Samsung Electronics plans global job cuts of up to 30% in some divisions, Wireless data usage soars as 5G gains greater foothold. Zoho Launches Major Update to Analytics Platform with Advanced AI and ML Capabilities its Larry Ellison’s bizarre announcement.
All this and more on the “doesn’t sound crazy to me” edition of Hashtag Trending. I’m your host, Jim Love. Let’s get into it.
Samsung Electronics, the world’s leading manufacturer of smartphones, TVs, and memory chips, is reportedly planning substantial job cuts across its global operations.
Samsung has instructed its subsidiaries worldwide to reduce. Sales and marketing staff by about 15%. Administrative staff by up to 30%
The plan is set to be implemented by the end of 2024. Job cuts will impact operations across the Americas, Europe, Asia, and Africa.
The total number of affected employees is unclear, but it could be significant given Samsung’s global workforce of 267,800 (as of end-2023), with 147,000 employees based overseas.
In India, where Samsung employs about 25,000 people, up to 1,000 employees could be affected.
The company’s China operations have already been notified of cuts affecting about 30% of sales staff.
Reasons behind the cuts:
– Pressure on key business units, including slower recovery in the chip business
– Increased competition in the premium smartphone market
– Preparation for a potential global economic slowdown
– Cost-saving measures to improve the company’s bottom line
Samsung’s response is that workforce adjustments at some overseas operations are routine and aimed at improving efficiency. They claim there are no specific targets for the plans and that production staff will not be impacted.
But the reality is that Samsung recently replaced the head of its semiconductor division due to a “chip crisis.” The company faces stiff competition from Apple and Huawei in smartphones, and TSMC in chip manufacturing. A strike over wages is currently disrupting production in India.
Samsung Electronics shares are trading at their lowest level in 16 months, with some analysts cutting profit estimates due to weak recovery in smartphone and PC demand.
This development signifies a major shift in Samsung’s operations and could have significant implications for the global tech industry and labor markets in affected regions.
Sources include: Reuters (https://www.reuters.com/technology/samsung-electronics-plans-global-job-cuts-up-30-some-divisions-2024-09-11/)
Zoho Corporation has unveiled a significant update to its Zoho Analytics platform, introducing powerful new artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) features alongside numerous other enhancements. This update aims to provide more comprehensive business intelligence and analytics capabilities to a wider range of users and businesses.
While this global company may be thought to be “flying under the radar” it has a substantial client base ranging from small and medium sized businesses all the way to enterprise customers.
By integrating AI into its existing platform, Zoho is stepping up to compete with other productivity software and ERPs with what it claims as a focus on practical results.
While Zoho does have enterprise customers around the world, the company has offerings priced for medium and small businesses. Zoho says its platform aims to democratize business intelligence by making powerful analytics tools accessible to a broader range of users and businesses.
I talked with Chandrashekar LSP, as he’s known, the Managing Director for Canada from Zoho about how many businesses may be experiencing “lunch bag let down” as they struggle to get real tangible benefits from AI.
The new version of Zoho Analytics version includes both Machine Learning and generative AI features. While Zoho already has extensive data analytics and machine learning features, it now will also have what the company says is a seamless and secure link to OpenAI. Using Retrieval Augmented Generation and calling the ChatGPT API, allows you to keep your data secure and ensure that is not used to teach the model using your data.
In addition, their new offering provides no and low code functionality to integrate with other systems and data sources.
Its a comprehensive update and addition of functionality, including over 100 enhancements, such as new visualizations, improved dashboard building, and revamped mobile apps – and a bet that it can, not just hold, but take new market share as AI becomes a big part of corporate systems.
Zoho emphasizes its commitment to responsible and ethical AI use, focusing on practical applications that enhance productivity.
The new version of Zoho Analytics is available immediately, with pricing information available on the Zoho website.
Sources include: Interview with Zoho
In 2023, Americans consumed a record-breaking 100 trillion megabytes of wireless data, marking a 36% increase from the previous year and the largest single-year jump in wireless data consumption to date. This surge in usage, revealed by a recent industry survey from CTIA, the wireless association that represents key mobile players like AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile and others. It underscores the growing demand for wireless services and the pressing need for additional spectrum allocation.
Data consumption increased by 26 trillion megabytes compared to 2022.
The total number of wireless connections rose to 558 million, a 6% increase from 2022.
The surge is attributed to the growing adoption of 5G wireless devices and increased use in areas such as drones, self-driving vehicles, space missions, and precision agriculture.
It’s clearly a growth in data. In fact, voice call minutes slightly decreased from 2.5 trillion in 2022 to 2.4 trillion in 2023 and text message volume remained stable at about 2.1 trillion.
The dramatic increase in data usage comes amid a legislative standoff over spectrum allocation. In March 2023, Congress allowed the Federal Communications Commission’s authority to auction spectrum to lapse for the first time in three decades. This has created uncertainty about how to meet the growing demand for wireless spectrum, particularly for 5G networks.
CTIA CEO Meredith Attwell Baker emphasized the need for more “full-power, licensed spectrum” to support continued innovation and America’s economic competitiveness. The Biden administration announced initiatives in November 2023 to repurpose some government-held spectrum, but these efforts have faced criticism from Republicans for perceived slow progress.
For our Canadian listeners we will dig in to see what we can find about Canadian usage. The best estimates we found as we went to air was that growth last year in Canada was strong as well, about 25% year over year. If anyone has better data on this, please drop me a note at editorial@technewsday.ca
Sources include: Reuters (https://www.reuters.com/technology/americans-used-record-100-trillion-megabytes-wireless-data-2023-2024-09-10/)
“Let me say something that’s going to sound really bizarre,” Larry Ellison, CEO and co-founder of Oracle told industry analysts. “Well, you’d probably say, well, he says bizarre things all the time, so why is he announcing this one. It must be really bizarre.”
Oracle, the tech giant, is planning an innovative approach to powering its future data centers amidst surging energy demands from artificial intelligence.
Oracle is designing a data center that would require more than a gigawatt of power, according to chairman and co-founder Larry Ellison. The company plans to power this data center using three small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs). This move is driven by the “crazy” electricity demand from AI applications, as Ellison described it.
SMRs are next-generation nuclear designs that promise faster deployment of reliable, carbon-free power. They are typically 300 megawatts or less, about a third the size of conventional reactors.
The location for this data center and its nuclear power source has not been disclosed, but Ellison mentioned that building permits for the reactors are already in place. This development highlights the growing energy challenges faced by the tech industry as AI and data processing demands increase.
SMRs are still a future technology in the U.S., with commercialization not expected until the 2030s. Currently, only three operational SMRs exist globally – two in China and Russia, and a test reactor in Japan. But others, including Microsoft are pursuing this technology as a way of satisfying their insatiable need for power while not increasing their carbon footprint.
The move by Oracle gives further credibility to what might be a significant step in addressing the energy needs of future data centers and could potentially set a new trend in how tech companies approach power sourcing for their facilities.
There are links to Microsoft’s work in this area in the show notes.
Sources include: CNBC (https://www.cnbc.com/2024/09/10/oracle-designing-data-center-powered-by-small-nuclear-reactors.html)
More info on Microsoft’s venture into SMRs can be found here Nuclear Powered Data Centers: Microsoft Bets on SMRs to Fuel the Cloud | Washington D.C. & Maryland Area | Capitol Technology University (captechu.edu)
More on SMRs: Some Quick Thoughts on SMRs for Data Centers | Neutron Bytes
And that’s our show for today. You can find show notes at our news site technewsday.com or .ca take you pick.
Thanks for listening. I’m your host Jim Love, have a Thrilling Thursday
