Asian Tech Roundup: Deepfake drama

Plus, South Korea cracks down on semiconductor smuggling

A finance worker in Hong Kong has been duped into paying out $25 million to criminals who used both audio and visual deepfake tech to pretend to be the company's CFO. The worker saw multiple people on a conference call to discuss the transfer, all of whom turned out to be fake. Source
Tencent has predicted a future where various types of computing - high-performance (HPC), quantum, cloud and edge - will merge, allowing workloads to transition between silicon and qubits as needed. Source
Samsung will integrate Baidu's Ernie AI chatbot into its new Galaxy S24 phone in China. Source
Sources say China's SMIC will use its existing stock of US and Dutch equipment to produce 5nm chips designed by Huawei - behind the West's 3nm prototypes, but still more advanced than other domestic chips. Source

The state government for Rajasthan has fixed a website bug that exposed millions of residents' personal information. Personal information like date of birth and gender, as well as documents like marriage certificates and income statements, were accessible. Source
Investors in edtech firm Byju, once one of India's most valuable tech startups, do not have the voting right to seek leadership changes, the company says, as shareholders seek to oust founder Byju Raveendran after a series of disastrous financial results. Source
Indian infosec firm CloudSEK says it has found 750 million Indian mobile network subscribers' data for sale on the dark web, for just $3,000. It affects all major telco providers, but was probably not the result of a data leak. Source
India has cut import duty on mobile components from 15% to 10% as it attempts to attract more electronic engineering businesses to the country. Source
India will send an android called Vyommitra ("Space Friend") into orbit this year, and bring it back with humans as part of its Gaganyaan mission in 2025. It will perform experiments and offer support to the crew. Source
The anti-corruption Central Vigilance Commission is investigating SAP and IBM's part in winning a contract to supply an ERP to Air India in 2011, without a tender. Source

The SLIM spacecraft, which Japan landed on the Moon last month, has regained power more than a week after it ran out of electricity. The country's space agency says the cause is probably a change in sunlight direction. Source
Trend Micro's Pwn2Own bug bounty event in Tokyo found 49 vehicle-related zero day vulnerabilities, on both cars and EV chargers. Source
The Japanese government will offer $307 million in subsidies to develop optical technology for use in chips to boost its semiconductor industry. Source
The government will provide an extra ¥150 billion ($1 billion) in subsidies to Kioxia and Western Digital, to boost memory production. Source
TSMC is to build a second chip fab alongside one it is already building in Kumamoto prefecture, with investment from Toyota and other local corporations. Construction will start this year. Source

South Korea's Seoul Main Customs Office has referred the CEO and other personnel of an unnamed company for prosecution, over accusations the firm illegally smuggled 96,000 semiconductors worth more than $11 million into China over the last three years. Source
European chipmaker Infineon is hiring skilled workers in south and south-east Asia. Asia-Pacific president and managing director, Chua Chee Seong, said Infineon is hiring more staff in India and Vietnam. Source
Thailand is aiming to be a producer of lithium in two years as it seeks to become a regional electric vehicle (EV) production hub. Source
Pakistan is struggling to find enough engineers to match its EV ambitions. Source