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Tech Time: UK vows billions in tech investments; Apple developing AR headset

In this feature, S&P Global Market Intelligence presents a bi-weekly global roundup of the latest developments in technology.

TOP STORIES

* The British government on Nov. 20 committed to investing billions of pounds in the "industries of the future" such as artificial intelligence, big data and self-driving vehicles. The pledge entails a £2.3 billion increase in public spending on research and development initiatives in 2011 to 2012, as well as a £1.7 billion Transforming Cities Fund to support the launch of new mobility services.

* Apple Inc. is developing a stand-alone augmented-reality headset with its own display and a new chip and operating system that can run independently of the iPhone, Bloomberg News reported Nov. 8. The new headset is expected to be ready by 2019 and could ship as early as 2020.

CLOUD

* Amazon.com Inc. is selling its cloud computing unit in China to Beijing Sinnet Technology Co. Ltd. for up to 2 billion Chinese yuan, Reuters reported Nov. 14.

* VMware Inc. partnered with M1 Ltd. to offer cloud services in Singapore, The Business Times reported Nov. 14.

* IBM Corp. is opening an innovation center for cloud solutions in Denmark, Computerworld reported Nov. 7.

5G AND THE INTERNET OF THINGS

* Nokia Corp. started manufacturing a 5G-ready multi-band base station in India from its Chennai facility, India's The Economic Times reported Nov. 14.

* Internet of things solutions provider ThingLogix Inc. said Nov. 13 that it opened an office in Dubai, United Arab Emirates to help address internet of things-related needs of companies in the Middle East and Africa.

* Swisscom AG tapped Ericsson AB to prepare the operator's network for the deployment of gigabit LTE from 2018 and 5G from 2020, Ericsson said Nov. 8.

* Telecom Italia SpA, Fastweb SpA and Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. will together invest more than €60 million over four years on 5G trials in the Italian cities of Bari and Matera, according to a Nov. 8 statement.

* Inmarsat plc said Nov. 8 that it is teaming up with JT Group (UK) Ltd. to develop a global internet of things network. The companies worked with French startup Actility SA on a smart city initiative in Kigali, Rwanda.

* Fujitsu Ltd. and Fujitsu Laboratories Ltd. announced Nov. 7 the launch of trials of an ultrahigh-density distributed antenna aimed at boosting 5G capacity, conducted jointly with Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp.'s NTT DOCOMO.

VIRTUAL REALITY AND ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

* Qualcomm Inc. is investing in Chinese AI startup SenseTime Group Ltd., in a funding round anticipated to close in 2018, Reuters reported Nov. 15.

* Apple is working to introduce a rear-facing 3-D sensor system for the iPhone in 2019, which would allow for more augmented-reality apps, Bloomberg News reported Nov. 14.

* Alphabet Inc. unit Google Inc. and HTC Corp. ditched plans to bring a Daydream-branded HTC stand-alone VR headset to the U.S., TechCrunch.com reported Nov. 13. HTC will focus instead on a Qualcomm-powered headset for China called the Vive Focus.

DRONES AND OTHER DEVICES

* SoftBank Group Corp. said Nov. 20 that it will begin an AI-controlled cleaning robotics business, with plans to launch an autonomous cleaning robot in summer 2018.

* Tencent Holdings Ltd. is leading a $400 million funding round for "Star Wars" robot maker UBTECH Robotics Corp., South China Morning Post reported Nov. 15.

* Amazon launched Nov. 8 its cloud-based voice assistant Alexa and the Echo, Echo Plus and Echo Dot speakers in Japan.

* Tencent is developing its own autonomous driving system, with plans to integrate its mapping and AI technology into driverless cars, Bloomberg News reported Nov. 7.

* Indian ride-hailing startup Ola said Nov. 7 that it is partnering with Microsoft Corp. to build a connected vehicle platform using the latter's cloud infrastructure, AI and productivity tools.