Japanese technology company NEC will next month begin testing a parking charging system that starts billing only after a driver pulls up and exits the car. The system uses cameras and AI analysis of real-time video to detect when a driver has left the vehicle.
Most car parks record the time of entry and start charging or depleting the free period at that moment. Drivers pay for time spent driving around looking for a spot and exiting. NEC's approach aims to change that.
The tests, which begin in September, will investigate how many cameras are needed to make the system work reliably. NEC and its partner UrbanChain, another Japanese company, claim a safety benefit: the system can spot drivers who haven't left their cars for an extended period, a potential sign of illness.
There is also a hypothesis that drivers may drive more safely if they are not charged while searching for a spot or exiting. The system could reduce the pressure to rush through a car park.
NEC's announcement mentions "data utilization services targeting commercial facilities that can be used for monitoring vehicle occupant exit counts, analyzing facility visitor trends, and more." That raises questions about how the collected data might be used beyond parking.
Fujifilm Considers Printer Business Spin-Off
Fujifilm informed investors last week, in a PDF, about investigating a partial spin-off of its printer business. The company wants to float the business and retain up to 20% of shares.
Fujifilm is joining Epson, Toshiba, and Ricoh in reducing exposure to printing. The printer market is under pressure.
IDC, the analyst firm, said "a confluence of structural transformation and cyclical pressure" brought uncertainty and sharply falling sales to the printer market. The decline is broad and affects multiple Japanese manufacturers.
The move suggests Fujifilm sees its future elsewhere, likely in its imaging and healthcare businesses. Printing, once a core revenue stream, is becoming a smaller part of the company's strategy.
Envision Switches On Massive AI Datacenter in Inner Mongolia
Chinese company Envision announced last week the commissioning of a 2GW-plus datacenter in Ulana, Inner Mongolia. The facility spans 120,000 square meters and can house up to one million GPUs.
It can deliver one million PFLOPS of AI computing power. The datacenter is powered by renewable energy.
Its location in western China is an expression of Beijing's "Data East, Compute West" plan, which calls for large datacenters closer to clean energy sources and away from population centers. The plan aims to balance the country's computing resources with its energy geography.
The scale of the facility is notable. One million GPUs represents a substantial share of global AI compute capacity.
Submarine Cable Operator Flags Suspicious Activity
Bevan Slattery, an Australian submarine cable operator and entrepreneur, claimed on Sunday that there was "some suspicious/coincidental activity" at the time two of his cables experienced a fault. He wrote about the incident in a Federally declared cable protection zone.
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"This is a concerning development. Partially because submarine cables are the digital lifeblood of our nation, but also because this could very well turn out to be the second such incidence in a Federally declared cable protection zone," Slattery said.
A marine chart shows the vessel GEM Sapphire, a 183-meter long tanker, repeatedly crossing the path of two cables. The chart suggests the tanker's movements were not a single accidental crossing but a pattern.
Submarine cables carry nearly all international data traffic. Damage to them can disrupt internet services for entire regions. Australia has Federally declared cable protection zones to safeguard these critical links.
Infosys to Modernize Crocs for a Decade
Indian tech services giant Infosys has scored a deal to help Crocs, Inc., the shoe company known for its distinctive clogs, modernize its systems. Infosys will spend the next ten years on the effort.
The deal aims to address rising costs, inconsistent processes, and the need for increased agility. Infosys will "unify data across the organization and aim to empower Crocs, Inc. with real-time, insight-driven decision-making, accelerating innovation while enhancing efficiency, responsiveness and customer experience."
The company also said the transformation will "help Crocs, Inc. address key industry challenges, including rising costs, inconsistent processes and the need for increased agility. The transformation will standardize operations and aim to enable the business to better respond to evolving consumer and market demands."
Crocs, sometimes described as the world's ugliest shoes, are a global phenomenon. The ten-year duration of the deal signals a deep and long-term partnership between the two companies.
Kmart Australia's Smart Glasses Sell Out, Spark Privacy Debate
Kmart Australia started selling low-end smart glasses last week for AU$89 ($62/£46). The glasses sold out swiftly, sparking a privacy debate.
Australian Attorney-General Michelle Rowland has written to the Privacy Commissioner asking for priority consideration of the issue. She cited "widespread community concerns about the potential impacts of 'smart glasses', particularly for women and children."
"Privacy is an essential part of all our lives," Rowland said. The low price point makes the glasses accessible to a wide audience, including children.
The concern is that cameras embedded in glasses can record people without their knowledge or consent. Unlike phones, which are held visibly, glasses can capture footage discreetly.
The Privacy Commissioner has been asked to give the matter priority consideration. The outcome could shape how smart glasses are sold and used in Australia.
The NEC parking system, the Fujifilm spin-off, the Envision datacenter, the cable faults, the Infosys-Crocs deal, and the smart glasses debate all point to one theme: technology is changing how companies operate and how people live. Some changes are welcome, others raise questions. The coming months will show how these developments play out.