In this feature, S&P Global Market Intelligence presents a bi-weekly global roundup of the latest developments in technology.
TOP STORIES
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CLOUD
* Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. is scouting for possible locations for its second data center in Europe, in a move to compete with rival Amazon.com Inc. in the cloud computing sphere, Bloomberg News reported Sept. 28.
* Alphabet Inc. unit Google Cloud acquired cloud identity management company Bitium Inc., according to a Sept. 26 official blog post.
* Google Inc. announced Sept. 26 that its Google Cloud India region is set to go live before end-2017 and will offer services such as computing, big data, storage and networking.
5G AND THE INTERNET OF THINGS
* Vodafone Group Plc unit Vodafone India, Idea Cellular Ltd. and Reliance Jio are prepping networks for the expected 5G rollout in India in 2020, The Economic Times (India) reported Oct. 9.
* U.K.-headquartered Dialog Semiconductor Plc said Oct. 5 that it is acquiring U.S.-based Silego Technology Inc., in a bid to boost its IoT capabilities.
* A coalition of technology industry groups and companies is urging the U.S. government to adopt a national strategy "to promote investment, development and widespread utilization of the [internet of things]." In an Oct. 4 statement, the group called on the government to pass the Developing Innovation and Growing the Internet of Things Act and adopt a broad definition of what IoT is.
* SK Telecom Co. Ltd. and Samsung Group unit Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. succeeded in linking 4G LTE and 5G networks in Seoul, South Korea, according to a Sept. 28 news release.
* The Indian government formed a panel that will take charge of the country's 5G roadmap towards the targeted 2020 rollout, Live Mint reported Sept. 27.
* Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. and Bharti Airtel Ltd. partnered to deploy pre-5G Massive MIMO in the Indian city of Bangalore, The Economic Times (India) reported Sept. 26.
VIRTUAL REALITY AND ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
* Nokia Corp. said Oct. 10 that its Nokia Technologies unit is halting development of its OZO VR camera and hardware, citing the VR market's "slower-than-expected development."
* Apple Inc. acquired the team behind AI-based messaging assistant Init.ai, TechCrunch.com reported Oct. 4.
* Microsoft Corp. purchased social VR startup AltspaceVR Inc., according to an Oct. 3 official blog post.
* Baidu Inc. is building a platform that would allow 372 Chinese police agencies to use advanced AI-driven tools to monitor, locate and respond to fake news, "online rumors" and other forms of content that is considered a threat to the country's stability, Bloomberg News reported Sept. 28.
* AMC Entertainment Holdings Inc. said Sept. 26 that it will be the lead investor in a $20 million series B financing round for location-based VR startup Dreamscape Immersive Inc. as part of a "wide-ranging strategic partnership."
DRONES AND OTHER DEVICES
* Apple is looking to purchase advanced liquid-crystal displays from Japan Display Inc. for some iPhones in 2018, The Wall Street Journal reported Sept. 28.
* U.S.-based self-driving startup Drive.ai Inc. secured $15 million in a new funding round from investors including GrabTaxi Holdings Pte. Ltd., TechCrunch reported Sept. 28.