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IT majors propose to set up units at cost of Rs 20,000 crore in Uttar Pradesh

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NEW DELHI: The Yogi Adityanath Uttar Pradesh government in Uttar Pradesh would develop a data centre park spread over 200 acres of land in Sector 28 of Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (YEIDA) in Gautam Budh Nagar district. The implementation of this plan gets underway towards the end of this month.
The Yogi Government believes that the data centre park at Noida would attract investments from information and technology (IT) industry giants both from within the country and abroad.  According to YEIDA officials, the park is likely to attract an investment of Rs 20,000 crore, offering employment to thousands of people.
The officials exuded confidence that the park would emerge as a force to reckon with in the IT and electronics sector in near future.
It is worth mentioning here that many leading companies in the IT and electronics sector have invested heavily in Noida in the last four years due to  the investor-friendly policies of Yogi government. Renowned companies like MNC Microsoft, Adani Group and MAQ have recently bought land to set up data centres in Noida. Besides these, HCL, Google and TCS have already established themselves in Noida whereas Hiranandani Group, Netmagic Services, STT Pvt Ltd and Aggarwal Associate Ltd are in touch with the Government to set up their own data centres.
The investments have been brought to the state in the fields of data centre and software technology solely because of the initiatives of CM Yogi as until four years ago these companies were wary of establishing their firms because of law and order issues as well as bureaucratic red tape.
The Yogi Government after assuming office drafted a new IT policy and announced several concessions and relaxations for the investors. The concessions given under this Electronics Manufacturing Policy-2017 encouraged 30 big investors to show interest in investing Rs 20,000 crore in the IT sector. In view of the increasing interest of investors in the IT sector, the Chief Minister decided to declare Noida, Greater Noida and Yamuna Expressway areas located in the National Capital Region as ‘Electronics Manufacturing Zones’. With this decision of the government, many reputed companies of China, Taiwan and Korea came forward to set up their units in UP.
Last year Microsoft, Adani Group, MAQ, Hiranandani Group, Netmagic Services, STT Pvt Ltd and Agarwal Associate Ltd also took the initiative to invest in UP. Acting on the investment proposals of these companies, the New Okhla Industrial Development Authority has allotted 60,000 square metres to Microsoft in Sector 145. Microsoft’s software park and data centre will soon be set up on this land at the cost of Rs 1,800 crore. More than 3,500 people will get employment in this project.
Similarly, Noida Authority has allotted a plot of 34,275 square metres to Adani Group at a prime location in Sector-62 and 39,146 square metres to Adani Enterprises in Sector-80. The company proposes to set up a world class data centre on this land at the cost of Rs 2,500 crore. Apart from this, the Noida Authority has allotted a large plot of 16,350 square metres to MAQ India Pvt Ltd in Sector-145. One of the leading IT and ITeS companies in the world, MACQ will invest Rs 250 crore to set up its IT unit.
Besides, IT sector majors such as Hiranandani Group, SS Telemedia, Netmagic Services including STT Pvt Ltd and Agarwal Associate Ltd are willing to set up their data centres in Noida. Many foreign IT companies are also keen on investing in Noida. In view of the growing interest of investors, the government has decided to develop a data centre park on 200 acres of land in Sector 28 of YEIDA. Priority in allotment of land will be given to proposals for setting up data centres of a capacity of 40 MW.
The Government will also give a subsidy of up to 60 percent in the loan borrowed by investors. Besides, 25 percent subsidy will be given for buying land. First time companies will be given 100 percent exemption from stamp duty whereas firms setting up second units will get a discount of 50 percent.

 

YEIDA officials believe that the world’s leading companies will invest in the data centre park being developed in Sector 28. Major IT companies of the world are setting up their factories in Noida, Greater Noida and YEIDA areas and the production will start in a few years. The companies will make new software, including educational software and video games in Noida. At present Chinese and American companies lead in making such software and video games.

 

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After OLED, its Google TV; Panasonic expands its TV Portfolio in India

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NEW DELHI: Panasonic Life Solutions India – a diversified technology company, today announced the launch of its new range of Google TVs. This follows the successful launch of OLEDs recently. The company plans to introduce a total of 23 new models of television powered by the Google TV platform.

The latest range of Google TVs, featuring 4K HDR and Smart capabilities are designed to provide an immersive and unparalleled viewing experience to consumers. Panasonic’s new range of TVs are available in different display size options (including 32’, 43’, 55’, 65’, and 75’ inches) and ranges between Rs 19,990 to Rs 3,19,990. These will be available at Panasonic stores, dealer networks and key e-commerce platforms.

Commenting during the launch, Fumiyasu Fujimori, Managing Director, Panasonic Marketing India, Panasonic Life Solutions India, said, “As a leading consumer technology company, we are excited to introduce our new range of Google TVs to the Indian market. Our TVs are designed to deliver exceptional picture quality and immersive sound, providing customers with an unparalleled viewing experience. The addition of Google TV to our robust TV portfolio reinforces our commitment to providing the latest technology, and innovation to the customers.”

Fujimori san added, “With an intuitive interface, preference prompts, one can control their TV and search for content using voice commands with Google Assistant. The platform also allows users to customize their home screen with their favourite OTT apps and channels and make their own watchlist, enabling them to add shows and movies from their TV, mobile app or Google Web by simply clicking the watchlist icon. Moreover, the platform offers an easy-to-browse streaming experience across all apps, displaying everything the user stream on one screen. In addition, the TVs come with built-in Chromecast, allowing users to cast content from their phone or tablet directly to their TV.”

Panasonic’s Google TV series is designed to provide customers with the ultimate entertainment experience by enhancing the four key elements of television – Display, Sound, Connectivity, and Design.

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White House meets Microsoft, Google CEOs on AI dangers

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The White House is hosting CEOs of top artificial intelligence companies, including Alphabet Inc’s Google and Microsoft, on Thursday to discuss risks and safeguards as the technology catches the attention of governments and lawmakers globally. Generative artificial intelligence has become a buzzword this year, with apps such as ChatGPT capturing the public’s fancy, sparking a rush among companies to launch similar products they believe will change the nature of work.

Millions of users have begun testing such tools, which supporters say can make medical diagnoses, write screenplays, create legal briefs and debug software, leading to growing concern about how the technology could lead to privacy violations, skew employment decisions, and power scams and misinformation campaigns. President Joe Biden has also used ChatGPT, a White House official told Reuters. “He’s been extensively briefed on ChatGPT and (has) experimented with it,” said the official, who asked that they not be named.

Thursday’s two-hour meeting which began at 11:45 am ET (1545 GMT), will include Google’s Sundar Pichai, Microsoft Corp’s Satya Nadella, OpenAI’s Sam Altman and Anthropic’s Dario Amodei, along with Vice President Kamala Harris and administration officials including Biden’s Chief of Staff Jeff Zients, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, Director of the National Economic Council Lael Brainard and Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. “We aim to have a frank discussion about the risks we see in current and near-term AI development,” said a senior administration official, speaking on condition of anonymity. “Our North Star here is this idea that if we’re going to seize these benefits, we have to start by managing the risks.”

Ahead of the meeting, OpenAI’s Altman told reporters the White House wants to “get it right.” “It’s good to try to get ahead of this,” he said when asked if the White House was moving quickly enough on AI regulation. “It’s definitely going to be a challenge, but it’s one I’m sure we can handle.”

The administration also announced a $140 million investment from the National Science Foundation to launch seven new AI research institutes and said the White House’s Office of Management and Budget would release policy guidance on the use of AI by the federal government. Leading AI developers, including Anthropic, Google, Hugging Face, NVIDIA Corp, OpenAI, and Stability AI, will participate in a public evaluation of their AI systems.

Shortly after Biden announced his reelection bid, the Republican National Committee produced a video featuring a dystopian future during a second Biden term, which was built entirely with AI imagery. Such political ads are expected to become more common as AI technology proliferates.

United States regulators have fallen short of the tough approach European governments have taken on tech regulation and in crafting strong rules on deepfakes and misinformation. “We don’t see this as a race,” the senior official said, adding that the administration is working closely with the U.S.-EU Trade & Technology Council on the issue.

In February, Biden signed an executive order directing federal agencies to eliminate bias in their AI use. The Biden administration has also released an AI Bill of Rights and a risk management framework. Last week, the Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division also said they would use their legal authorities to fight AI-related harm. Tech giants have vowed many times to combat propaganda around elections, fake news about the COVID-19 vaccines, pornography and child exploitation, and hateful messaging targeting ethnic groups.

But they have been unsuccessful, research and news events show. Just about one in five fake news articles in English on six major social media platforms were tagged as misleading or removed, a recent study by activist NGO Avaaz found.

Source: Reuters

 

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Airtel announces its largest ever 5G roll-out in 125 cities

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NEW DELHI: Bharti Airtel, India’s telecommunications services provider, today announced the launch of its ultra-fast 5G services in 125 cities. Airtel 5G Plus service is now available to customers in over 265 cities in the country.

Airtel 5G Plus has three compelling advantages for customers. First, it runs on a technology that has the widest acceptance in the world with the most developed ecosystem. This ensures that all 5G smartphones in India seamlessly work on the Airtel network. Second, the company promises to deliver the best experience – between 20 to 30 times higher speeds than today coupled with brilliant voice experience and super-fast call connect. Finally, Airtel 5G Plus network will also be kinder to the environment with its special power reduction solution. Powered by the reliable Airtel network infrastructure, Airtel 5G Plus will provide superfast access to High-Definition video streaming, gaming, multiple chatting, instant uploading of photos et all.

Commenting on the launch, Randeep Sekhon, CTO, Bharti Airtel said, “5G has revolutionized the world of internet, ushering new era of connectivity and communications that will prove to be a game-changer for the country. At Airtel, we remain committed to delivering the highest quality of network and service to our customers as we roll-out 125 more cities today. Airtel was the first in the country to offer 5G services in October 2022, and today’s mega launch is our promise to connect every Airtel customer in the country with ultra-fast Airtel 5G Plus. Our 5G rollout is on track to cover all towns and key rural areas by March 2024.”

Airtel 5G Plus service availability will continue to rapidly expand – including service in all towns and villages in the country soon – as the company is working towards offering nationwide coverage. Airtel is now offering its 5G services in every major city from the upper northern city of Jammu to the southern tip of Kanyakumari.

In the last one year, Airtel has demonstrated the power of 5G with a host of powerful use cases that will change the way customers lead their lives and do business. From India’s first live 5G network in Hyderabad to India’s first private 5G network at the BOSCH facility in Bengaluru to partnering with Mahindra & Mahindra to make its Chakan manufacturing facility, India’s first 5G enabled auto manufacturing unit, Airtel has been at the forefront of 5G innovation.

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