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UAE, Microsoft Team Up for Healthcare AI

The collaboration will also explore the deployment of an employee experience platform that can gather real-time insights to enable smarter working, enhanced performance, and an improved workplace culture at the Department of Health (DoH)….reports Asian Lite News

On the sidelines of GITEX Global Week 2023, the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi (DoH), the regulator of the healthcare sector in the emirate of Abu Dhabi, signed an agreement with Microsoft, to advance the use of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the healthcare sector. Through the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), the two entities will seek to explore the potential of leveraging leading AI platforms for innovation in healthcare, including to improve patient outcomes, increase efficiencies and enhance health research and services.

The MoU was signed by H.E. Dr. Ahmed AlKhazraji, Executive Director, Strategy and Policy at Department of Health – Abu Dhabi (DoH) and Naim Yazbeck, General Manager for Microsoft UAE.

As part of the agreement, the two parties will create a joint working group to facilitate collaboration and communication on this project. The group will study the development and deployment of AI technologies, sharing best practices and lessons while also identifying challenges and barriers that could arise from their use. The aim is to establish a long-term collaboration for the use of AI solutions to advance DoH capabilities, improve patient and clinician experiences and elevate the sectors’ outcomes.

HE Dr. Ahmed AlKhazraji, Executive Director, Strategy and Policy at the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi (DoH), said: “Under the directives of our wise leadership, the Department of Health (DoH) is pioneering the use of advanced technologies and digital solutions within healthcare in order to enhance patient outcomes, and thus ensure the highest quality of life in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. AI is at the heart of healthcare innovation, and DoH is therefore collaborating with an industry leader like Microsoft to study its potential for benefit across the healthcare industry, and to set the stage for a future driven by innovation. Reinforcing the Emirate’s positioning as a leading destination for innovation in healthcare, the Department’s goal remains to establish Abu Dhabi as a forerunner in healthcare quality and services, and to advance vital research within the sector for the benefit of the entire community.”

The collaboration will also explore the deployment of an employee experience platform that can gather real-time insights to enable smarter working, enhanced performance, and an improved workplace culture at the Department of Health (DoH).

Naim Yazbeck, General Manager for Microsoft UAE, said that Microsoft is proud to serve as a longstanding partner on the UAE’s digital transformation journey. “The UAE government very early identified digital transformation as being key to accelerating the growth of the healthcare sector and enhancing the quality of healthcare services for patients in the region. Our collaboration with the DoH supports the UAE’s vision of leveraging the latest technologies such as generative AI to tackle key challenges, drive innovation, and enhance productivity across critical sectors. We look forward to working with the DoH to unlock the potential of this transformative technology in setting new standards for healthcare excellence in Abu Dhabi and around the world.”

The agreement is expected to present multiple opportunities for cross-industry learning, including in terms of healthcare knowledge for generative AI technologies. In turn, AI has the capacity to support decision-making in the healthcare sector by identifying areas of concern and predicting the impact of new regulations and policies. The DoH remains committed to safeguarding data integrity and privacy as it looks into integrating the most advanced solutions towards improving health services in Abu Dhabi.

The Department of Health – Abu Dhabi (DoH) is inviting guests to visit its stand and view the latest healthcare technologies and innovations of Abu Dhabi’s healthcare sector. DoH is participating under the unified umbrella of the Abu Dhabi Digital Authority (ADDA), located in Sheikh Saeed Hall, Hall 19/B20 from 16 October 2023 to 20 October 2023.

ALSO READ: Vedanta Welcomes Japanese Firms

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Business Economy UK News

Microsoft’s $68.7 Billion Activision Deal Cleared in UK

This computerized image shows the corporate logos of U.S. software giant Microsoft and U.S. game developer Activision Blizzard.(Yonhap/IANS)

The UK’s CMA has greenlit Microsoft’s adjusted proposal addressing concerns about cloud gaming market dominance….reports Asian Lite News

The UK’s anti-trust watchdog on Friday cleared the restructured deal for Microsoft to buy gaming giant Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion, after it concluded that the new deal would preserve competitive prices and better services.

The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) accepted a restructured Microsoft’s proposal that addresses the CMA’s concerns about Microsoft dominating the cloud gaming market.

In August this year, Microsoft made a concession that would see Ubisoft, instead of Microsoft, buy Activision’s cloud gaming rights. 

“This new deal will put the cloud streaming rights (outside the EEA) for all of Activision’s PC and console content produced over the next 15 years in the hands of a strong and independent competitor with ambitious plans to offer new ways of accessing that content,” said the CMA in a statement.

The new deal will stop Microsoft from locking up competition in cloud gaming as this market takes off, preserving competitive prices and services for UK cloud gaming customers. 

It will allow Ubisoft to offer Activision’s content under any business model, including through multigame subscription services. 

It will also help to ensure that cloud gaming providers will be able to use non-Windows operating systems for Activision content, reducing costs and increasing efficiency, the UK’s market regulator noted.

“We delivered a clear message to Microsoft that the deal would be blocked unless they comprehensively addressed our concerns and stuck to our guns on that,” said Sarah Cardell, Chief Executive of the CMA.

With the sale of Activision’s cloud streaming rights to Ubisoft, “we’ve made sure Microsoft can’t have a stranglehold over this important and rapidly developing market,” Cardell added.  

In August, Microsoft submitted a restructured proposal to UK’s anti-trust watchdog for approval of its acquisition of Activision.

As part of the restructuring, Microsoft will transfer cloud gaming rights for current and new Activision Blizzard games to French video game publisher Ubisoft.

The sale of Activision’s cloud streaming rights to Ubisoft will prevent the distribution of important, popular content – including games such as Call of Duty, Overwatch, and World of Warcraft – from coming under the control of Microsoft in relation to cloud gaming, said the CMA.

“Cloud gaming is an important new way for gamers to access games and this deal could have seriously undermined its potential development. On that we, the European Commission and the US Federal Trade Commission are in full agreement,” said Martin Coleman, Chair of the Independent Panel who reviewed the original Microsoft deal.

ALSO READ: Microsoft Set to Debut AI Chip

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News

Microsoft-Activision $75bn deal gets regulator’s final approval

The Federal Trade Commission is maintaining its opposition to the deal but it cannot prevent Microsoft and Activision from completing it…reports Asian Lite News

The UK’s competition watchdog has cleared Microsoft’s $69bn (£54bn) deal to buy Activision Blizzard, the maker of games including Call of Duty and World of Warcraft, in a move that paves the way for both companies to complete the transaction.

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) moved to block the megadeal in April, citing concerns that Microsoft – the maker of the Xbox gaming console – would dominate the nascent cloud gaming market.

However, last month the watchdog said a revised deal that included selling cloud gaming rights outside Europe to Activision Blizzard’s French rival Ubisoft had addressed its concerns, indicating the tie-up would be approved.

Sarah Cardell, the CMA’s chief executive, said on Friday that the competition regulator had ensured that Microsoft could not have a “stranglehold” over cloud gaming, which allows users to stream video games stored on remote servers on to their devices.

“As cloud gaming grows, this intervention will ensure people get more competitive prices, better services and more choice,” Cardell said.

The acquisition agreement with Activision Blizzard had been due to expire on 18 October.

Activision Blizzard’s chief executive, Bobby Kotick, said in a note to staff that the company was now ready to finalise the transaction.

“We now have all regulatory approvals necessary to close and we look forward to bringing joy and connection to even more players around the world,” he wrote.

The UK regulator had appeared increasingly isolated in its position blocking the takeover after its EU counterparts passed the deal – when Microsoft offered alternative concessions on cloud gaming rights – and the US competition regulator failed to secure a court injunction to stop it.

The Federal Trade Commission is maintaining its opposition to the deal but it cannot prevent Microsoft and Activision from completing it.

The CMA, having been accused by Microsoft and Activision Blizzard of being anti-business with its original decision to block the deal, also turned on Microsoft in its statement.

Cardell said Microsoft had initially persisted with a deal structure that would not work, before amending its proposal.

“Businesses and their advisers should be in no doubt that the tactics employed by Microsoft are no way to engage with the CMA,” she said. “Microsoft had the chance to restructure during our initial investigation but instead continued to insist on a package of measures that we told them simply wouldn’t work.”

ALSO READ-Microsoft Taps Indian-American for Pioneering AI Role

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Business Tech Lite Technology

Microsoft Set to Debut AI Chip

Nvidia, Microsoft team up to build AI supercomputer

Microsoft’s AI chip, similar to Nvidia GPUs, is designed for data centre servers….reports Asian Lite News

Tech giant Microsoft is likely to unveil its first chip designed for artificial intelligence (AI) at its annual developers’ conference ‘Ignite’ next month.

According to a report in The Information, citing sources, the move “could help Microsoft lessen its reliance on Nvidia-designed AI chips, which have been in short supply as demand for them has boomed”.

According to the report, Microsoft’s AI chip, similar to Nvidia GPUs, is designed for data centre servers.

Microsoft’s data centre servers currently use Nvidia GPUs to power cutting-edge LLMs for cloud customers, including OpenAI and Intuit, as well as for AI features in Microsoft’s productivity apps.

The Information first reported on the AI chip, which is codenamed Athena, in April this year.

Microsoft’s flagship ‘Ignite’ conference is scheduled to take place from November 14-17.

Earlier reports mentioned that Microsoft-backed OpenAI, the maker of AI chatbot ChatGPT, is looking to develop its own AI chips and has even considered acquiring another company for this purpose.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, who has made acquiring more AI processors a primary priority for the company, is one of the main driving forces behind developing its own chips.

He has reportedly raised concerns about the restricted availability and expensive costs of the hardware required to power OpenAI’s software.

OpenAI has been developing its generative AI capabilities on a Microsoft-built supercomputer that employs thousands of Nvidia GPUs.

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-Top News Tech Lite USA

Ofcom launches probe into Amazon, Microsoft cloud services  

Amazon. (photo:ianstwitter)

In its market study, Ofcom identified a number of features in the supply of cloud services that make it more difficult for customers to switch and use multiple cloud suppliers…reports Asian Lite News

UK media regulator Ofcom on Thursday referred the public cloud infrastructure services market to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) for an independent investigation to further examine US tech giants Amazon and Microsoft’s dominance of the cloud market in the country.

In its market study, Ofcom identified a number of features in the supply of cloud services that make it more difficult for customers to switch and use multiple cloud suppliers.

Ofcom has estimated that the market for cloud services in the UK was worth up to 7.5 billion pounds in 2022. “We welcome Ofcom’s referral of public cloud infrastructure services to us for in-depth scrutiny. This is a 7.5 billion pounds market that underpins a whole host of online services — from social media to AI foundation models,” said Sarah Cardell, CEO of the CMA.

The features which Ofcom is most concerned about are charges that cloud customers must pay to move their data out of the cloud.

The media regulator is also concerned about discounts which may incentivise customers to use only one cloud provider and technical barriers to switching, which may prevent customers from being able to switch between different clouds or use more than one provider. The Ofcom study found that Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft had a combined market share of supply by revenue in the UK public cloud infrastructure services market of 70-80 per cent in 2022.

“The CMA’s independent inquiry group will now carry out an investigation to determine whether competition in this market is working well and if not, what action should be taken to address any issues it finds,” said Cardell.

The CMA has appointed independent panel members to an inquiry group, who will act as the decision makers on this investigation. The CMA will conclude its investigation by April 2025.

ALSO READ-US Sues Amazon For Antitrust Practices

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Tech Lite Technology World News

Nadella: Microsoft Was Ready to Pay Apple ‘Dearly’ to Unseat Google

Nadella said he was willing to hide the Bing brand in Apple users’ search engines and respect any of the company’s privacy wishes..reports Asian Lite News

Microsoft Chairman and CEO Satya Nadella has admitted that the company’s Bing search engine is not as good as Google, and becoming Apple’s default search engine could actually help Bing grow in the global search market.

During a testimony in the landmark US vs Google antitrust trial late on Monday, Nadella said that he sees search as the largest software category out there by far, reports The Verge.

“I used to think of Windows and Office as attractive businesses until I saw the search,” he said during the testimony.

He said that Microsoft was prepared to give Apple all of the economic upside of the deal if Apple were to switch to Bing, and “he was prepared to lose up to $15 billion a year in the process”.

Google.

Nadella said he was willing to hide the Bing brand in Apple users’ search engines and respect any of the company’s privacy wishes. “Defaults are the only thing that matter, in terms of changing user behaviour,” he was quoted as saying.

For Nadella, becoming Apple’s default search engine wouldn’t be about the money, at least not directly.

“We needed to be less greedy and more competitive,” he said during the testimony.

Asked if Microsoft tried to become Apple’s default search engine, Nadella said yes but the effort did not go well. Not only are the economics of the Google deal hugely favourable for Apple, he said, but Apple may also be afraid of what Google would do if it lost default status, according to the report.

Google also has immensely popular services like Gmail and YouTube. Nadella said AI has the potential to shake up the market a bit but he also believes it could “further entrench Google’s dominance”.

The US Justice Department alleges that Google, which has around 90 per cent of the search market, has abused the dominance of its search engine to throttle competition and innovation.

ALSO READ: ‘Apple’s 3nm chip demand to drop in 2024’

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Business Tech Lite Technology

Microsoft Bets Big On AI

Microsoft said it will soon add access to OpenAI’s DALL-E 3 image generator for users to create images right in a chat…reports Asian Lite News

Microsoft Chairman and CEO Satya Nadella on Thursday doubled down on the role of generative AI in the company’s product portfolio, starting with Windows 11 that will include the new AI-powered Copilot feature, along with launching a powerful new Surface laptop lineup.

With over 150 new features, the new Windows 11 Update will be available starting September 26, bringing the power of Copilot and new AI-powered experiences to apps like Paint, Photos, Clipchamp and more right to your Windows PC.

“Microsoft Copilot will uniquely incorporate the context and intelligence of the web, your work data and what you are doing in the moment on your PC to provide better assistance — with your privacy and security at the forefront,” said Yusuf Mehdi, Corporate Vice President & Consumer Chief Marketing Officer.

“It will be a simple and seamless experience, available in Windows 11, Microsoft 365, and in our web browser with Edge and Bing. It will work as an app or reveal itself when you need it with a right click,” he told the gathering.

Microsoft 365 Copilot will generally be available to commercial customers starting November 1 with a more powerful version of M365 Chat, new capabilities for Copilot in Outlook, Excel, Loop, OneNote, OneDrive and Word.

The company also announced new features in Bing and Edge.

Bing Chat Enterprise will also get a few upgrades including support for multimodal visual search and Image Creator now available in the Microsoft Edge mobile app, the company announced.

Microsoft said it will soon add access to OpenAI’s DALL-E 3 image generator for users to create images right in a chat.

“We are entering a new era of AI, one that is fundamentally changing how we relate to and benefit from technology. With the convergence of chat interfaces and large language models you can now ask for what you want in natural language and the technology is smart enough to answer, create it or take action,” said Mehdi.

Additionally, the company introduced new Surface laptops. The Surface Laptop Studio 2 with 14.4-inch display starts at $1,999 and runs on Intel’s 13th generation chips.

Turbocharged with the latest Intel Core processors and cutting-edge NVIDIA Studio tools for creators-with up to 2x more graphics performance than MacBook Pro M2 Max, the device brings together the versatility to create and the power to perform, said Microsoft.

The Studio 2 also offers some big new connectivity options: it has two USB-C ports, one USB-A port, a microSD card reader, and the Surface Slim Pen 2.

Microsoft also announced Surface Laptop Go 3 that comes with a 12.4-inch touchscreen and offers up to 15 hours of battery life, along with one USB-A port, one USB-C port, and a headphone jack.

The Surface Laptop Go 3 starts at $799, with availability starting October 3.

ALSO READ: OpenAI launches upgraded version of ‘Dall·E 3’

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Tech Lite

Microsoft bets big on AI with Copilot-driven Windows 11

The Studio 2 also offers some big new connectivity options: it has two USB-C ports, one USB-A port, a microSD card reader, and the Surface Slim Pen 2…reports Asian Lite News

Microsoft Chairman and CEO Satya Nadella on Thursday doubled down on the role of generative AI in the company’s product portfolio, starting with Windows 11 that will include the new AI-powered Copilot feature, along with launching a powerful new Surface laptop lineup.

With over 150 new features, the new Windows 11 Update will be available starting September 26, bringing the power of Copilot and new AI-powered experiences to apps like Paint, Photos, Clipchamp and more right to your Windows PC.

“Microsoft Copilot will uniquely incorporate the context and intelligence of the web, your work data and what you are doing in the moment on your PC to provide better assistance — with your privacy and security at the forefront,” said Yusuf Mehdi, Corporate Vice President & Consumer Chief Marketing Officer.

“It will be a simple and seamless experience, available in Windows 11, Microsoft 365, and in our web browser with Edge and Bing. It will work as an app or reveal itself when you need it with a right click,” he told the gathering.

Microsoft 365 Copilot will generally be available to commercial customers starting November 1 with a more powerful version of M365 Chat, new capabilities for Copilot in Outlook, Excel, Loop, OneNote, OneDrive and Word.

The company also announced new features in Bing and Edge.

Bing Chat Enterprise will also get a few upgrades including support for multimodal visual search and Image Creator now available in the Microsoft Edge mobile app, the company announced.

Microsoft said it will soon add access to OpenAI’s DALL-E 3 image generator for users to create images right in a chat.

“We are entering a new era of AI, one that is fundamentally changing how we relate to and benefit from technology. With the convergence of chat interfaces and large language models you can now ask for what you want in natural language and the technology is smart enough to answer, create it or take action,” said Mehdi.

Additionally, the company introduced new Surface laptops. The Surface Laptop Studio 2 with 14.4-inch display starts at $1,999 and runs on Intel’s 13th generation chips.

Turbocharged with the latest Intel Core processors and cutting-edge NVIDIA Studio tools for creators-with up to 2x more graphics performance than MacBook Pro M2 Max, the device brings together the versatility to create and the power to perform, said Microsoft.

The Studio 2 also offers some big new connectivity options: it has two USB-C ports, one USB-A port, a microSD card reader, and the Surface Slim Pen 2.

Microsoft also announced Surface Laptop Go 3 that comes with a 12.4-inch touchscreen and offers up to 15 hours of battery life, along with one USB-A port, one USB-C port, and a headphone jack.

The Surface Laptop Go 3 starts at $799, with availability starting October 3.

ALSO READ-Microsoft testing HDR background support on Windows 11

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Business Tech Lite Technology

Microsoft selling Activision Blizzard cloud gaming to Ubisoft

As part of the restructuring, Microsoft will transfer cloud gaming rights for current and new Activision Blizzard games to French video game publisher Ubisoft….reports Asian Lite News

Microsoft on Tuesday submitted a restructured proposal to UK’s anti-trust watchdog for approval of its $68.7 billion acquisition of gaming giant Activision Blizzard.

As part of the restructuring, Microsoft will transfer cloud gaming rights for current and new Activision Blizzard games to French video game publisher Ubisoft.

“To address the concerns about the impact of the proposed acquisition on cloud game streaming raised by the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), we are restructuring the transaction to acquire a narrower set of rights,” said Brad Smith, Microsoft Vice Chair and President.

This includes executing an agreement effective at the closing of its merger that transfers the cloud streaming rights for all current and new Activision Blizzard PC and console games released over the next 15 years to Ubisoft Entertainment.

As a result of the agreement with Ubisoft, Microsoft believes its proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard presents a substantially different transaction under UK law than the transaction Microsoft submitted for the CMA’s consideration in 2022.

“As such, Microsoft has notified the restructured transaction to the CMA and anticipates that the CMA review processes can be completed before the 90-day extension in its acquisition agreement with Activision Blizzard expires on October 18,” Smith added.

Under the restructured transaction, Microsoft will not be in a position either to release Activision Blizzard games exclusively on its own cloud streaming service — Xbox Cloud Gaming — or to exclusively control the licensing terms of Activision Blizzard games for rival services.

The agreement, said Smith, will enable Ubisoft to innovate and encourage different business models in the licensing and pricing of these games on cloud streaming services worldwide.

“Ubisoft will compensate Microsoft for the cloud streaming rights to Activision Blizzard’s games through a one-off payment and through a market-based wholesale pricing mechanism, including an option that supports pricing based on usage,” he informed.

It will also give Ubisoft the opportunity to offer Activision Blizzard’s games to cloud gaming services running non-Windows operating systems.

Microsoft has also entered into binding legal commitments to bring Call of Duty video game to rival consoles and Activision Blizzard games to rival cloud streaming platforms.

ALSO READ: Microsoft announces public preview of Windows 365 Switch

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Tech Lite Technology USA

Microsoft announces public preview of Windows 365 Switch

With this update, the company also provided inline setup of a PC from within the Cast flyout in Quick Settings, with step-by-step guidance for users to enable…reports Asian Lite News

Microsoft has announced that Windows 365 Switch is now available in public preview.

“Windows 365 Switch provides the ability to easily move between a Windows 365 Cloud PC and the local desktop using the same familiar keyboard commands, as well as a mouse-click or a swipe gesture,” the tech giant said in a blogpost.

It enables a seamless experience from within Windows 11 via the Task view feature.

“Windows 365 will be required on the endpoint, after which all relevant elements will show up automatically inside the Task view feature,” the company added.

Task view can be found on the Windows Taskbar next to the Search button.

Earlier this month, the tech giant had rolled out ‘Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 23516’ to the Dev Channel, which included HDR background support and improvements to the screen casting experience.

With this update, the company also provided inline setup of a PC from within the Cast flyout in Quick Settings, with step-by-step guidance for users to enable.

Microsoft had also added support for voice access to work right when users start their PC.

Last month, the tech giant had released ‘Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 23511’ to the Dev Channel, which included Taskbar’s notifications changes and improvements for Windows Spotlight.

Also, with this update, if a camera streaming issue is detected, such as a camera failing to start or a closed camera shutter, a pop-up dialogue will appear with the recommendation to launch the automated Get Help troubleshooter to resolve the issue.

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