2024 milestones: June

 Tech highlights for June 2024 included:

- Apple has added Apple Intelligence, personal intelligence for the iPhone and iPad and Mac which it said combines the power of generative AI with personal context. The technology rides on OpenAI's ChatGPT.

- Bytedance consolidated in Indonesia after combining TikTok Shop with Tokopedia, media reported.

- Colt Technology Services said it planned to invest €100 M in the Asia Pacific region over the next three years. Expansion into six Asian markets is on the books. 

- Kominfo, Indonesia's Ministry of Information Communication and Technology, reported a ransomware attack that affected various services for several days.

- Kyodo News reported that Japan has passed a law to promote competition in smartphone app stores. Large tech companies with such stores, which would include Apple and Google, will no longer be able to prevent third-party companies from selling and operating apps that could compete directly with their own.

Japan's government also stopped requiring floppy disks, Reuters reported.

- KKR, a global investment firm, and Singtel, Asia’s communications technology group, will invest S$1.75 B in ST Telemedia Global Data Centres. This transaction marks the largest digital infrastructure investment in Southeast Asia in 2024. 

- The Open Source Initiative announced it has a draft #OpenSourceAI definition.

- A joint, multi-jurisdiction investigation, Operation DISTANTHILL, led by the Singapore Police Force and including the Hong Kong Police Force (HKPF) and the Royal Malaysia Police resulted in the Malaysian arrest of two men accused of involvement in malware-enabled scams against Singaporeans since June 2023. 

Information shared with the Taiwan Police also led to the takedown of a syndicate operating a fake customer service centre in Kaohsiung, and the arrest of four individuals alleged to have made unauthorised transfers from victims’ bank accounts. In addition, the HKPF successfully took down 52 malware-controlling servers in Hong Kong and arrested 14 money mules. 

"We are delighted to contribute to Operation DISTANTHILL and the dismantling of the malicious Android Trojan campaign. This successful operation is a testament to the power of collaboration between law enforcement agencies and the private sector in the fight against digital threats,” said Dmitry Volkov, CEO of Group-IB. 

“Through our worldwide network of Digital Crime Resistance Centers (DCRCs), including in Singapore, we are able to offer tailored solutions to address cybersecurity threats that are unique to our local client, businesses, and their customers. We encourage others to join us in fighting cybercrime, and by pooling our resources, expertise, and technology, we can strengthen global cybersecurity.

"This partnership underscores our shared mission to relentlessly pursue cybercriminals and protect individuals and businesses from evolving threats, reinforcing the vital importance of public-private collaboration in securing our digital future.” 

"Group-IB's dedication to cybersecurity, as a member of the Cyber Security Action Task Force (CSATF) established by the Hong Kong Police Force, reflects the collective effort of both public and private sectors in safeguarding our digital landscape,” said Chief Inspector Cheng from the HKPF. 

“This collaboration unites to fortify our defences against evolving cyberthreats. Through the rapid exchange of threat intelligence and knowledge sharing, it is ensured that a secure cyber environment for all. Group-IB's invaluable contributions exemplify the spirit of cooperation essential in this endeavour.” 

Source: Nyobolt. A car with a Nyobolt vanity plate with CEO and co-founder Dr Sai Shivareddy on the right.

- Nyobolt's ultra-fast charging batteries moved to OEM testing. Initial testing showed that Nyobolt’s batteries can charge from 10% to 80% in just under five minutes, twice the speed of the fastest-charging vehicles on the road, without the degradation typically associated with lithium-ion batteries.
The company said that independent testing by a leading global OEM confirmed that Nyobolt’s batteries can achieve over 4,000 fast charge cycles, or about 965,606 km, with over 80% battery capacity retention.

- Salesforce announced the world’s first large-language model (LLM) benchmark for customer relationship management (CRM).

- Singtel, Deutsche Telekom, e&,  SK Telecom, and SoftBank, the founding parties of the Global Telco AI Alliance (GTAA), will set up a joint venture to co-develop and launch a multilingual large language model tailored for telecommunications companies. 

- B2C e-commerce platform Tmall surpassed RMB100 M in gross merchandise value (GMV) during the mid-year 6.18 Mid-Year Shopping Festival as of June 18. Over 36,000 merchants saw their GMV double, while the GMV of international brands, including Apple, Nike, L’Oréal, Estee Lauder and Adidas, topped RMB1 B. The amounts cover two sales periods: from May 20 to 28, and from May 31 to June 20.

- Trend Micro launched world's first security solutions for AI PCs.

- Vanguard International Semiconducto and NXP Semiconductors announced plans to create a manufacturing joint-venture, VisionPower Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (VSMC). VSMC is to build a wafer manufacturing facility in Singapore.

- Western Digital introduced a six-stage AI Data Cycle framework that defines the optimal storage mix for AI workloads at scale.