We are reaching the end of the first month of 2021. What is new in the tech world? Some of the most important news include the global chip shortage that influences major industries and also bears serious consequences for bitcoin mining rigs. From the more positive news, Elon Musk announced that he is planning to give $100 million for the best carbon capture technology idea and we are impatiently waiting for the details. In the AI world, the company standing behind the 2016 humanoid robot, Sophia, has now announced a rollout of four robots (including Sophia) in 2021 and mass production that is supposed to help industries severely hit by the pandemics, including healthcare, retail, or travel. Finally, the telecom tech news of the week comes to us from Sweden where the 5G auction between the four biggest bidders ended with mutual satisfaction.
FinTech News: Chip Shortage And Its Influence On Bitcoin
In the past week, the news about the global chip shortage and its influence on several industries was circulating. One of the fields that are severely hit by the shortage is a cryptocurrency, more specifically, the machines used to “mine” bitcoin.
“There are not enough chips to support the production of mining rigs,” Alex Ao, the vice president of chip designer and a major provider of mining equipment, Innosilicon, said.
The main producers of the chips used in the mining rigs, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co And Samsung Electronics Co are more likely to prioritize electronics whose demand is more stable than that of bitcoin.
Currently, rigs are highly demanded by all big miners who are willing to pay unprecedented prices and are ordering ahead, paying large sums for products that will only be delivered in the fall of 2021. At this point, most of the rig makers are sold out although the prices have more than doubled in the last year.
As Reuters reports, prices on the second-hand market have also grown substantially, soaring by approximately 60% over the past year.
A sales manager at Jiangsu Haifanxin Technology, a rig merchant, said prices on the second-hand market have jumped 50% to 60% over the past year, while prices of new equipment more than doubled.
Musk To Donate $100 Million For Best Carbon Capture Technology
On Thursday, the famous serial entrepreneur, Elon Musk, made a huge announcement on his Twitter. Musk promised to fund a $100 million prize for developing the best technology that can solve the carbon dioxide emissions problem.
“Am donating $100M towards a prize for best carbon capture technology,” Musk wrote in the initial tweet that was shortly supplemented by the next tweet that revealed that details will be announced in the following week.
As for now, we don’t know much additional information, and the Tesla management has not issued any statements. Thus, it looks like we need to wait for Musk to reveal more details. Having said that, Musk is known for being a part of some of the most futuristic companies in the world, and currently, developing an effective carbon capture technology is one of the most pressing goals if the net-zero emissions targets are to be met.
AI Tech News Of The Week: Company Behind The Humanoid Robot Announces Mass Rollout In 2021
In 2016, a humanoid robot named Sophia was introduced to the world and has since then sparked a variety of opinions. Now, Sophia’s makers plan a mass rollout amidst the pandemic, as reported by Reuters. The company that founded Sophia, Hanson Robotics, has an ambitious goal to mass produce robots like Sophia by the end of 2021, which appears as one of the biggest tech news of the week.
“The world of COVID-19 is going to need more and more automation to keep people safe,” CEO, David Hanson said. “Sophia and Hanson [another humanoid robot by Hanson Robotics] robots are unique by being so human-like, that can be so useful during these times where people are terribly lonely and socially isolated,” he added.
Apart from Sophia, Hanson Robotics plans to roll out three other models in the first half of this year. Later this year, we can expect the launch of Grace, a new humanoid robot designed especially for the healthcare industry.
Although Hanson Robotics has not yet revealed a specific number of robots they plan to sell this year, they have spoken out about wanting to use them not only in healthcare but the retail and travel industry as well.
Telecom Tech News: Sweden’s 5G Auction Takes Place
In the telecom world, Sweden finally had an auction regarding 5G on Tuesday the 19th of January. It included the telecom operators Telia, Tele2, Telenor, and Tre.
“We are just really happy that the auction happened now, it is critical for our continued 5G rollout and to strengthen Sweden as a digital nation in the years to come,” the Chief Technical Officer of Telia Sweden, Staffan Åkesson, said.
As reported by Reuters, Telia got the largest amount with 120MHz, followed by Tre and Tele2-Telenor with 100 MHz each and Teracom with 80 Mhz.
The spokesman of Tre, Haval van Drumpt said that the company was satisfied with the auction and that they secured the amount they needed. “By the end of 2023 we expect the majority of our customers to have highspeed 5G,” he said.
The spokesman of Tele2 has said they are also satisfied with the outcome of the auction and that their goal is to cover 99% of the Swedish population within the next three years.
If you want to look at the tech news from previous weeks check out:
