Tag: Tencent Holdings

  • Ubisoft’s Future Rests on Assassin’s Creed, Insider Claims

    Ubisoft’s Future Rests on Assassin’s Creed, Insider Claims

    During the 2000s and early 2010s, Ubisoft was a top choice for gamers, enjoying huge success with series like Assassin’s Creed and Far Cry. Yet, the company’s luck took a turn for the worse, reaching a new low in 2024. Every major game released that year failed to meet expectations. Some notable disappointments included:

    The Downfall of the Ubisoft Formula

    The excessive reliance on the “Ubisoft formula,” which is characterized by repetitive gameplay, cluttered maps, and a lack of new ideas, has led to rising discontent among gamers and critics. This growing frustration is worsened by technical glitches, frequent bugs, and the presence of microtransactions in games that are already sold at full price. Consequently, Ubisoft faces increasing pressure to implement meaningful changes, with the company’s future possibly resting on developments in this year.

    A Crucial Moment Ahead

    Gaming insider Jason Schreier pointed out Ubisoft’s delicate situation in a recent Bloomberg article regarding the gaming industry in 2025. He portrayed the company as being at a critical juncture, with its future likely determined by how well Assassin’s Creed Shadows performs. The game’s launch, which has already been pushed back to February 2025, could be crucial for Ubisoft’s direction.

    If the game launches successfully, it might provide the necessary space for internal changes, but a poor reception could mean tough decisions ahead. Reports suggest that options like privatization or selling the company are on the table. Companies such as Tencent Holdings Ltd., a Chinese tech giant that already has a stake in Ubisoft, along with Saudi Arabia’s Savvy Games Group, have shown interest in potentially acquiring the company.

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  • Tencent Offers Apology for Technical Problems Experienced on Video Streaming Platform

    Tencent Offers Apology for Technical Problems Experienced on Video Streaming Platform

    Tencent Video, a popular video streaming platform in China, recently experienced a service disruption, highlighting the challenges faced by even the biggest tech companies in maintaining uninterrupted services. Similar to Netflix, Tencent Video faced "temporary technical issues" that resulted in numerous user complaints. This incident has sparked a discussion about the reliability and stability of digital services provided by large tech firms.

    Tencent Video's Outage

    During the outage, users shared screenshots showing error messages and problems with their subscription plans, confirming the service disruption. Tencent Video addressed the issue on Weibo, a Chinese social media platform, and assured users that efforts were being made to restore the service. However, the company did not provide immediate updates on the progress of the recovery.

    Competing in China's Video Streaming Sector

    Tencent Video operates in a highly competitive landscape, competing against rivals like Baidu's iQiyi and Alibaba's Youku in China's video streaming sector. These companies not only vie with each other but also face challenges from the increasing popularity of short video platforms. Despite these hurdles, Tencent Video boasts a massive user base of 117 million subscribers, although it has experienced a slight decline in recent times.

    Broader Issues of Technical Reliability

    Interestingly, Tencent Video's service disruption is not an isolated incident. Other major Chinese tech firms, including Alibaba's cloud computing unit and Didi, the leading ride-hailing service in the country, have also faced similar disruptions. These instances shed light on a broader issue of technical reliability within China's tech sector. Alibaba Cloud experienced outages that affected various regions and services, while Didi's breakdown was attributed to a system software failure.

    Concerns Surrounding Tencent's Services

    In addition to Tencent Video, another service offered by Tencent, WeChat, also encountered a breakdown earlier this year. This incident drew attention from China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. It is worth noting that Tencent is streamlining its operations and plans to shut down its lesser-known music streaming service, Moo.

    In conclusion, Tencent Video's recent service disruption highlights the challenges faced by large tech companies in maintaining uninterrupted services. The incident also sheds light on the broader issue of technical reliability within China's tech sector. As competition intensifies and threats from emerging platforms increase, it is crucial for these companies to prioritize the stability and reliability of their digital services.

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  • Tencent Ventures into AI-Boosted Healthcare in China

    Tencent Ventures into AI-Boosted Healthcare in China

    Tencent Holdings’ Expansion into China’s Healthcare Sector through AI and Social Media Fusion

    Tencent Holdings, a key figure in China’s technology domain, is embarking on a bold venture into the healthcare realm. Making use of its proficiency in social media and artificial intelligence (AI), Tencent is striving to revolutionize China’s flourishing healthcare landscape. This strategic move aligns with a broader trend where major tech entities are aiming to overhaul the sector.

    Integration of Tencent’s Language Model and Social Media Platforms

    Central to Tencent’s healthcare initiatives is its expansive language model known as Hunyuan. Interwoven with popular social networking platforms like WeCom and WeChat, Hunyuan provides tailored AI solutions to stakeholders in the pharmaceutical and healthcare sectors. Noteworthy beneficiaries of this amalgamation include industry giants such as AstraZeneca. Head of Tencent Healthcare, Alexander Ng, underscores the emphasis on enriching the pharmaceutical sector’s academic knowledge of medications, prioritizing this over mere marketing outcomes.

    Varied Product Portfolio

    Tencent’s healthcare expansion stretches beyond AI frameworks. The corporation has crafted consumer-oriented and business-centric offerings like Miying, an AI-powered medical imaging tool, and a medical insurance payment service seamlessly integrated with WeChat. These advancements underscore Tencent’s dedication to reshaping healthcare protocols in China. Projections indicate that the country’s healthcare market is set to soar to a monumental $311.5 billion by 2026.

    Hurdles and Regulatory Frameworks

    While the potential of AI in the medical sphere is promising, its integration in healthcare has been approached more cautiously compared to other sectors, given the critical nature of patient well-being. Chinese authorities have introduced guidelines to restrict AI’s application in healthcare. Notably, AI-generated medical prescriptions are banned, and a clear stance is taken that AI is not a substitute for medical professionals in terms of diagnosis and treatment.

    Enhancing the Medical Domain

    Nonetheless, Tencent envisions notable prospects for AI to strengthen the medical domain, particularly in supporting healthcare practitioners. Acknowledging China’s aging populace and the ensuing strain on medical facilities, Tencent identifies an opportunity to revolutionize healthcare delivery. This metamorphosis extends beyond conventional doctor-patient interactions, encompassing self-service models on online platforms. These models offer insights on disease prevention, aid in managing chronic conditions, and facilitate informative medical live-streaming sessions.

    As Tencent Holdings continues its strides in the healthcare sector, its fusion of AI and social media mechanisms is on course to reshape China’s healthcare landscape. Leveraging its expertise, Tencent aims not only to enhance healthcare accessibility and elevate patient outcomes but also to bolster the growth and evolution of China’s healthcare market.

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  • Tencent adjusts to U.S. export restrictions, explores homegrown alternatives for AI Chips

    Tencent adjusts to U.S. export restrictions, explores homegrown alternatives for AI Chips

    In response to the recent broadened U.S. restrictions on high-end chip sales to China, Tencent Holdings is strategically navigating the challenges posed by the semiconductor export bans to safeguard its cloud services. The company, acknowledging its substantial stockpile of AI chips from U.S. manufacturer Nvidia, is proactively planning to optimize their usage amidst the evolving regulatory landscape.

    Tencent’s President, Martin Lau, emphasized the impact of the U.S. ban on exporting additional AI chips to China, revealing that the company is committed to efficiently utilizing its existing Nvidia chip stock for the continued development of its “Hunyuan” AI model. Despite the ban, Tencent assures continuity for at least a couple more generations, minimizing the near-term impact on its AI capabilities.

    Tencent’s Strategy to Mitigate Impact

    However, the export restrictions are expected to affect Tencent’s cloud services, particularly in the resale of AI chips to clients. Tencent currently relies on Nvidia, which dominates approximately 90% of the Chinese AI chip market. The company is exploring alternatives, including domestically produced chips, to mitigate the risks posed by the U.S. restrictions.

    Tencent’s rival, Baidu, has reportedly taken steps to secure alternatives by ordering 1,600 Huawei Ascend 910B chips. In a bid to address the challenges posed by the ban on its H800 AI chips developed by Nvidia specifically for China, Tencent plans to reserve them for the crucial training phase of AI model development. The company is actively seeking ways to offload inference capability to lower-performance chips, preserving high-performance AI chips for training purposes.

    Increasing Reliance on Domestic Chips

    Recognizing the need to reduce reliance on U.S.-made chips, Tencent is looking to increase its usage of domestically-produced chips. The company is not alone in this endeavor, as Chinese firms, including Baidu, are seeking alternatives and turning to domestic chipmakers like Huawei.

    In response to the changing landscape, Nvidia is expected to announce new China-bound AI chips designed to comply with the export rules by featuring reduced computing power while retaining essential AI features.

    China’s Semiconductor Industry Efforts

    Tencent’s move to explore domestic sources for training chips aligns with China’s broader efforts to invest billions in its semiconductor industry, countering the impact of U.S. high-end chip bans. Initiatives like the $41 billion fund launched in September and support for domestic chipmakers, such as YMTC, demonstrate China’s commitment to achieving self-sufficiency in the semiconductor sector despite external challenges.

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