Summary
Online learning platform CCtalk is suspected of shutting down; Elon Musk's tunnel company achieves a new milestone; the world's first living processor, Neuroplatform, is born.
Apple has reached an agreement with OpenAI to provide generative features for iOS 18.
According to Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman on May 27th, Apple has struck a deal with OpenAI to offer a range of generative AI features for this year's iOS 18 system.
However, Apple is not putting all its eggs in one basket, as the company is still in negotiations with Google, aiming to integrate Gemini as another optional solution within the iOS system.
Gurman mentioned that Apple is expected to announce the partnership with OpenAI at the WWDC 2024 event next month.
Furthermore, Gurman revealed that iOS 18 will include the following AI features: photo enhancements, voice memo transcriptions, assistance in composing emails and messages, AI-generated emojis based on user content, new emojis for any occasion beyond the existing catalog, improved Safari web searches, faster and more reliable searches in Spotlight, more natural interactions with Siri, a more advanced Siri version designed specifically for Apple Watch, optimized for "on-the-go tasks," intelligent re-presentation of missed notifications and individual messages, web pages, news articles, documents, notes, etc., and providing Xcode developer tools.
In addition, in iOS 18, users will have the freedom to place icons wherever they want instead of being limited to the current "fixed alignment" grid. They can also change the colors of all app icons and position them wherever they desire. For example, users can change all social app icons to blue or financial app icons to green. (Source: IT Home, cnBeta)
Google CEO admits AI summarization feature has "illusion" issue: No solution yet
On May 26th, it was reported that Google's AI summarization feature has sparked controversy online for providing misleading answers.
In the United States, Google collaborates mainly with the Reddit community to use artificial intelligence to answer user queries. At the Google I/O conference, Google stated that the "generative search experience" has already handled over 1 billion queries.
During testing, a question was posed asking, "How to prevent cheese from sliding off a pizza?" Google AI Overview suggested adding a little something extra to the pizza - glue. By adding 1/8 cup of non-toxic glue to the sauce, it can make it stickier and help the cheese adhere. This answer can be traced back to a Reddit post from 11 years ago, which was just a joke among Reddit users. Additionally, Google AI summarization also advised users to eat poisonous mushrooms, commit murder, or jump off a bridge.
Tech media outlet The Verge reported that Google's CEO Sundar Pichai acknowledged in an interview that the "illusion" created by these "AI summaries" is an "inherent flaw" of large language models, which are the core technology behind AI summarization. Pichai mentioned that there is currently no solution to this issue. (Source: IT Home, cnBeta)
NVIDIA reportedly lowers prices of special edition chips in China
On May 26th, it was revealed that NVIDIA has reduced the prices of its H20 series AI chips in response to weak demand for the special edition chips in the Chinese market.
According to three supply chain sources, Chinese server distributors are currently selling the H20 chips for around 100,000 RMB per set, with servers containing eight chips priced between 1.1 million to 1.3 million RMB per unit. In some cases, this price is more than 10% lower than Huawei's Ascend 910B chip.
Back in early February, when NVIDIA's H20 was available for pre-order in China, the channel pricing ranged from $12,000 to $15,000, with some channel partners quoting prices of around 110,000 RMB.
The NVIDIA H20 chip is a product tailored for the Chinese market with reduced performance due to U.S. export controls, based on a stripped-down version of the NVIDIA H100 GPU.
Market analysts point out that Huawei is expected to significantly increase shipments of the Ascend 910B chip this year, which outperforms the H20 in some key metrics. Dylan Patel, founder of research firm SemiAnalysis, predicts that by the second half of 2024, nearly 1 million H20 chips will be shipped to China. NVIDIA must compete with Huawei on pricing to secure orders large enough to absorb this volume of chips in the Chinese market. (Source: )
Elon Musk's $56 billion sky-high compensation is being questioned: Institutions urge shareholders to veto
On May 26th, according to reports, Tesla CEO Elon Musk's extravagant compensation has become a focal point in the market. Consulting firm Glass Lewis strongly advises Tesla shareholders to reject Musk's proposed $56 billion total compensation package in their latest report.
The report clearly points out that Musk's compensation package is of a massive scale, and if implemented, it could trigger significant "equity dilution effects," thereby adversely affecting shareholder interests.
Furthermore, the report also notes that in the years leading up to proposing this compensation package, Musk has devoted a considerable amount of time to projects unrelated to the company's core business, especially the recent high-profile acquisition of X company. This behavior undoubtedly intensifies market doubts about the reasonableness of his compensation.
At the same time, Tesla shareholders will also vote on a proposal at the upcoming shareholder meeting on whether to support the company's relocation of its headquarters from Delaware to Texas. However, Glass Lewis also opposes this move, believing that it not only goes against shareholder interests but may also increase operational uncertainty and risk for the company.
Now, both Elon Musk's sky-high compensation plan and Tesla's headquarters relocation plan will be subject to shareholder voting.
Online learning platform CCtalk suspected of running away
On May 26th, according to Securities Times, the online learning platform CCtalk was recently exposed to be "suspected of running away." Over 800 online instructors claimed that withdrawals from the platform were delayed and the promised fund disbursement schedule had not been fulfilled.
The report mentioned that the subject of CCtalk's WeChat official account was changed on May 2nd, leading users to suspect that the platform is "not far from running away." Some employees also revealed that CCtalk had sold a WeChat official account with nearly 6 million followers at a "relatively low" price, and in the past two months, there have been incidents of discounted salaries and unpaid wages for company employees.
CCtalk itself does not produce content but relies on third-party educational institutions or online teachers for teaching. Key course categories include civil service exams, postgraduate entrance exams, foreign languages, and some skill-based learning. Additionally, CCtalk acts as a third-party platform for tuition collection, where students pay their fees on the platform, and the platform deducts a commission from the collected fees. Typically, institutions or instructors can expect withdrawals to be processed within 7 working days.
Reports indicate that CCtalk currently owes over 60 million yuan in total, with rumors circulating in the market that the funds have been misappropriated, possibly to resolve previous internal equity disputes within the company. (Source: IT Home)
Musk's tunnel company achieves new milestone: Passenger volume exceeds 2 million
On May 26th, Elon Musk's tunnel company, The Boring Company, reached another milestone - the passenger volume on the Las Vegas Loop exceeded 2 million.
The Las Vegas Loop is the first project of Boring Company's underground transportation network and is currently in operation. Last March, Boring Company announced that the passenger count on the Las Vegas Loop had surpassed 1 million.
The Las Vegas Loop is just the first step in Boring Company's grand blueprint. The company has obtained permits for the construction of an additional 81 stations in Las Vegas, forming the entire network known as the "Las Vegas Loop."
"To solve the frustrating traffic congestion problem, roads must enter the three-dimensional era," wrote the Boring Company on its official website. "Tunnels are not affected by weather and operate underground, so nothing will fall on your head." According to information on the Boring Company's LVCC Loop on their website, the tunnel's peak capacity can reach 4,500 passengers per hour, with a daily capacity of around 32,000 passengers. (Source: IT Home)
Smartphone Manufacturers Already Testing Snapdragon 8 Gen4: Dominating Android Camp
According to chip insiders, Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Gen4 is built on TSMC's 3nm process. Smartphone manufacturers are currently testing the Snapdragon 8 Gen4, and in terms of benchmark scores, it outperforms its rival, the MediaTek Dimensity 9400, although the latter excels in power efficiency.
Reportedly, the biggest change in the Snapdragon 8 Gen4 is the use of Qualcomm's in-house Nuvia Phoenix architecture, with the CPU target frequency reaching an unprecedented 4.26GHz, delivering stronger performance. Qualcomm aims to compete with Apple's A18 Pro. Compared to the Arm reference architecture, the Nuvia Phoenix architecture offers higher performance advantages. It is said that Qualcomm is very confident in the new architecture of the Snapdragon 8 Gen4. With TSMC's 3nm "N3E" process, the Snapdragon 8 Gen4 is expected to achieve its target frequency.
The chip insiders also mentioned that OPPO and Xiaomi will be among the first to feature the Snapdragon 8 Gen4. Therefore, the Xiaomi 15 series, OPPO Find X8 series, and OnePlus 13 series are expected to be the first flagship devices to feature the Snapdragon 8 Gen4.
Nezha L electric version starts pre-sale: to be launched in late June
On May 26th, Nezha L electric mid-size SUV officially began pre-sale with a starting price of 140,000 yuan.
The vehicle, based on the Shanhai platform, is equipped with a single motor, offering a range of 510 kilometers and can add 400 kilometers of range with just a 10-minute charge.
Currently, Nezha L has received over 30,000 cumulative orders. To address potential delivery delays, Nezha has promised to provide a subsidy of 50 yuan per day starting from the 31st day for users whose delivery exceeds 30 days, with a maximum of 3,000 yuan.
Additionally, Nezha L plans to conduct OTA upgrades in June and introduce a sound exclusive brand in July and August. The new car is expected to announce its price in late June and commence deliveries in July.
The world's first living processor, Neuroplatform, is born
On May 26th, Swiss startup FinalSpark introduced Neuroplatform, a pioneering method that utilizes wetware computing and organoid intelligence for "bioprocessing." Researchers can now, for the first time, conduct experiments on living neurons using an online remote platform. Swiss biocomputing startup FinalSpark launched the Neuroplatform project, which leverages 16 human brain organoids to develop what is known as the world's first living processor, also referred to as a bioprocessor.
Similar to traditional processors, these bioprocessors can learn and process information but consume a million times less power.
This research falls under the category of wetware computing, which combines hardware, software, and biology. The term "wetware" comes from "wet software," referring to the software inside organisms, namely the instructions contained in DNA. Similar to wetware computing, organoid intelligence is a field focused on using 3D cultures of human brain cells for biological computation.
FinalSpark's remote biocomputing platform relies on hardware to maintain internal balance, monitor environmental parameters, and conduct electrophysiological experiments. Users can interact with the hardware through a graphical user interface (GUI) or via Python scripts. (Source: cnBeta)
Internal Wolf-Like Speech from Liu Qiangdong Leaked: "Not Struggling Means You're Not My Brother"
On May 26th, it was reported that an online speech by Liu Qiangdong, the founder of JD.com, was leaked.
In this online speech, Liu Qiangdong first announced a salary increase of 20%-100% for all sales staff, followed by a round of "wolf-like speech." He once again talked about the definition of "brother." "I also know that everyone's life choices are different. We have employees who prioritize enjoying life more, putting life first and career/work second, not wanting to strive. I can understand that. There's nothing wrong with it, but I can only say, you are not our brother, you are a passerby. What does it mean to be a passerby? It means you are neither my friend, nor my brother, nor my enemy. We should not work together because your presence will seriously harm the interests of our hardworking brothers and be severely unfair to them."
Liu Qiangdong pointed out in his speech that whether it's the industry depth or internal and external environment, JD.com can never allow a large number of employees to "sleep on the job." Liu Qiangdong said, "If your performance is good, you may never need to work overtime, the company will always love you, and you will always receive very good income and benefits. If your performance is not that good, just reaching the average level, as long as you strive, the company will never dismiss you. But for those with poor performance who never strive, this company can never tolerate, no company can tolerate, and they will gradually be eliminated through various means." (Source: Securities Times)
Apple OpenAI iOS 18, Google AI, NVIDIA, NVIDIA H20, CCTalk, The Boring Company, Snapdragon 8 Gen4, live processor, Nezha L electric version
