Asian tech roundup: Japan goes hard on chips

Plus: China labels USA 'Empire of Hacking'

The National Computer Virus Emergency Response Center of China and domestic security firm 360 Total Security have labelled the USA an "Empire of Hacking" in a new report delving into the CIA's offensive overseas cyber operations. Source
The State Cyberspace Administration of China is cracking down on fake news, including doctored footage and deepfakes. Notably that includes virtual news anchors, created using AI, which can be used to spread disinformation. Source
The US Justice Department has charged a man called Weibao Wang with industrial espionage, for allegedly stealing self-driving car technology from Apple in 2017. He has since fled to China. Source
Tencent has returned to revenue growth, posting an 11% YoY rise for Q1 2023. Total revenue was CN¥150 billion ($21.7 billion) and total profit, also up 11%, was CN¥25.8 billion ($3.1 billion). Source

India's four major IT outsources - Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), Wipro, Infosys and HCL - have massively slowed hiring and utilisation rates, even as revenue climbs. Source
Taiwan's Foxconn has started construction of its first plant in Kongara Kalan, in the southern state of Telangana. Foxconn has invested $500 million in the facility and it is expected to generate 25,000 direct jobs in its first phase. Source

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida met with chip executives this week before a G7 meeting in Hiroshima, saying afterwards that he expects more investment in the country from the sector. Several chip firms followed with announcements. Source
US-based Micron will invest ¥500 billion ($3.6 billion) in 1-gamma process technology (advanced DRAM chips) over "the next few years." It also plans to be the first firm to bring extreme ultraviolet (EUV) chip-making to Japan. Source
Samsung Electronics plans to build a new semiconductor chip development facility in Yokohama, according to Nikkei. The new site will cost over ¥30 billion ($217.6 million), with around a third of that coming from the Japanese government as subsidies. The plant will supposedly begin operations in 2025. Source
NTT will invest ¥8 trillion ($58 billion) in AI, datacentres and other growth areas over the next five years. 'At least' ¥1.5 trillion ($10.9 billion) will go towards datacentres and ¥3 trillion ($21.8 billion) towards AI and robotics. Source

US-based Vantage Data Centers is investing an additional US$3 billion to build a second datacentre campus in Malaysia's tech city, Cyberjaya. Source
TikTok is set to train 5,000 students in Singapore through its TikTok Tech Immersion programme. The company will help prepare the students, in tertiary education, to join the company's tech workforce. Source