2024 milestones: May

Tech highlights for May 2024 include:

Source: Apple. The redesigned iPad Air with the M2 chip and new iPad Pro with next-level performance of the new M4 chip are now available.

- Apple rolled out the redesigned iPad Air and new iPad Pro, both powered by Apple silicon. Offered in two sizes for the first time, the new iPad Air with the M2 chip is more powerful and versatile than ever, Apple said, while the new iPad Pro features a new Ultra Retina XDR display and an M4 chip.

- AWS and SAP expanded their partnership to include generative AI. The generative AI hub in SAP AI Core integrates with foundation models in Amazon Bedrock to deliver AI-driven insights and streamline manual processes for enterprises.

- Boomi unveils a new vision focused on integration, automation, API management, and data management.

- Dropbox announced on 1 May that it had discovered a breach on April 24 for Dropbox Sign, formerly HelloSign. Data accessed included Dropbox Sign customer information such as emails, usernames, phone numbers and hashed passwords, in addition to general account settings and authentication information such as API keys, OAuth tokens, and multifactor authentication (MFA). The company said it believed the incident did not impact any other Dropbox products, and had added more advanced data protection features to Dropbox on April 25.

Patrick Tiquet, VP of Security and Compliance, Keeper Security commented: "When handling sensitive data, including e-signatures and authentication information, it is critically important to have robust security measures in place to safeguard that information. The fact that threat actors were able to access the emails, usernames and passwords of Dropbox Sign users highlights the need for stronger authentication practices. Passwords, in particular, remain a vulnerable point of entry for cybercriminals, emphasising the need for secure password management protocols, such as the use of strong, unique passwords for each account and MFA.

"While it's reassuring that there's no evidence of the attackers accessing the contents of users' accounts or payment information, the breach still poses a significant risk to affected individuals and organisations. A first step should be signing up for identity theft protection services and securing your Dropbox Sign account, as well as your other online accounts, with strong and unique passwords. 

"A dark web monitoring service such as BreachWatch can alert you if your information shows up on the dark web so that you can take immediate action. A strong password is at least 16 characters with uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers and special characters. To achieve this, it is essential to use a password manager to create and store high-strength random passwords for every website, application and system and, to enable MFA to further protect your sensitive information."

Said Thomas Richards, Associate Principal Consultant at Synopsys Software Integrity Group: "The details Dropbox shared about the breach are very concerning. The digital signature products are used to conduct a lot of business and sensitive information, which would allow someone to impersonate someone else, has been leaked. Users of these systems should reset their passwords immediately not only on the Dropbox service but also wherever their email or username is used. Any integration with single-sign-on services and APIs should have the keys regenerated to prevent any abuse of those services. Users of the Dropbox service should also review any transactions or requests made for any fraudulent activity as the information leaked could be used for numerous nefarious purposes."

- Equinix opened the JH1 Johor data centre in Nusajaya Technology Park in Malaysia. The facility has capacity for 500 cabinets and 1,960 sq m of colocation space. It is designed to serve Singapore 15 km away as well as Malaysia’s domestic market.

- The European Union (EU) has approved a law on AI, the Artificial Intelligence Act. The legislation follows a ‘risk-based’ approach -  the higher the risk to cause harm to society, the stricter the rules. It is the first of its kind in the world and can set a global standard for AI regulation, the Council of the EU said. 

- Exabeam and LogRhythm announce that they will merge. The merger is completed in July, creating a new company named Exabeam.

- Google has plans to manufacture its Pixel smartphones in Tamil Nadu, India, media reported. 

- IBM and Palo Alto Networks will jointly provide AI-backed security offerings, while IBM will deliver security consulting services across Palo Alto Networks platforms.

- IFLYTEK opened its regional headquarters in Singapore. The facility will cover operations in Southeast Asia.

- Lenovo Group signed a strategic collaboration framework agreement and a US$2 B bond subscription agreement with Alat, a public investment fund company. The agreements will enable Lenovo to further accelerate its ongoing transformation, enhance its global presence, increase geographic diversification of its manufacturing footprint, and capitalise on the growth momentum of the IT and business services industry in the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region.

- Microsoft will invest US$2.2 B over the next four years to support Malaysia’s digital transformation, its single largest investment in the country to date.

Microsoft also launched a new category of Windows PCs designed for AI, Copilot+ PCs. Devices are available or ready for preorder from Microsoft as well as Acer, ASUS, Dell, HP, Lenovo and Samsung. 

- NEC Asia Pacific appointed Takayuki Inaba as its new President and CEO. Inaba is to oversee NEC's operations in the ASEAN region and concurrently serve as MD for NEC's Singapore operations.

- OpenAI introduced GPT-4o, its new flagship model. GPT-4o provides GPT-4-level intelligence but is much faster and has better capabilities for text, voice, and vision.

- Palo Alto Networks launched new security solutions that use Precision AI, their proprietary AI system that ensures real-time security and safety. Precision AI features in its Strata, Prisma and Cortex platforms with capabilities that address the malicious use of AI, simplify security, and prioritises the integrity of AI security frameworks.

Palo Alto Networks also announced an agreement to acquire IBM’s QRadar software-as-a-service (SaaS) business.

- Oracle Database 23ai is generally available. It is Oracle's most AI-powered database yet.

- Reddit and OpenAI announced a partnership under which OpenAI will bring Reddit content to ChatGPT and new products, enabled through OpenAI accessing Reddit’s Data API. The partnership will also enable Reddit to bring new AI-powered features to redditors (users) and mods (moderators). OpenAI will also become a Reddit advertising partner.

- Rivada Space Networks has partnered with Korea's KT SAT, Connecto Network Systems in the Philippines, NiAT of Brunei, Japan-based AT Communications, and Taiwan's Teleport Access Services for the Outernet, a constellation of 600 low-earth-orbit satellites (LEO) to enable secure, global connectivity for governments and enterprises.

- ServiceNow introduced AI-powered capabilities to improve employee experiences, enhance talent development, and optimise in-person work. The company also partnered with Fujitsu, IBM and Microsoft on generative AI capabilities.

- Singapore introduced a Cybersecurity (Amendment) Bill. Under the amended legislation, critical information infrastructure (CII) operators in Singapore must declare cyberattacks and cybersecurity outages on their premises or along their supply chain if it affects their services.

The Digital Enterprise Blueprint was launched to accelerate digital transformation and empower Singaporean enterprises by using AI. The Green Data Centre Roadmap was also rolled out, while nearly S$300 M is to be invested in the National Quantum Strategy.

Singapore's Ministry of Communications and Information will be renamed the Ministry of Digital Development and Information from July to reflect its role in driving the national digital agenda. The ministry will continue to oversee information policy and strategy, media development, and public communications.

- The US government was said to have revoked Qualcomm and Intel licences to export chips to Huawei.