Amazon’s self-driving subsidiary, Zoox, announced that it is expanding its testing footprint to Dallas and Phoenix. The rollout will begin with retrofitted Toyota Highlander SUVs equipped with human safety drivers to map the urban environments. These preliminary tests serve as the precursor to the eventual deployment of Zoox’s “purpose-built” robotaxis—vehicles designed without traditional steering wheels…
Empower+ equips adolescent girls with foundational and AI skills, preparing them for an AI-enabled economy. (Image supplied by Microsoft) Microsoft and the UNAIDS-supported Education Plus initiative have collaborated to launch Empower+, a free artificial intelligence (AI) and digital skills platform aimed at equipping young people with future-ready skills across 21 African countries. According to a…
BVNK co-founder Chris Harmse The use cases for stablecoin adoption are stronger in Africa, where formal banking channels are weaker than in more developed markets. A new report from BVNK and YouGov has found that Africans are more likely to hold, use and want to be paid in stablecoins compared to people in other regions…
In a major boost for digital accessibility in South Africa, Vodacom has zero-rated news and educational content on the SABC+ streaming platform. The initiative allows Vodacom subscribers to access critical information and learning resources without incurring data charges, addressing a significant barrier to entry in a market where data costs remain a primary concern for…
VCB-AI aims to be an essential, integrated partner for businesses in SA. (Image: 123rf) Mission statement (what VCB-AI does today): VCB-AI’s mission is to empower businesses to harness the full potential of artificial intelligence by providing innovative, proprietary AI platforms/applications. VCB-AI will also be offering its customers unique, robust and high-performance storage infrastructure. Vision statement…
Absa Group has written off R2.4-billion in software assets after a revision of its overall strategy led to changes in investment priorities and faster-than-expected technology obsolescence, its annual financial statements show. The software impairments – more than 13 times the R179-million written off a year earlier – were spread across the group, with the largest…
Vodacom has officially expanded its 5G mobile network to reach more than 60% of South Africa’s population, marking a significant leap in the country’s digital infrastructure. According to spokesperson Byron Kennedy, this milestone reflects a massive surge in demand for high-speed connectivity, with the number of 5G-capable devices on the network more than doubling over…
Francois van der Merwe, founder and CEO, Otinga. South African start-up Otinga has adopted a rapid, execution-led approach to AI implementation, which it argues will help businesses overcome challenges they experience in attempting to innovate with AI. The company wants to help organisations avoid ‘innovation theatre’ – a term widely credited to Silicon Valley entrepreneur…
An increasing shortage of memory chips is beginning to reshape the global PC market – not by stopping laptop and desktop production, but by steadily eroding the value businesses receive when they buy new machines. Industry analysts say tightening supply of DRAM system memory and NAND flash storage is likely to push up component prices…
In a significant leap for South African public service delivery, the Department of Home Affairs and Capitec launched the country’s first self-service terminals on Monday. This new system allows citizens to apply for ID documents directly at bank branches without the need to interact with a customer service consultant, effectively bypassing the traditional administrative bottlenecks…
