Photo: ReutersThe current generation, 5G, was designed to connect people through voice and data and provide them with retrieved information, but is not capable of supporting the widespread use of AI, Nvidia said. Nvidia already offers versions of its chips, computers and software for use in networks and hopes to expand that business. Without wireless networks enabled for AI traffic, Nvidia’s vision of a world full of humanoid robots and self-driving cars might be slower to emerge. Nvidia said that new gear and software needs to be fundamentally open. In such an environment, the telecommunications industry would be far more open to the emergence of new providers, including start-ups that might rapidly attain billion-dollar valuations, Vasishta said.

Vietnam’s AI law takes effect, making it the first such law in Southeast AsiaAFP, HANOIA law regulating artificial intelligence (AI) yesterday went into effect in Vietnam, making it the first country in Southeast Asia with a comprehensive framework on the booming technology. Under the law, the government would establish a national AI computing center, improved data resources and large language models in Vietnamese. The EU in 2024 initiated what it calls “the world’s first comprehensive AI law” and is gradually phasing in a set of rules that would become completely applicable next year. South Korea in January became the first country to have an AI law take full effect, requiring companies to tell users when products use generative AI. At an AI summit hosted by New Delhi last month, 91 countries and international organizations called for “secure, trustworthy and robust” AI.

Smartphone market set to shrink 12.9 percent: IDC‘SEISMIC SHIFT’: The researcher forecast there would be about 1.1 billion mobile shipments this year, down from 1.26 billion the prior year and erasing years of gains The global smartphone market is expected to contract 12.9 percent this year due to the unprecedented memorychip shortage, marking “a crisis like no other,” researcher International Data Corp (IDC) said. The new forecast, a dramatic revision down from earlier estimates, gives the latest accounting of the ongoing memory crunch that is affecting every corner of the electronics industry. The demand for advanced memory to power artificial intelligence (AI) tasks has drained global supply until well into next year and jeopardizes the business model of many smartphone makers. IDC forecast about 1.1 billion mobile shipments this year, down from 1.26 billion the prior

Prices at pumps to rise amid Mideast tensionsStaff writer, with CNACPC Corp, Taiwan (CPC, 台灣中油) and Formosa Petrochemical Corp (台塑石化) yesterday announced that gasoline and diesel prices would rise by NT$0.2 and NT$0.4 per liter respectively starting today, citing Middle East tensions and winter storms in the eastern US. Premium diesel would be NT$27 per liter at CPC stations and NT$26.8 per liter at Formosa pumps, they said. Separately, CPC on Saturday said it would raise the price of natural gas by 3 percent on average this month in the wake of a hike in international liquefied natural gas (LNG) prices. International LNG prices have been rising sharply due to robust global demand caused by freezing temperatures in Europe, the US and northeast Asia, it said. Europe’s natural gas inventories are relatively low, and as European and Asian countries scramble to rebuild their surplus, LNG prices rise, CPC said.

India opens first semiconductor assembly facilityNEW IDENTITY: Known for its software, India has expanded into hardware, with its semiconductor industry growing from US$38bn in 2023 to US$45bn to US$50bnAFP, NEW DELHIIndia on Saturday inaugurated its first semiconductor assembly and test facility, a milestone in the government’s push to reduce dependence on foreign chipmakers and stake a claim in a sector dominated by China. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi opened US firm Micron Technology Inc’s semiconductor assembly, test and packaging unit in his home state of Gujarat, hailing the “dawn of a new era” for India’s technology ambitions. “When young Indians look back in the future, they will see this decade as the turning point in our tech future,” Modi told the event, which was broadcast on his YouTube channel. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi waves to a crowd as he arrives to inaugurate Micron Technology Inc’s semiconductor assembly and testing plant in Sanand, India, on Saturday. “The entire world wants to secure these supply chains which are key for humanity’s future,” Modi said.

Investors eye ‘haven-first’ plans amid Iran tensionsBloombergThe fast-moving conflict across the Middle East is heightening investor anxiety and strengthening the case for safe haven trades such as US Treasuries, gold and the Swiss franc. Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange at the opening bell in New York on Friday last week. Photo: AFPTraders would be adopting the strategy of “haven first, ask questions later,” Natixis SA US rates strategy head John Briggs said. “This is about Hormuz risk, not retaliation. Saudi Arabia’s Tadawul All Share Index opened almost 5 percent lower before paring most of that decline in trading yesterday.

How should journalists govern use of AI in their products? These issues were on the minds of reporters for the independent outlet ProPublica as they walked picket lines last month. Journalists of the independent news outlet Telex work at their newsroom in Budapest on May 19 last year. “It feels to me pretty monumental when we think about the trajectory of AI and journalism,” said Alex Mahadevan, an expert on the topic at the Poynter Institute journalism think tank. A significant minority — 30 percent in a study Toff conducted last year — does not want AI used in journalism at all.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs name and logo are displayed at the ministry in Taipei. Photo: CNA“Ortega’s inappropriate remarks only serve to highlight the decline of his moral conscience,” it said. “The Republic of China, Taiwan is an independent, sovereign country, and it and the People’s Republic of China (PRC) are not subordinate to each other,” the statement said. Nicaragua officially resumed ties with Taiwan in November 1990, shortly after Violeta Barrios de Chamorro became president. Before severing ties for the second time, Taiwan had provided significant economic support for infrastructure, agriculture and social programs.

Taiwanese shuttlers in four semi-finals in GermanyStaff writer, with CNAEight Taiwanese badminton players were to compete in four semi-finals at the Yonex German Open in Mulheim, Germany. Lin Chun-yi and Chi Yu-jen made it to the men’s singles semi-finals after beating their individual opponents in the quarter-finals on Friday, while the pair of Wang Chi-lin and Chiu Hsiang-chieh made their way into the men’s doubles semis. Photo: CNAHsu Ya-ching and Sung Yu-hsuan were to play in the semis of the women’s doubles after press time last night. Taiwan’s left-handed shuttler, Lin, advanced past China’s Weng Hongyang to the semis 12-21, 22-20, 21-18 after a rocky start. Hsu and Sung on Friday won a close game from fellow Taiwanese females Yang Ching-tun and Chang Ching-hui 20-22, 21-18, 21-19.

National team leave for World Baseball ClassicStaff writer, with CNATaiwan’s World Baseball Classic (WBC) team yesterday set out for friendly games in Miyazaki, Japan, before heading to Tokyo for the WBC pool stage. Speaking to reporters before departure, Chen pledged that the team would do their best to reach Miami for the elimination round of the competition. The national team squad prepare to leave Taiwan for the World Baseball Classic in Japan at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport yesterday. Taiwan took off from Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport six players short of their official 30-man roster. Fans hold signs at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport as Taiwan’s World Baseball Classic team left for Japan yesterday.

Israeli court freezes ban on foreign NGOsPOSITIVE STEP: The NGOs welcomed the ruling, but said details regarding getting supplies and foreign staff inside, as well as the effect on operations, remained unclearAFP, JERUSALEMIsrael’s Supreme Court in a ruling published on Friday said it would freeze a government ban on 37 foreign non-governmental organizations (NGOs) working in Gaza and the occupied West Bank pending a final decision. The NGOs petitioned the Israeli Supreme Court via an umbrella organization, AIDA, after their charity registration in Israel was revoked at the end of a year-long battle during which the NGOs had refused to provide lists of their Palestinian employees to Israeli authorities. The court said there existed a “genuine legal dispute” due to the foreign NGOs’ responsibilities to their employees’ privacy under European law. MSF project coordinator Craig Kenzie said the organization’s 28 remaining foreign staff left the Palestinian territory on Thursday and would not be able to return unless the ban was reversed. “It’s a positive step, but it’s very light on the details, so it’s not clear what that results in in terms of getting supplies and foreign staff inside,” he said.

Taiwan ranks 2nd with good climate for entrepreneursFERTILE SOIL The conditions in Taiwan are good for those looking to start business, with a strong culture and forward-looking thinkingStaff writer, with CNATaiwan is ranked second in the latest Global Entrepreneurship Monitor’s (GEM) National Entrepreneurial Context Index (NECI), which assesses the startup business environment in different countries. In the rankings, Taiwan trailed the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which scored 7.0 in the latest listing, which evaluates the strength of entrepreneurial framework conditions across participating economies. Photo: AP“This places [Taiwan] second out of 53 GEM economies globally, improving on its already strong position from the previous year,” the report showed. In a statement, the Ministry of Economic Affairs’ Small and Medium Enterprise and Startup Administration (SMESA) said the ranking highlights the fact that the local startup business environment is world-class. Amid the restructuring of global supply chains and escalating geopolitical unease, the second place ranking in the latest NECI shows Taiwan has a resilient startup business ecosystem, the SMESA said.

Universities build dual-language curriculumsBy Rachel Lin and Jake Chung / Staff reporter, with staff writerThe Wenzao Ursuline College of Languages’ Indonesian-Mandarin, Thai-Mandarin and Vietnamese-Mandarin dual-language illustration and multilingual video materials are serving as a cross-cultural model for gender equality courses, according to the Ministry of Education (MOE). The entrance to the Ministry of Education in Taipei is pictured in an undated photograph. Lin cited Wenzao’s use of illustrations, translations and multimedia platforms to establish a model for promoting multilingual gender equality education, highlighting the university’s grasp of its social responsibility. The course results show that students begin to consider stereotypical gender images and can understand the concept of female autonomy, it added. Gender equality education must be conducted in tandem with research, scheduled courses and social implementation, and the use of multilingual materials and online platforms allows the dissemination of information beyond school campuses, Lin said.

FEATURE: Language learning a boon to immigrantsBy Fion Khan / Staff writer, with CNAWhen Trinh Thi Anh first arrived in Yilan County from Vietnam at the age of 18, she found herself in a world of silence. Photo: CNAAfter years of study, Anh gradually built up her language skills and decided to take the Test of Chinese as a Foreign Language (TOCFL). According to labor brokers, employers see language ability as a big plus for migrant workers who wish to remain in Taiwan. From a migrant worker’s perspective, having language skills opens up more job opportunities, just as Taiwanese working in Southeast Asia or Europe benefit from knowing local languages, he said. The Mandarin Training Center at National Taiwan Normal University is one of the major destinations for foreigners learning Chinese.

Aston Villa defeated by WolverhamptonBAD FORM: Aston Villa are six points clear of fifth-placed Chelsea and sixth-placed Liverpool, but have won just twice in their last eight league matchesAFP, WOLVERHAMPTON, EnglandWolverhampton Wanderers on Friday won for just the second time in the English Premier League this season as Joao Gomes inspired a shock 2-0 victory against Aston Villa. Joao Gomes grabbed his first league goal this season in the second half before Rodrigo Gomes finished off lackluster Villa at rain-lashed Molineux. Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Rodrigo Gomes, center, celebrates scoring their second goal against Aston Villa during their English Premier League game in Wolverhampton, England, on Friday. With the rain coming down even harder in the second half, Villa struggled to establish any rhythm on the saturated pitch. Just moments later, Rodrigo Gomes delivered the knockout blow, slotting home after Joao Gomes’ shot was blocked with Villa’s defense in disarray.