In this feature, S&P Global Market Intelligence presents a biweekly global roundup of the latest developments in technology.
TOP STORIES
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* Microsoft Corp. is opening two cloud data centers in Germany, Reuters reported March 13, citing WirtschaftsWoche and Handelsblatt. The U.S. tech giant has spent €100 million for the facilities, which will enable customers to retain their data in Germany in compliance with the country's relatively strict privacy regulations.
CLOUD
* Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. said March 15 that it launched its first data center in Indonesia for scalable cloud services.
* Palo Alto Networks Inc. has agreed to acquire cloud services infrastructure protection provider Evident.io Inc. for $300 million.
* Pareteum Corp. said March 8 that it is expanding its cloud communications services to Mexico under a $4.5 million agreement with a national mobile virtual network operator in the country.
* Amazon.com Inc. has acquired GameSparks, a cloud-based platform for game developers. The e-commerce giant earlier struck a partnership with Chunghwa Telecom division CHIEF to expand its cloud businesses in Taiwan, UDN reported March 2.
5G AND THE INTERNET OF THINGS
* British telecom regulator Ofcom launched a spectrum auction for 5G services, City A.M. reported March 20.
* The Korea Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute said March 13 that it developed a core technology to provide network service between 5G and Wi-Fi without disconnection.
* Singapore-based chipmaker Broadcom Ltd. has pledged to create a $1.5 billion fund to train and educate the next generation of engineers in the U.S. and ensure the country's lead in developing 5G.
* The Communications Authority of Kenya is eyeing the deployment of a 5G network in the country in 2019, Telecompaper reported March 9.
* Toshiba Corp. unit Toshiba Digital Solutions Corp. said March 6 it will set up Toshiba Digital & Consulting, a new company that will capitalize on demand for IoT and artificial intelligence.
* Saudi Telecom Co. teamed up with Ericsson AB on the development of the 5G network in Saudi Arabia, the company said March 5.
VIRTUAL REALITY AND ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
* Swedish eye-tracking technology company Tobii AB said March 15 that it will collaborate with Qualcomm Inc.'s Qualcomm Technologies Inc. to make its technology available to mobile virtual and augmented reality head-mounted displays.
* Japanese automaker Toyota Motor Corp. and JapanTaxi Co. Ltd., along with KDDI Corp. and Accenture PLC, are testing an AI-based taxi dispatch support system in Tokyo, according to a March 9 announcement.
* Sky PLC unveiled March 7 the spring launch of the VR experience Hold The World, which marks the "next phase" of the pay TV giant's VR development.
* Facebook Inc.'s Oculus Rift VR headsets stopped working for users March 7 due to an issue with the device's software certification. Oculus has since resolved the matter with a software update, according to a post on the company's official forums.
DRONES AND OTHER DEVICES
* Apple Inc. is developing its own MicroLED screens for the first time in a "secret" facility near its California headquarters, Bloomberg News reported March 18, citing sources.
* Uber is in talks to sell its self-driving technology to Toyota, Nikkei Asian Review reported March 16.
* Globalstar Inc. said March 12 it created a newly formed division called Globalstar Automotive to support future connected and autonomous vehicles and intelligent transport.