logo
Oracle to provide cloud computing, AI services to Singapore military

Oracle to provide cloud computing, AI services to Singapore military

Reuters18-03-2025

SINGAPORE, March 18 (Reuters) - Oracle (ORCL.N), opens new tab said on Wednesday it would provide Singapore's defense technology arm with "isolated" cloud computing and AI services, in the company's first such deal in Southeast Asia.
Southeast Asian governments are frequent targets of cyber espionage campaigns and are facing escalating supply chain attacks, according to security researchers.
Under the deal, the U.S firm will provide Singapore's armed forces and defense ministry with an "air-gapped" isolated cloud computing infrastructure - meaning that it will be cut off from the internet and connected instead to classified networks via encrypted devices.
"We're bringing our generative AI tools across the air gaps and into those isolated environments ," said Oracle Global Defense Chief Technology Officer Rand Waldron.
He highlighted the technology includes AI data and imagery capabilities, including the ability for the AI to analyze video streams for faces, licenses, or details of cars.
Oracle declined to comment on the size of the deal.
Oracle has ramped up activities in Southeast Asia. It announced it planned to invest more than $6.5 billion t o set up a cloud region in Malaysia in October.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Wall St Week Ahead US stocks edge toward records with inflation data, policy progress in focus
Wall St Week Ahead US stocks edge toward records with inflation data, policy progress in focus

Reuters

time23 minutes ago

  • Reuters

Wall St Week Ahead US stocks edge toward records with inflation data, policy progress in focus

NEW YORK, June 6 (Reuters) - The U.S. stock rebound has driven key indexes to the cusp of record levels, with fresh economic data and trade and fiscal policy developments set to test whether equities will get an extra push higher in the near term. A monthly U.S. inflation report headlines the events for markets in the coming week. Equities have bounced back from a steep fall in April, sparked by concerns about the economic fallout from President Donald Trump's tariff plans. Stocks hit a speed bump on Thursday as a public rift between Trump and Tesla (TSLA.O), opens new tab chief Elon Musk sent shares of the electric vehicle maker down 14%. The benchmark S&P 500 (.SPX), opens new tab ended on Thursday just over 3% off its record closing high from February. It closed down 0.5% on the day as Tesla's tumble offset news of progress in tariff talks between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping. "I'd still say it's a cautious tone" in the market, said Jim Baird, chief investment officer with Plante Moran Financial Advisors. Despite a "recovery off the lows, I still think it's a market that is looking for greater clarity." Some uncertainty stems from how the U.S. economy is weathering the shifting trade backdrop. Trump has eased back on some of the harshest tariffs since his April 2 "Liberation Day" announcement sent stocks tumbling, but investors are waiting to see how other levies may be rippling through the economy. The consumer price index report for May, due on Wednesday, could give insight into the tariff impact at a time investors are wary of any flare-ups in inflation. "Consumers are feeling the impact of higher prices and if there are indications that near-term inflation could re-accelerate, that is going to put further pressure on discretionary spending and ultimately could lead to a more pronounced slowdown in growth," Baird said. The CPI report will be one of the last key pieces of data before the Federal Reserve's June 17-18 meeting. The U.S. central bank is widely expected to hold interest rates steady at that meeting, but traders are pricing in about two 25-basis point cuts by the end of the year. "If we see inflationary data that defies what people are concerned about based on this tariff talk and it comes in cooler, then that could also be a catalyst to at least test those old highs," said Jay Woods, chief global strategist at Freedom Capital Markets. For the year, the S&P 500 is up about 1%. But the index has stormed back over 19% since April 8, at the depth of the stock market's plunge on concerns over the tariff fallout. Investors also are grappling with uncertainty over a sweeping tax-cut and spending bill under review in the U.S. Senate. Wall Street is monitoring how much the legislation could stimulate economic growth, but also inflate the country's debt burden as widening fiscal deficits have become a central concern for markets in recent weeks. "As debt increases, it has a greater negative impact on growth," said Kristina Hooper, chief market strategist at Man Group. The legislation also appeared to be the source of a severe rift between Trump and Musk, who had been his strong ally. Musk called the bill at the heart of Trump's agenda a "disgusting abomination," while Trump said he was "disappointed" by the billionaire's public opposition. Trade talks also remain at the forefront of markets, with a 90-day pause on a wide array of Trump's tariffs set to end on July 8. "When it comes to policy from Washington, D.C., there are still big question marks," said Bob Doll, chief investment office at Crossmark Global Investments.

Focus: De Beers draws interest from billionaire Agarwal, Qatari funds, sources say
Focus: De Beers draws interest from billionaire Agarwal, Qatari funds, sources say

Reuters

time37 minutes ago

  • Reuters

Focus: De Beers draws interest from billionaire Agarwal, Qatari funds, sources say

LONDON, June 6 (Reuters) - Diamond giant De Beers has drawn interest from at least six consortia, including billionaire Anil Agarwal, Indian diamond firms and Qatari investment funds, sources close to the companies told Reuters. De Beers is being carved out of Anglo American (AAL.L), opens new tab as the London-listed miner refocuses on copper and iron ore but the move comes with global diamond prices under pressure. Agarwal, chairman of Vedanta Resources, which has mines in Zambia and South Africa, is among the interested parties, as part of a bigger group, two sources said. Anglo and Agarwal both declined to comment. Indian companies including KGK Group and Kapu Gems, which dominate the domestic cutting and polishing trade, and are De Beers's biggest customers, have also expressed an interest, two sources with knowledge of the matter said. KGK Group and Kapu Gems did not respond to requests for comment. Anglo American, whose book value for De Beers stands at $4.9 billion, following $3.5 billion in impairments over the last two years, said it has retained financial advisers Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs and Centerview to help with a sale or a demerger and potential listing.

Germany's Merz eyes car tariff offsetting mechanism after Trump talks
Germany's Merz eyes car tariff offsetting mechanism after Trump talks

Reuters

time39 minutes ago

  • Reuters

Germany's Merz eyes car tariff offsetting mechanism after Trump talks

BERLIN, June 6 (Reuters) - German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Friday that he would pursue a deal under which U.S. cars could be imported into Europe duty free in exchange for tariff waivers on the same number of vehicles exported to the U.S. Speaking at an event in Berlin just hours after his inaugural trip to Washington for talks with U.S. President Donald Trump, Merz said: "We have to see if we can come up with an offset rule or something along those lines." "We agreed that we will have two representatives between the White House and the chancellery who will now talk intensively with each other about German-American trade relations," he added. He said trade negotiations with the U.S. remained within the remit of the European Union, however, and that later on Friday he would speak to EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to brief her on the outcome of his talks with Trump. The news comes after sources told Reuters last month that Mercedes-Benz ( opens new tab and German rivals BMW ( opens new tab and Volkswagen ( opens new tab were in talks with Washington over a possible import tariff deal. Mercedes-Benz CEO Ola Kaellenius told Spiegel in an interview on Thursday that such a mechanism could act as a precedent for other industries.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store