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Huawei to launch Pura 80 smartphones on June 11

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June 3, 2025

Huawei to launch Pura 80 smartphones on June 11

Pura 80 maintains the signature triangular camera module reminiscent of its predecessors but introduces an innovative dual-periscope camera lens centrally positioned within the module.
Huawei is employing a ceramic or glossy glass-like material for the back panel.
Pro variant is expected to arrive in sophisticated shades such as Glaze White, Glaze Black, and Glaze Gold, while the Pro+ might offer a broader palette including Black, Gold, White, Red, and Green.

The forthcoming launch of Huawei’s Pura 80 smartphone series marks a significant milestone in the evolution of the company’s flagship devices.

Scheduled for release on June 11, this unveiling has already generated considerable anticipation within the tech community, partly due to an accidental early reveal during the debut event of the MAEXTRO S800 electric sedan, a joint venture between Huawei and JAC Motors.

During the MAEXTRO S800 event, Huawei’s Consumer Business Group, CEO He Gang, inadvertently showcased the Pura 80 device to the public. This unintentional glimpse provided invaluable insights into the design and features Huawei plans to incorporate into its new flagship lineup.

Notably, the Pura 80 maintains the signature triangular camera module reminiscent of its predecessors but introduces an innovative dual-periscope camera lens centrally positioned within the module.

This advancement indicates Huawei’s commitment to advancing macrophotography capabilities, promising enthusiasts’ enhanced photographic performance that surpasses previous iterations.

Multiple sensors

The handsets would run on Huawei’s HarmonyOS Next operating system, the fifth generation of the company’s self-developed mobile platform, which is no longer compatible with Google’s Android, the company said.

The camera assembly of the Pura 80 appears more substantial than those seen on the Pura 70 Pro and Ultra models, occupying a significant portion of the device’s rear. The module integrates multiple sensors, including a primary lens and an ultra-wide-angle shooter, complemented by an LED flash situated between key lenses.

Complementing its technical prowess, the smartphone sports a sleek, plain leather back panel adorned with subtle Huawei branding, and retains functional elements such as a power button and volume rockers on the device’s right side.

Further fuelling consumer intrigue is the rumours about the Pura 80’s colour variants, particularly for the Pro and Pro+ models. Leaked information from notable sources suggests that Huawei is employing a ceramic or glossy glass-like material for the back panel, enhancing the handset’s premium aesthetic.

Colour variants

The Pro variant is expected to arrive in sophisticated shades such as Glaze White, Glaze Black, and Glaze Gold, while the Pro+ might offer a broader palette including Black, Gold, White, Red, and Green. This selection not only reflects Huawei’s attention to design elegance but also its strategy to provide options catering to diverse consumer preferences.

Reflecting on the Pura 70 series, which was well-received for its aesthetically pleasing designs and vibrant colour options, the Pura 80 series’ visual and material upgrades suggest a deliberate move to elevate the user’s tactile and visual experience.

The predecessors featured distinctive colourways across their variants, ranging from Rose Red and Ice Crystal Blue to Phantom Black and Lava Red. They incorporated unique textures such as XMAGE plating and leather patterns.

The forthcoming series, therefore, is poised to captivate users not only through technological advancements but also through refined artistry in design.

Salesforce to get a competitive edge in agentic AI with Informatica acquisition

Naushad K. Cherrayil

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June 2, 2025

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Salesforce to get a competitive edge in agentic AI with Informatica acquisition

By strengthening its data management foundation, Salesforce is better positioned to develop AI systems capable of autonomous action and decision-making, potentially transforming the landscape of enterprise AI applications.
Salesforce will need to invest significantly in research, talent acquisition, and ethical AI governance frameworks to fully leverage Informatica’s assets.

The acquisition of Informatica by Salesforce for $8 billion represents a significant strategic move that could potentially position the company at the forefront of agentic artificial intelligence (AI).

The deal underscores Salesforce’s ambition to strengthen its data management capabilities, which are foundational to developing sophisticated AI systems capable of autonomous decision-making and action, often referred to as agentic AI.

Informatica is renowned for its expertise in data integration, data quality, and cloud data management solutions. By absorbing these capabilities, Salesforce gains access to an extensive suite of tools that enhance the collection, cleaning, and harmonisation of data across diverse sources.

This is a critical step because high-quality, integrated data forms the backbone of any advanced AI system. Accurate and comprehensive data allows AI algorithms to learn effectively, make reliable predictions, and execute complex tasks autonomously.

Agentic AI extends beyond traditional AI by not just analysing data or providing recommendations but by taking independent action to achieve specific goals. Achieving this requires not only advanced machine learning models but also seamless integration with data pipelines, continuous validation, and real-time adaptability to changing environments.

Notable players

The acquisition in the agentic AI tools market underscores an intensifying competitive landscape marked by notable players such as Microsoft Copilot Agent, IBM watsonx Agents, Google Vertex AI Agents, and Oracle AI Agents.

Each of these providers is actively refining their strategies to enhance data management capabilities, recognising that efficient handling of data is fundamental to sustaining and advancing AI development.

As the demand for sophisticated AI solutions grows, these companies must focus on optimising data integration, security, and processing to ensure their tools remain effective and innovative.

This dynamic environment propels continuous improvement and drives the evolution of AI, ultimately benefiting the broader technology ecosystem and end-users alike.

Delivering substantial value

According to GlobalData, the overall AI market is projected to experience substantial growth, with a predicted 35 per cent increase in 2025 compared to 2024. Furthermore, the market is anticipated to sustain a robust compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 41 per cent from 2023 through 2028.

This remarkable expansion underscores the rising adoption and integration of AI technologies across diverse sectors.

Salesforce’s acquisition of Informatica equips it with the robust infrastructure needed to manage data at an enterprise scale, thereby facilitating the development of AI agents that can operate with higher autonomy and reliability.

Moreover, Salesforce’s ecosystem, including its customer relationship management (CRM) platform, provides a rich application environment where agentic AI can deliver substantial value.

Integrating Informatica’s data management with Salesforce’s AI tools—like Einstein AI—could lead to more intelligent, proactive customer engagement solutions and automated business processes that respond dynamically to customer needs and market changes.

However, it is important to temper enthusiasm with the recognition that the mere acquisition of data capabilities is not a panacea for achieving leadership in agentic AI. The technology continues to face challenges such as ethical considerations, explainability of AI decisions, and ensuring security and compliance.

Salesforce will need to invest significantly in research, talent acquisition, and ethical AI governance frameworks to fully leverage Informatica’s assets.

A pivotal contributor

TSMC’s prominence in the semiconductor industry is underscored by its clientele, which includes leading technology firms such as Nvidia, Apple, AMD, and Broadcom. The company’s expertise and innovation make it a pivotal contributor to the global hardware supply chain.

Moreover, the UAE offers an attractive business environment with robust infrastructure, political stability, and incentives aimed at fostering innovation and industry growth. Partnering with the UAE also signifies a step toward strengthening bilateral economic ties and promoting technological collaboration.

The UAE’s growing technological ambitions and investment in high-tech industries make it a favourable location for such a facility.

The UAE’s pursuit of a greater technological footprint, particularly in artificial intelligence, aligns strategically with TSMC’s potential investment. Recently, the UAE unveiled plans for a substantial 5-gigawatt AI campus in Abu Dhabi, developed by the local firm G42 in collaboration with major US technology companies.

This development highlights the UAE’s commitment to becoming a key player in the technology sector.

Munich centre

The ambitious project envisaged by TSMC would involve the creation of a gigafab—a complex similar to the one under construction in Arizona—consisting of multiple factories.

While precise financial commitments for the UAE facility are yet to be disclosed, TSMC has allocated $165 billion for its Phoenix initiative, encompassing research and packaging operations.

TSMC is making big investments globally and as part of it the Taiwanese giant has announced plans to establish a chip design centre in Munich, Germany, marking its first such facility on the European continent.

Key application areas include automotive, industrial, artificial intelligence, and the Internet of Things (IoT), as highlighted by Paul de Bot, president of TSMC Europe.

Currently, TSMC operates nine chip design centers globally, including locations in Canada, China, Japan, Taiwan, and the United States. The Munich facility expands the company’s footprint in Europe, complementing its existing investments on the continent.

Notably, Germany is also the site of TSMC’s inaugural European semiconductor fabrication plant, located in Dresden. This manufacturing hub, named the European Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (ESMC), is a joint venture involving TSMC and prominent European partners NXP, Infineon, and Bosch, each holding a ten percent equity stake.

With a projected investment exceeding $10 billion, the Dresden fab is expected to commence operations by 2027 and produce approximately 40,000 wafers monthly. While the facility will focus on mature semiconductor nodes—28nm, 22nm, and 16/12nm—it is not intended for manufacturing TSMC’s most cutting-edge chips.

Altering business architecture

Google has adamantly opposed these proposals, contending that the DoJ’s remedies are excessively severe and will disproportionately benefit rivals such as Microsoft Bing, potentially raising costs for device manufacturers and, by extension, consumers.

The company has also indicated plans to appeal the antitrust violation ruling, a process that could prolong resolution by several years. Nevertheless, the stakes are unprecedented: Google’s Chrome browser, the most widely used web browser worldwide largely due to its integration with Android smartphones, acts as a critical conduit connecting users to Google’s search services.

Compelling Google to relinquish control of Chrome or terminate exclusivity contracts, such as the lucrative $20 billion-per-year deal with Apple to remain the default search engine on Safari, would fundamentally alter Google’s business architecture and revenue streams, while concurrently impacting major technology partners.

This trial is not Google’s sole antitrust challenge. A parallel case overseen by Judge Leonie Brinkema focuses on Google’s dominance in the online advertising technology sector.

Intensified scrutiny

The DoJ successfully demonstrated Google’s monopolistic conduct concerning publisher ad servers and ad exchanges for display advertising, though it failed to prove a relevant market for advertising networks, a key component of its broader case.

Together, these legal battles signify intensified scrutiny of Google’s multifaceted influence over digital advertising and search.

Beyond legal frameworks, the rapidly evolving landscape of generative artificial intelligence (AI) introduces further complexity to the discourse on search competition.

Google’s lawsuit was initiated in 2020, before the advent of generative AI technologies exemplified by ChatGPT. This paradigm shift has given rise to new competitors such as ChatGPT Search, Perplexity, and Anthropic’s Claude.

Mitigating monopoly concerns

Industry insiders have observed a decline in traditional search queries within Safari, attributing this trend to an increasing preference among users for AI-driven search experiences.

Google, however, reports continued growth across its platforms, including those on iOS devices, underscoring the persistent dominance of its search offerings despite emerging alternatives.

Judge Mehta’s impending decision, expected in August, will be pivotal in determining the future configuration of Google’s search business and the broader digital marketplace.

Should the court endorse the DoJ’s sweeping remedies, Google may be compelled to divest, share proprietary data, and reshape core contractual relationships, fundamentally disrupting the digital search order.

Such an outcome would signal a paradigm shift in antitrust enforcement against Big Tech, emphasising structural interventions over behavioural remedies.

Conversely, a more measured ruling could preserve Google’s integrated model, anticipating that innovation and competition—propelled in part by AI advancements—may sufficiently mitigate monopoly concerns.

Tariff, macroeconomic challenges to dent smartphone sales growth

Mohammed Fahad

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May 30, 2025

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Tariff, macroeconomic challenges to dent smartphone sales growth

Global smartphone shipments are expected to grow marginally by 0.6% year-over-year in 2025, reaching 1.24b units.

The introduction of new tariff policies by the Trump administration in April has cast a shadow over the global smartphone market, with significant implications for Apple Inc.’s iPhone sales and those of its competitors.

According to the International Data Corporation (IDC), worldwide smartphone shipments are expected to grow marginally by 0.6 per cent year-over-year (YoY) in 2025, reaching 1.24 billion units.

The revised forecast represents a substantial reduction from the previously anticipated 2.3 per cent growth, highlighting the heightened uncertainty fuelled by tariff volatility and broader macroeconomic challenges such as inflation and unemployment, which are collectively dampening consumer spending.

The tempered growth is expected to persist over the coming years, with a modest five-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 1.4 per cent, driven by factors such as increased smartphone penetration, lengthening refresh cycles, and the rise of the used smartphone market.

Two critical markets

The persistent tensions between the US and China, two critical markets in this landscape, underpin the modest 0.6 per cent growth forecast for 2025. China’s market is forecast to expand by 3 per cent YoY, supported by government subsidies that stimulate demand and bolster Android device sales.

In stark contrast, Apple is anticipated to experience a 1.9 per cent decline in the same period, hindered by fierce competition, particularly from Huawei, a broader economic slowdown, and restrictions on eligibility for government subsidies.

Despite these challenges, Apple’s prospects for mitigating the anticipated decline include strategic measures such as offering substantial discounts during prominent shopping events like the 618 festival, and the upcoming launch of the iPhone 17, which is expected to feature notable hardware upgrades.

These initiatives are crucial in sustaining consumer interest and counterbalancing the headwinds posed by the tariff environment and economic uncertainties.

Uncertainty

The US smartphone market presents a nuanced picture. Although forecasted to grow by 1.9 per cent in 2025, its growth trajectory has been curtailed from an earlier estimate of 3.3 per cent, primarily due to the ongoing trade war and the resultant tariff-induced price increases.

However, the unique structure of the US market—with the majority of devices purchased through carriers offering trade-in deals and interest-free financing—has mitigated the immediate impact on consumers. This has allowed premium device sales to remain relatively robust despite a forecasted 4 per cent increase in average selling prices.

The overall uncertainty facing the smartphone industry since April stems from the potential broadening of tariffs, which poses significant risks for long-term strategic planning by original equipment manufacturers (OEMs).

Statements from experts such as Anthony Scarsella and Nabila Popal from IDC underscore the complexity of the current situation, where geopolitical factors intertwine with supply chain diversification efforts.

India and Vietnam emerge as important alternatives to China for production, albeit the threat of additional tariffs ranging between 20-30 per cent on smartphones bound for the US market poses a significant downside risk that could further dampen market prospects.

Oracle stands to reap harvest with OpenAI on Stargate Project

Naushad K. Cherrayil

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May 24, 2025

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Oracle stands to reap harvest with OpenAI on Stargate Project

As the Stargate initiatives in both the US and UAE progress, Oracle is well-positioned to emerge as a leader in AI infrastructure, driving innovation and growth in an increasingly digital world.
Planned AI data centre in the UAE, slated to commence operations in 2026, will incorporate approximately 100,000 of Nvidia’s advanced GB300 chips.
Oracle’s engagement in the Stargate Project secures a long-term revenue stream through a 15-year lease agreement to provide computing power to OpenAI.

Oracle Corporation is poised to reap substantial benefits from its collaboration with OpenAI in the ambitious US data centre initiative known as the Stargate Project.

The venture involves Oracle’s significant investment of approximately $40 billion to acquire around 400,000 of Nvidia’s cutting-edge high-performance GB200 chips, dedicated to constructing a state-of-the-art data centre in Abilene, Texas.

The partnership not only underscores Oracle’s commitment to advancing cloud infrastructure but also strategically positions the company within the rapidly evolving artificial intelligence (AI) landscape.

A foremost advantage for Oracle lies in the enhancement of its cloud computing capabilities. By integrating a vast number of Nvidia’s GB200 chips into its infrastructure, Oracle will substantially bolster its computational power.

This positions Oracle to more effectively compete with industry giants such as Amazon, Microsoft, and Google, which have long dominated the cloud services market.

Long-term revenue

The infusion of advanced hardware enables Oracle to offer more robust, scalable, and efficient cloud services, which are critical to meeting the growing demand for AI-driven applications and data processing.

Moreover, Oracle’s engagement in the Stargate Project secures a long-term revenue stream through a 15-year lease agreement to provide computing power to OpenAI.

The partnership ensures a stable and predictable inflow of revenue, which is invaluable in a sector characterised by rapid technological shifts and fierce competition.

The predictable financial foundation afforded by this agreement will enable Oracle to further invest in innovation and infrastructure development without the uncertainties typically associated with emerging technology sectors.

Strategically, Oracle’s role in this initiative affords the company a pivotal position within the AI sector, particularly as OpenAI seeks to diversify its infrastructure providers beyond its existing partnership with Microsoft.

Facilitating AI innovation

This diversification is critical for OpenAI’s operational resilience and growth, and Oracle’s involvement signals its emergence as a key player in AI infrastructure provisioning. This positioning can potentially catalyse further collaborations and innovations, fortifying Oracle’s influence in the AI ecosystem.

In addition to the US-based Stargate data centre, Oracle’s expanding footprint in global markets is exemplified by its participation in similar projects abroad.

The planned AI data centre in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), slated to commence operations in 2026, will incorporate approximately 100,000 of Nvidia’s advanced GB300 chips, marking a significant international expansion.

The development is part of a broader agreement brokered at the governmental level, reflecting the strategic importance of AI data infrastructure on a global scale.

The UAE’s Stargate project will not only bolster AI capabilities within the region but also showcase Oracle’s ability to operate and collaborate on large-scale international initiatives.

This UAE-based project, supported by US and international firms including OpenAI, Oracle, Nvidia, Cisco Systems, and SoftBank Group, is poised to become one of the largest AI data centre platforms outside the United States.

Leveraging Nvidia’s most advanced AI server technologies, the Stargate UAE initiative aims to empower local government and commercial entities with access to cutting-edge AI models, further underscoring Oracle’s commitment to facilitating AI innovation worldwide.