Technology

Trillion-dollar chip giant: Five things to know about TSMC
Trillion-dollar chip giant: Five things to know about TSMC

Taiwanese semiconductor titan TSMC briefly joined a rarefied club of companies valued at more than $1 trillion on Monday. It works closely with AI leader Nvidia, which became the world's most valuable traded company in June with a market capitalisation of around $3.3 trillion.

Shadow campaign: Global influence op targets Qatar in wartime
Shadow campaign: Global influence op targets Qatar in wartime

Shady websites calling for a boycott of Qatar, a New York billboard targeting the Gulf state's rulers, and a Vietnamese outfit floating hundreds of slander-ridden Facebook ads -- all elements of a sprawling influence operation vilifying the country as it mediates between Israel and Hamas.

Cybercrime groups restructuring after major takedowns: experts
Cybercrime groups restructuring after major takedowns: experts

Cybercrime gangs are looking to rebuild with new tactics after global police operations this year made a huge dent in their activities, experts have told AFP. The gangs have had a bad year so far, with law enforcement operations taking out some of prominent groups including LockBit, a loose network of largely Russian-speaking cyber criminals.

Is AI a major drain on the world's energy supply?
Is AI a major drain on the world's energy supply?

When Google announced this week that its climate emissions had risen by 48 percent since 2019, it pointed the finger at artificial intelligence. Google flagged a 48 percent rise from 2019 and Microsoft a 30 percent increase from 2020.

Wimbledon launches online monitoring service to protect players
Wimbledon launches online monitoring service to protect players

Wimbledon chiefs said Friday they had launched a social media monitoring service to protect players from online abuse. Wimbledon tournament director Jamie Baker said the All England Club had taken action to protect players, using a dedicated team and AI. "This year is the first year that we have got effectively a social media monitoring service specifically for the event," he said.

Threads hits 175 mn users on first anniversary
Threads hits 175 mn users on first anniversary

Threads, Meta's alternative to X (formerly Twitter), has hit 175 million monthly users a year after its out-of-the-blue launch. Threads, which hit app stores on July 5 last year, is a spin-off of Instagram and is intended to be a rival to X, formerly known as Twitter, after that platform alienated many users and advertisers following Elon Musk's purchase in 2022.