaly bog
Bord na Móna has confirmed that a pair of common cranes have nested at a bog in Co. Offaly for the seventh consecutive year. The pair have successfully reared five chicks in the last three years, and have recently been spotted at the nesting spot by a Bord na Móna ecologist. Following careful monitoring, it has been established that the pair are once again incubating eggs. According to Bord na Móna, breeding cranes are a 'returning species' in Ireland, as cranes were formerly lost as a breeding bird. It said that initial breeding attempts were made by a single pair in 2019, 2020, and 2021. This followed successful breeding in 2022, 2023, and 2024, which marks the first time in several hundred years that the species is part of Ireland's breeding avifauna. Cranes An ecologist at Bord na Móna monitoring the birds since 2022, Chris Cullen believes that the birds are benefitting from habitat improvements associated with Bord na Móna's Peatland Climate Action Scheme (PCAS). He said: 'Over the last two breeding periods, the nesting pair and their young have been seen utilising recently rehabilitated cutaway peatlands for feeding and shelter. 'In addition, over the last number of years, several summering but non-breeding individuals have also been observed on other rehabilitated cutaway bogs in the midlands.' 'It appears a nascent breeding population is possibly becoming established, with clear links to rehabilitated peatlands in terms of usage,' Cullen added. The PCAS is a large-scale peatlands restoration project administered by the Department of the Environment, Climate, and Communications, and regulated by the National Parks and Wildlife Service. It is hoped that the ongoing development of wetland habitats following rehabilitation under the present scheme will continue to support the expansion of this newly returned species in Ireland. The location of the nest is confidential in order to protect and conserve the birds. However, Bord na Móna has confirmed that the site is situated on a cutaway bog formerly used to harvest peat for energy production.
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Tariffs and TSMC delays could turn Apple into an Intel Foundry customer
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Intel has historically downplayed its external Foundry customers, but on Tuesday, CFO David Zinsner gave us some insight into why Intel remains silent on its biggest clients. During a conversation at the J.P. Morgan Global Technology, Media, and Communications conference in Boston, Zinsner confirmed that Intel doesn't have a significant volume of external chips. At least on the 18A process node. Zinsner implied Intel will have more customers for its future 14A process node. "We have the traditional pipeline modeling, we have a bunch of potential customers, and then we get test chips, and then some customers fall out of the test chips. And there's a certain amount of customers that hang in there. So committed volume is not significant right now," Zinsner said. Zinsner has been at Intel since 2022 and was at Micron before that. Before Lip-Bu Tan took over as CEO in March, Zinsner served as co-CEO with fellow Intel executive MJ Johnston Holthaus after Pat Gelsinger stepped down as CEO in December 2024. Intel Foundry is currently working on the 18A and 14A production pipelines for chips in the 2 nm-and-under range, these processes will be used for Intel's own chips. The first, codenamed Panther Lake, will arrive later this year, Zinsner confirmed. "We always expected that the predominant amount of volume of 18A was going to be internal to us, and we would win customers here or there that would fill in the gaps." However, Intel will be looking for a higher volume of external sales for 14A. So, while Intel may not be making many chips for outside customers right now, a recent report from SemiAccurate indicates that could change soon. Let's take a closer look at what could be in store for Intel's chip foundry business. So far, a few big names have been reported as Intel Foundry clients. Reuters and SemiAccurate have previously reported that Broadcom and Nvidia are Intel Foundry customers, and Taiwan Semiconductor could potentially pitch a change to Intel to its longtime customers. According to that same Reuters report, TSMC also pitched Intel Foundry to AMD, but there has been no further news on that front. Reuters has also reported on a deal between Intel Foundry and Amazon to make a custom chip. One of the few official confirmed partners with Intel Foundry is Microsoft, which announced a partnership with Intel Foundry in February of last year. While not all of these rumors and deals have been confirmed, they do indicate a potential shift in the silicon production market, which lends some credence to SemiAccurate's most recent report on Intel Foundry. This new report, published on Monday, implies that Apple might be the newest Foundry customer as TSMC, Apple's current production partner, is capacity-bound on advanced packaging. DEAL SPOTLIGHT Lenovo's Early Memorial Day Access sale knocks $256 off the 2024 Lenovo IdeaPad 5i 2-in-1 laptop with coupon "DEASAVINGS1". Get things done from anywhere and enjoy seamless performance, whether working on a college term paper, drafting documents for work, or consuming content in your downtime. Key specs: 14-inch FHD (1920 x 1080) 300-nit touchscreen, Intel Core 5 120U 10-core CPU, 8GB RAM, Integrated Intel Graphics, 512GB SSD, 720p webcam with dual microphone and privacy shutter, fingerprint reader, Lenovo Digital Pen, Windows 11 HomeView Deal A direct read Zinsner's comments implies that many of Intel's external Foundry customers have yet to fully switch production lines for their chips. However, it's possible that those external custom chips are still in testing or that the exact details of the agreement are still being negotiated. After all, Zinsner did indicate that most of Intel Foundry's 18A process would be sold internally to Intel, while 14A is expected to have a broader range of external wafer sales. But if the rumors of TSMC's maxed capacity are true, combined with the ever-shifting US foreign manufacturing tariffs, Intel Foundry could be a more attractive option than ever for silicon production. TSMC is not out of the chip game yet, though. It's reportedly working on 2nm and smaller silicon wafers, which are expected to be used in the next generations of Apple Silicon. So, even if a company like Nvidia or Apple were to shift production from TSMC to Intel Foundry, we likely wouldn't see those chips for a few generations. That's in line with Zisner's comments on Tuesday about Foundry production. Intel's 14A process is expected to hit commercial production in 2027, which is also when Intel Foundry is set to break even. This could potentially be thanks to external customers. And that would coincide with the next big Nvidia (RTX 60-series) or Apple Silicon (M7) launches. Intel has been keeping its Foundry cards close to its chest for years, so we'll likely only know the details once the chips are ready for production or agreements have been filed with the SEC. Intel's new CEO Lip-Bu Tan has a retro vision for Intel's future, but is nostalgia the key to success? Forget the M5, Apple is reportedly already working on the M6 and M7 Computex showdown: Nvidia & MediaTek tipped to steal Windows-on-Arm spotlight
