2024 milestones: April

Tech highlights for April 2024 include:

- Significant layoffs were reported at Amazon Web Services (AWS).

- The 4th Bitcoin halving took place. DeVere shared that following the first halving in November 2012, Bitcoin’s price jumped around 9,500% to a peak of US$1,160 over 367 days. The 2016 halving saw the price jump by 3,040% over 562 days to 19,660, and the 2020 halving saw it surge by 802% to a top of $73,800 over 1,403 days. Bitcoin reached a new all-time high price of US$75,830 on March 14.

“Despite it being one of the biggest moments in crypto, the halving is likely not to move the needle too much in terms of values," said Nigel Green, CEO, deVere.

“Investors, traders, and speculators, priced-in the halving months ago. As a result, a significant portion of the positive economic impact was experienced previously, driving up prices to fresh all-time highs last month.”

Green said the effects would unfold gradually over time, "influencing market dynamics – and, as history teaches us, driving the price upwards - in the months and years following the event. The reduction in the rate of new supply leads to a more pronounced scarcity, reinforcing Bitcoin’s status as a store of value asset.

“This long-term narrative often plays a more significant role in shaping investor sentiment and price trends than the immediate impact of the halving itself.”

- Blizzard Entertainment, Microsoft Gaming, and NetEase renewed a publishing agreement that provides game titles from Blizzard to Chinese players such as those from the World of Warcraft, Hearthstone, and other titles in the Warcraft, Overwatch, Diablo, and StarCraft universes.

Microsoft Gaming and NetEase will also explore bringing new NetEase titles to Xbox consoles and other platforms.

Source: BAFTA. Poster for the most iconic video games characters of all time. Lara is at the bottom left and Mario at the top right.

- Lara Croft of Tomb Raider, originally a Sega game, topped BAFTA's poll to establish the Most Iconic Video Games Character of All Time. Lara first appeared in 1996. Nintendo's Mario from Super Mario was in 2nd place, and Agent 47 from IO Interactive's Hitman (2000) ranked 3rd.

Baldur’s Gate 3 won four BAFTA awards, for Best Game, Music, Narrative and Performer in a Supporting Role for Andrew Wincott – as well as the EE Players’ Choice Award, the only award voted for by the public.

- China told telecom firms to phase out the use of foreign chips in a blow to companies like Intel and AMD, the Wall Street Journal reported.

- Eight Telecom debuted in Singapore with a promotion for its first 88,888 customers.

- Intel built the world's largest neuromorphic system, codenamed Hala Point. The system, initially deployed in the US, uses Intel’s Loihi 2 processor and is aimed at supporting research for future brain-inspired artificial intelligence (AI), while tackling challenges related to the efficiency and sustainability of today’s AI. Hala Point has over 10x more neuron capacity and up to 12x higher performance compared to Intel’s first-generation large-scale research system, Pohoiki Springs.

- Microsoft announced a commitment to equip 2.5 million people in member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) with AI skills by 2025. Microsoft further said it will invest US$1.7 B over the next four years in new cloud and AI infrastructure in Indonesia, the single largest investment it has made in the country to date

The company also invested US$1.5 B in G42, a UAE-based AI technology holding company. Both Microsoft and G42 will support the setup of a US$1 B fund for developers to boost AI skills in the UAE and broader region.

- Salesforce was reported to be close to acquiring Informatica, with talks ultimately falling through.

- Samsung Electronics Singapore and Singapore's Home Team Science and Technology Agency (HTX) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to advance online and public safety in Singapore through technology co-development.

Samsung Electronics also issued earnings guidance that showed profits were estimated to have grown 10x.

- The Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) announced a Centre for AI built in collaboration with NVIDIA.

- StarHub launched Singapore's first 5 Gbps home broadband plan.