In today’s top stories, Sony CEO Kenichiro Yoshida has warned that cloud gaming is still “very tricky”, above all when it comes to the problem of latency. Meanwhile, Apple has unveiled its MR headset. Elsewhere, Shares in Swedish streaming service Viaplay, a rival of Netflix, plunged nearly 60% when CEO Anders Jensen announced he’s stepping down. JPMorgan Chase & Co has partnered with six Indian banks to settle dollar-based transactions via a blockchain-enabled platform. France’s President Macron is attempting to woo BYD and Tesla to invest in the country. Lastly, one of Japan’s biggest brokerages, Daiwa Securities Group, is actively encouraging its employees to make use of ChatGPT.
Sony warns on cloud as Apple launches headset
Kenichiro Yoshida, the CEO of Sony [SONY], has warned that cloud computing is still “very tricky”, above all when it comes to the problem of latency, or lag. In an interview with the Financial Times, Yoshida said that Sony is considering different approaches, among them deploying its own artificial intelligence agent, GT Sophy. Meanwhile, WWDC, Apple’s [AAPL] annual showcase, kicked off yesterday with all eyes on the unveiling of its mixed-reality headset, its most significant hardware product release since the Apple Watch in 2015. Wedbush analyst Dan Ives estimates 150,000 units will be sold in the first 12 months.
Viaplay shares tumble on weak outlook
Shares in Swedish streaming service Viaplay [VPLAY-B.ST], a rival of Netflix [NFLX], plunged nearly 60% Monday morning as CEO Anders Jensen announced he’s stepping down with immediate effect. The rising cost-of-living has impacted streaming demand both in the Nordics and internationally, leading to subscriber churn. As a result, the company has downgraded its short-term outlook as well as withdrawn its long-term guidance.
JPMorgan tests blockchain dollar trades
US banking giant JPMorgan Chase & Co [JPM] has partnered with six Indian banks to settle dollar-based transactions via a blockchain-enabled platform, according to a Bloomberg report. “We will be running a pilot project for the next few months as we need to analyse banks’ experience,” Kaustubh Kulkarni, senior country officer for India, told the TV channel. New Delhi is vying to position itself as an alternative Asia Pacific trading centre to Dubai and Singapore.
France’s battery dreams accelerate
As automakers try to reduce their reliance on China for their battery supply chains, France has been working hard to attract industry leaders. Last month, solid-state battery manufacturer ProLogium selected Dunkirk for its €2.5bn gigafactory. A consortium including Mercedes [MBG.DE] and Stellantis [STLA] are also establishing gigafactories in or near the northern French port. Additionally, Macron is attempting to woo BYD [1211.HK] and Tesla [TSLA] to invest in the country, according to Reuters.
Daiwa sees potential in ChatGPT
One of Japan’s biggest brokerages, Daiwa Securities Group [8601.T], is actively encouraging its employees to make use of ChatGPT. CEO Seiji Nakata told Bloomberg that AI chatbots can replace routine tasks, allowing humans to focus on tasks such as “negotiations in advising on mergers and acquisitions or for securities underwriting”. ChatGPT could potentially streamline the brokerage’s retail business by suggesting to salespeople which financial products are most suitable for customers.
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