(Reuters) -India's payments authority National Payments Corporation of India and fintech firm Razorpay have collaborated with Microsoft-backed OpenAI to launch AI-driven payments on ChatGPT in India, the companies said on Thursday. (Reporting by Kashish Tandon in Bengaluru; Editing by Sumana Nandy)
(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)
By Joyce Zhou MACAU (Reuters) -The National Basketball Association (NBA) returned to China on Thursday for the first time since a controversial parting of ways in 2019, staging two games in Macau and announcing a multi-year partnership with Chinese technology giant Alibaba. The NBA is due to play two pre-season games in the Chinese special administrative region on Friday and Sunday, part of a five-year contract with Las Vegas Sands' Macau unit Sands China. The games mark the first time the NBA is playing in Macau, the world's largest gambling hub, and follows a years-long absence amid controversy over the 2019 Hong Kong protests. The Macau games aim to bolster the NBA's profile in China, where around 300 million people play basketball, at a time of rising political tensions between the United States and China. The NBA's absence followed a firestorm of controversy around comments made six years ago by the Houston Rockets' then general manager Daryl Morey, who posted a message on social media in support of Hong Kong's pro-democracy protests. In the aftermath, Beijing suspended the broadcast of NBA games, prompting corporate sponsors to flee and the league to suffer what it described at the time as dramatic financial consequences. Pre-season NBA games in China were also scrapped. "The China fans, I feel like are some of our biggest supporters," Brooklyn Nets player Michael Porter Jr told a media conference at the Venetian. "There's so many fans out here. So I think coming out here and being able to play in front of them is definitely a blessing for us and for them." NBA EXPERIENCE The NBA games are being held at Sands Venetian property along with a five-day free-to-enter music, fashion and technology exhibition showcasing the NBA brand. Shaquille O'Neal is among NBA celebrities attending the event, the league said. The Brooklyn Nets, owned by Alibaba chairman Joseph Tsai, will play the Phoenix Suns at sold-out games in the arena. Sands owner, the U.S. billionaire Adelson family, also own the Texas-based NBA team, the Dallas Mavericks. The casino operator announced its collaboration with the NBA in December 2024 and said it wanted to bring elite basketball directly to Chinese fans. The announcement by Alibaba Group said it would provide artificial intelligence and cloud computing services with the NBA and enhance fan experiences on the NBA app in China. Alibaba Cloud will be the official cloud computing and AI partner of NBA China, it said. NON-GAMING SPEND TO GROW Macau's casinos, which include Sands, Wynn Macau, SJM Holdings, MGM China, Galaxy Entertainment and Melco Resorts, have been mandated to increase their non-gaming businesses as a proportion of their overall business. They have pledged to collectively invest more than $13.5 billion in non-gambling infrastructure and projects over the next decade. Macau is the only place in China where Chinese citizens are legally allowed to gamble in casinos. A Portuguese colony until 1999, its economy remains heavily reliant on the casino industry, which contributes around 80% of government tax revenues. Macau's non-gaming offerings have historically focused on retail and dining with a smattering of entertainment such as Melco's nightclubs, Galaxy's cinema and Sands themed European properties. Melco on Monday announced the opening of a hospital inside its Studio City resort. It said the medical facility was to support the government's aim to position Macau as a centre for international medical tourism. (Reporting by Joyce Zhou in Macau, Liam Mo in Beijing, Brenda Goh in Shanghai; Writing by Farah Master; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman and Kate Mayberry)
(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)
By Joyce Zhou MACAU (Reuters) -The National Basketball Association (NBA) returned to China on Thursday for the first time since a controversial parting of ways in 2019, staging two games in Macau and announcing a multi-year partnership with Chinese technology giant Alibaba. The NBA is due to play two pre-season games in the Chinese special administrative region on Friday and Sunday, part of a five-year contract with Las Vegas Sands' Macau unit Sands China. The games mark the first time the NBA is playing in Macau, the world's largest gambling hub, and follows a years-long absence amid controversy over the 2019 Hong Kong protests. The Macau games aim to bolster the NBA's profile in China, where around 300 million people play basketball, at a time of rising political tensions between the United States and China. The NBA's absence followed a firestorm of controversy around comments made six years ago by the Houston Rockets' then general manager Daryl Morey, who posted a message on social media in support of Hong Kong's pro-democracy protests. In the aftermath, Beijing suspended the broadcast of NBA games, prompting corporate sponsors to flee and the league to suffer what it described at the time as dramatic financial consequences. Pre-season NBA games in China were also scrapped. "The China fans, I feel like are some of our biggest supporters," Brooklyn Nets player Michael Porter Jr told a media conference at the Venetian. "There's so many fans out here. So I think coming out here and being able to play in front of them is definitely a blessing for us and for them." NBA EXPERIENCE The NBA games are being held at Sands Venetian property along with a five-day free-to-enter music, fashion and technology exhibition showcasing the NBA brand. Shaquille O'Neal is among NBA celebrities attending the event, the league said. The Brooklyn Nets, owned by Alibaba chairman Joseph Tsai, will play the Phoenix Suns at sold-out games in the arena. Sands owner, the U.S. billionaire Adelson family, also own the Texas-based NBA team, the Dallas Mavericks. The casino operator announced its collaboration with the NBA in December 2024 and said it wanted to bring elite basketball directly to Chinese fans. The announcement by Alibaba Group said it would provide artificial intelligence and cloud computing services with the NBA and enhance fan experiences on the NBA app in China. Alibaba Cloud will be the official cloud computing and AI partner of NBA China, it said. NON-GAMING SPEND TO GROW Macau's casinos, which include Sands, Wynn Macau, SJM Holdings, MGM China, Galaxy Entertainment and Melco Resorts, have been mandated to increase their non-gaming businesses as a proportion of their overall business. They have pledged to collectively invest more than $13.5 billion in non-gambling infrastructure and projects over the next decade. Macau is the only place in China where Chinese citizens are legally allowed to gamble in casinos. A Portuguese colony until 1999, its economy remains heavily reliant on the casino industry, which contributes around 80% of government tax revenues. Macau's non-gaming offerings have historically focused on retail and dining with a smattering of entertainment such as Melco's nightclubs, Galaxy's cinema and Sands themed European properties. Melco on Monday announced the opening of a hospital inside its Studio City resort. It said the medical facility was to support the government's aim to position Macau as a centre for international medical tourism. (Reporting by Joyce Zhou in Macau, Liam Mo in Beijing, Brenda Goh in Shanghai; Writing by Farah Master; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman and Kate Mayberry)
(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)
TAIPEI (Reuters) -TSMC, the world's largest contract chipmaker, reported on Thursday third-quarter revenue of T$989.92 billion ($32.48 billion), beating market forecasts, and up 30% on the year ago period on surging interest in artificial intelligence applications. An LSEG SmartEstimate, drawn from 22 analysts, had predicted third-quarter revenue of T$973.26 billion. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) is a major supplier to companies including Nvidia and Apple. ($1 = 30.4740 Taiwan dollars) (Reporting by Ben Blanchard and Faith Hung; Editing by Jamie Freed)
(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)
(Reuters) -Harvard University said on Wednesday that its graduate medical school has entered a licensing agreement with Microsoft, granting the tech company access to its consumer health content on specific diseases and wellness topics. Microsoft will pay Harvard a licensing fee, a university spokesperson said in a statement, adding that the agreement was made through Harvard Health Publishing, the consumer health division of Harvard Medical School. The agreement comes as part of the company's broader strategy to reduce its dependence on ChatGPT-maker OpenAI. The Wall Street Journal, which first reported the news earlier in the day, said the partnership will help enhance Microsoft's Copilot AI assistant with health-related content. The latest version of Copilot, expected to launch as early as this month, will utilize content from Harvard Health Publishing to provide answers to user questions on medical and wellness topics, the university said. Copilot has so far relied primarily on OpenAI's models to power tools across its productivity suite, including Word and Outlook. Microsoft has recently begun integrating Anthropic's Claude and is also developing its own AI models, as it looks to diversify its artificial intelligence strategy. (Reporting by Rishabh Jaiswal and Rajveer Singh Pardesi in Bengaluru; Additional reported by Mrinmay Dey; Editing by Shailesh Kuber, Alan Barona and Sherry Jacob-Phillips)
(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)
TAIPEI (Reuters) -TSMC, the world's largest contract chipmaker, reported on Thursday third-quarter revenue of T$989.92 billion ($32.48 billion), beating market forecasts, and up 30% on the year ago period on surging interest in artificial intelligence applications. An LSEG SmartEstimate, drawn from 22 analysts, had predicted third-quarter revenue of T$973.26 billion. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) is a major supplier to companies including Nvidia and Apple. ($1 = 30.4740 Taiwan dollars) (Reporting by Ben Blanchard and Faith Hung; Editing by Jamie Freed)
(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)
By Joyce Zhou MACAU (Reuters) -The National Basketball Association (NBA) returned to China on Thursday for the first time since a controversial parting of ways in 2019, staging two games in Macau and announcing a multi-year partnership with Chinese technology giant Alibaba. The NBA is due to play two pre-season games in the Chinese special administrative region on Friday and Sunday, part of a five-year contract with Las Vegas Sands' Macau unit Sands China. The games mark the first time the NBA is playing in Macau, the world's largest gambling hub, and follows a years-long absence amid controversy over the 2019 Hong Kong protests. The Macau games aim to bolster the NBA's profile in China, where around 300 million people play basketball, at a time of rising political tensions between the United States and China. The NBA's absence followed a firestorm of controversy around comments made six years ago by the Houston Rockets' then general manager Daryl Morey, who posted a message on social media in support of Hong Kong's pro-democracy protests. In the aftermath, Beijing suspended the broadcast of NBA games, prompting corporate sponsors to flee and the league to suffer what it described at the time as dramatic financial consequences. Pre-season NBA games in China were also scrapped. "The China fans, I feel like are some of our biggest supporters," Brooklyn Nets player Michael Porter Jr told a media conference at the Venetian. "There's so many fans out here. So I think coming out here and being able to play in front of them is definitely a blessing for us and for them." NBA EXPERIENCE The NBA games are being held at Sands Venetian property along with a five-day free-to-enter music, fashion and technology exhibition showcasing the NBA brand. Shaquille O'Neal is among NBA celebrities attending the event, the league said. The Brooklyn Nets, owned by Alibaba chairman Joseph Tsai, will play the Phoenix Suns at sold-out games in the arena. Sands owner, the U.S. billionaire Adelson family, also own the Texas-based NBA team, the Dallas Mavericks. The casino operator announced its collaboration with the NBA in December 2024 and said it wanted to bring elite basketball directly to Chinese fans. The announcement by Alibaba Group said it would provide artificial intelligence and cloud computing services with the NBA and enhance fan experiences on the NBA app in China. Alibaba Cloud will be the official cloud computing and AI partner of NBA China, it said. NON-GAMING SPEND TO GROW Macau's casinos, which include Sands, Wynn Macau, SJM Holdings, MGM China, Galaxy Entertainment and Melco Resorts, have been mandated to increase their non-gaming businesses as a proportion of their overall business. They have pledged to collectively invest more than $13.5 billion in non-gambling infrastructure and projects over the next decade. Macau is the only place in China where Chinese citizens are legally allowed to gamble in casinos. A Portuguese colony until 1999, its economy remains heavily reliant on the casino industry, which contributes around 80% of government tax revenues. Macau's non-gaming offerings have historically focused on retail and dining with a smattering of entertainment such as Melco's nightclubs, Galaxy's cinema and Sands themed European properties. Melco on Monday announced the opening of a hospital inside its Studio City resort. It said the medical facility was to support the government's aim to position Macau as a centre for international medical tourism. (Reporting by Joyce Zhou in Macau, Liam Mo in Beijing, Brenda Goh in Shanghai; Writing by Farah Master; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman and Kate Mayberry)
(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)
TAIPEI (Reuters) -TSMC, the world's largest contract chipmaker, reported on Thursday third-quarter revenue rose 30% year-on-year, beating the market forecast, as demand for the company's products leapt on surging interest in artificial intelligence applications. Revenue for July-September came in at T$989.92 billion ($32.47 billion), according to Reuters calculations, compared with T$759.69 billion in the year ago period. The latest result handily topped an LSEG SmartEstimate of T$973.26 billion drawn from 22 analysts, and was in the mid-point of guidance of $31.8 billion to $33 billion issued by TSMC in July in its last earnings call. TSMC only gives guidance in U.S. dollars. TSMC will report full third-quarter earnings on October 16, including an updated outlook for the current quarter and full year. The company, whose customers include Nvidia and Apple, has been a major beneficiary of advances in AI, which has more than offset the tapering off of pandemic-led demand for chips used in consumer electronics like tablets. TSMC's Taipei-listed shares have gained 34% so far this year, compared with an 18.5% rise for the broader market. Taiwan's Foxconn, the world's largest contract electronics maker and Nvidia's biggest server maker, has also reported bumper sales, logging its highest-ever revenue for the third quarter. ($1 = 30.4880 Taiwan dollars) (Reporting by Ben Blanchard and Faith Hung; Editing by Jamie Freed and Muralikumar Anantharaman)
(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)
(Reuters) -The United States has approved several billion dollars worth of Nvidia chip exports to the United Arab Emirates, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday. The Commerce Department's Bureau of Industry and Security recently issued the Nvidia export licenses under the terms of a bilateral artificial intelligence agreement hashed out in May, the report said, citing people familiar with the matter. The deal would boost UAE's construction of data centers vital to developing AI models. The approval came after the UAE made concrete plans for a reciprocal amount of investment on American soil, the report said. Nvidia declined to comment on the report. "The Commerce Department is fully committed to the transformational U.S.-UAE AI partnership deal," a spokesperson for the government told Bloomberg. The White House and the U.S. Department of Commerce did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comments, while representatives for the UAE could not be immediately reached. The U.S. has a preliminary agreement with the Emirates' to allow it to import 500,000 of Nvidia's most advanced AI chips per year, starting in 2025, Reuters reported in May. The agreement was at least through 2027, but there was a chance it could be in place until 2030. U.S. President Donald Trump has made improving ties with some Gulf countries a key goal of his administration. Trump in May, while on a tour of the Gulf region, announced $600 billion worth of commitments from Saudi Arabia, including deals to buy large quantities of chips from Nvidia, Advanced Micro Devices, and Qualcomm. (Reporting by Yazhini M V in Bengaluru; Additional reported by Mrinmay Dey; Editing by Rashmi Aich and Ronojoy Mazumdar)
(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)
(Reuters) -Harvard University said on Wednesday that its graduate medical school has entered a licensing agreement with Microsoft, granting the tech company access to its consumer health content on specific diseases and wellness topics. As a part of the agreement, Microsoft will pay Harvard a licensing fee. The Wall Street Journal, which first reported the news earlier in the day, said the partnership will help enhance Microsoft's Copilot AI assistant with health-related content, as part of the company's broader strategy to reduce its dependence on ChatGPT-maker OpenAI. Microsoft declined to comment on the WSJ report. Dominic King, vice president of health at Microsoft AI, told the WSJ that the company's aim is for Copilot to provide answers that closely reflect the information a user might receive from a medical practitioner, compared with what's currently available. Microsoft's Copilot has so far relied primarily on OpenAI's models to power tools across its productivity suite, including Word and Outlook. The company has recently begun integrating Anthropic's Claude and is also developing its own AI models, as it looks to diversify its artificial intelligence strategy. (Reporting by Rishabh Jaiswal and Rajveer Singh Pardesi in Bengaluru; Editing by Shailesh Kuber, Alan Barona and Sherry Jacob-Phillips)
(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)
