National Science and Technology Council Minister Wu Cheng-wen speaks at a news conference in Taipei yesterday.Photo: Chang Chia-ming, Taipei Times SECURITY:Taiwan is in talks with Amazon about collaborating on Kuiper broadband communication satellites to harden its telecommunications infrastructure in a potential conflict with China By Jonathan Chin / Staff writer, with CNA 請繼續往下閱讀... Taiwan is launching the “Chip Team Taiwan” initiative to forge robotics, drones and space industry supply chains to decrease dependence on China, National Science and Technology Council Minister Wu Cheng-wen (吳誠文) said yesterday. Wu made the remarks at a news conference marking the conclusion of the 12th quadrennial National Science and Technology Conference in Taipei. The integration of semiconductor manufacturing would boost the indigenous tech and defense sector’s growth, he said. 請繼續往下閱讀... Taiwan has achieved a lot in terms of manufacturing of chips, but lacks the innovation necessary for sustaining industrial capabilities, which are key to resilience, including sovereign artificial intelligence drones and space tech, he said. Under the Chip Team Taiwan initiative, chipmakers would join forces to accomplish the nation’s smart tech, innovative economy, social balance and net zero carbon emission goals, he said. The initiative is to focus on improving the capability to develop drones, the space industry, communications satellites and multi-functional robots, he said. The government’s priority is to supply chips to meet national defense and security needs, especially in drones, while plans for robotics would be disclosed in a few months, he said. The nation’s semiconductor sector should dedicate more of its production to meet domestic needs instead of catering to foreign clients, he said. Trade partners should rest assured that Taiwan is committed to secure and resilient supply chains not dependent on parts supplied by China, Wu said, adding that the team’s corporate members would be disclosed later. Separately, Reuters yesterday reported that Taiwan is engaged in talks with Amazon.com about collaborating on the tech giant’s Kuiper constellation of broadband communications satellites. The negotiations are part of Taipei’s effort to harden its telecommunications infrastructure in a potential conflict with China, akin to Ukraine’s defensive use of SpaceX’s Starlink network against Russia’s invasion, it said, citing Wu. A Ministry of Digital Affairs spokesperson said Taiwan is considering a partnership with Amazon, but the talks are still in the early stages. Amazon is one of the service providers that could potentially meet Taiwan’s national security and performance requirements, they said, adding that redundancies are necessary for a resilient communications infrastructure. The ministry is carrying out a program to establish a non-geostationary satellite communications network consisting of 773 stations for national defense and emergency response, they said. Eutelsat OneWeb and SES-operated satellites form the network’s backbone, they said, adding that the ministry aims to achieve 24-hour coverage by the end of the year. The program’s success is crucial for maintaining the nation’s military and political command during contingencies, they added. The news of Taiwan holding talks with Amazon came after reports dating back months suggesting a rift between the nation’s officials and SpaceX chief executive officer Elon Musk, a close ally of US president-elect Donald Trump. In February, the US House of Representatives Committee on China demanded that Musk ensure US troops in Taiwan can use Starshield, the military version of Starlink, after multiple sources told a congressional committee that SpaceX had denied service to the nation. Last month, Musk allegedly asked Taiwan-based suppliers to move manufacturing abroad, citing “geopolitical concerns,” the Guardian said in a report. Additional reporting by Reuters 新聞來源: TAIPEI TIMES 不用抽 不用搶 現在用APP看新聞 保證天天中獎 點我下載APP 按我看活動辦法

SITE (Society for Incentive Travel Excellence) Nominates Creative Group Canada for Prestigious Crystal Award SCHAUMBURG, Ill. , Dec. 18, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Creative Group, Inc., a full-service meeting, event, and incentive agency, was recently nominated for a Crystal Award in the category of Most Creative Solution Deployed to Overcome Adversity when war broke out in Israel . THE STORY Janet Traphagen, President of Creative Group, said, "I am so proud of our internal associates and our client's collaboration – the way they quickly pivoted to a new solution during a time of crisis was nothing short of amazing." The client and the qualifiers were thrilled with the newly designed travel experience and the creative thinking involved in bringing this alternative solution to life in such a short timeframe. THE IMPACT About Creative Group Creative Group is a full-service meeting, event, and incentive agency that delivers business results by inspiring people to thrive. An industry leader, Creative Group has been honored with numerous Society for Incentive Travel Excellence (SITE) awards and the CMI 25 Award, which recognizes the top 25 most influential meeting and incentive management companies in the U.S. Creative Group was founded in 1970, and has served clients in financial services, life sciences, insurance, manufacturing, retail, technology, automotive, and hospitality. Employing 220+ people, the company is headquartered in Schaumburg, Illinois , and maintains offices in San Francisco , Appleton, Wisconsin , and Toronto, Canada . For more information about Creative Group, visit http://www.creativegroupinc.com About the SITE Crystal Awards Recognition Program: Considered the highest honor in the incentive travel industry, the SITE Crystal Awards recognize creative, practical and truly memorable incentive programs that not only keep employees engaged but also drive business results and improve the bottom line. View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/creative-group-nominated-for-site-2025-crystal-award-for-most-creative-solution-deployed-to-overcome-adversity-302335550.html SOURCE Creative Group, Inc.

NANOBIOTIX to Introduce Vision for Transforming Drug Design and Development with Next ...

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Amazon Web Services will invest another $10 billion to bolster its data center infrastructure in Ohio. The company and Republican Gov. Mike DeWine announced the plan Monday. The new investment will boost the amount it has committed to spending in Ohio by the end of 2029 to more than $23 billion. AWS launched its first data centers in the state in 2016 and currently operates campuses in two counties in central Ohio, home to the capital city of Columbus. The new investment will allow AWS to expand its data centers to new sites, but the company said those locations have not been determined yet and noted that its investment plans are contingent upon the execution of long-term energy service agreements. AWS said the new data centers will contain computer servers, storage drives, networking equipment and other forms of technology infrastructure used to power cloud computing, including artificial intelligence and machine learning. In June 2023, AWS said it would invest $7.8 billion by the end of 2029 to expand its data center operations in central Ohio. That was on top of $6 billion already invested through 2022.

MERCER 90, JACKSONVILLE 89, OT

Exeter Chiefs and Newcastle Falcons put league struggles behind them to keep up perfect Premiership Rugby Cup records on Friday and move closer to booking quarter-final spots. Exeter are winless in the Premiership after six games but continue to use this competition to boost flatlining fortunes. An outcome which was rarely in doubt finished 31-7 in their favour as Gloucester were downed for the first time in this competition since December 2022. Newcastle won a thriller 28-27 against Sale Sharks, Brett Connon converting Max Pepper's late try to win by a solitary point. In the other match, Leicester Tigers posted a first win in three cup outings leaving Championship outfit Nottingham floored after a second-half mauling which saw them win 70-29. Whatever the misery inflicted by a winless Premiership campaign, it was all smiles for Exeter after a convincing victory over Premiership Rugby Cup holders Gloucester. In a match the visitors dominated from start to finish, Rus Tuima got the ball rolling after five minutes, burrowing over from close range. Ben Hammersley added a second, converted by Josh Hodge to give the Chiefs a 14-0 early lead against their shellshocked hosts. A rampaging effort from Will Rigg, a stunning 70-yard effort from Hodge and a Stu Townsend score completed a 31-0 first-half rout, with Val Rapava Ruskin's second-half score a consolation for the hosts. Leicester roared back from an early scare against Championship side Nottingham, for whom Harry Clayton crossed twice to put them into a 12-0 lead after 22 minutes, raising the prospect of a third defeat for the Tigers following losses to Northampton Saints and Coventry. But Leicester bounced back with four tries before the break to lead 28-12 at half-time, with Matt Rogerson, Archie Vanes, Ollie Allan and Solomone Kata going over. In the second half the Premiership side displayed class and ruthlessness in equal proportions, running in a further six tries. Izaia Perese, James Whitcombe, Jack Kinder, Ollie Hassell-Collins (2) and Emeka Ilione all touched down after the interval. At Kingston Park, Pepper and Connon combined late to extend Newcastle's record to three wins from three and, like Exeter, they have collected a maximum 15 points. Tadgh McElroy had crashed over early on to give Sale the lead but a Connon penalty and Jamie Blamire's close-range try put the Falcons in front 8-5. James Harper went over from close range before Tom Gordon for Newcastle and Tom Curtis for Sale exchanged tries. After Ben Stevenson scored for the hosts, Rouban Birch looked to have sealed matters with a try to make it 27-18 at 68 minutes. But a Falcons penalty reduced the gap to six points and Pepper ran in late on to set up Connon and leave Sale stunned. Pool A: Caldy v Doncaster (14:00) Pool B: Coventry v Northampton Saints (15:00) Pool C: Ealing Trailfinders v London Scottish (15:00); Saracens v Harlequins (15:00) Pool D: Bedford Blues v Bath (15:00) Pool E: Hartpury RFC v Cornish Pirates (14:30) Pool D: Bristol v Ampthill (14:00)