
Singapore's Private Tutoring Boom Reveals the Hidden Cost of Success
'I used to think it was the end of the world,' said Lim, now 18. 'I put myself in that position because I wanted to do well.'
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
FairPrice alerts customers to watch out for bogus $4,000 giveaway scam circulating on WhatsApp
SINGAPORE – FairPrice shoppers need to stay vigilant and guard against a hoax online questionnaire that falsely claims the supermarket chain is giving away $4,000. In an e-mail alert to customers, it warned that the scam questionnaire – making the rounds on WhatsApp – is not linked to FairPrice nor endorsed by it. FairPrice said anyone who has received the questionnaire should avoid clicking on the link and sharing any personal information. The bogus message promises a cash reward in exchange for completing the questionnaire – a common tactic used by scammers to gain access to sensitive data. FairPrice reminded customers that all official promotions and product offers are available only through the FairPrice Group app or its official website. 'We will never send SMS, WhatsApp or other messages asking for your username, password or financial information,' it added. Shoppers who receive suspicious messages can contact the FairPrice customer service hotline on 6380-5858 or e-mail queries to Official updates are also provided on FairPrice's verified social media channels. Customers who are offered deals that seem too good to be true must be cautious, it added. Source: The Straits Times © SPH Media Limited. Permission required for reproduction Discover how to enjoy other premium articles here
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Exclusive-Nvidia working on new AI chip for China that outperforms the H20, sources say
By Liam Mo and Fanny Potkin BEIJING/SINGAPORE (Reuters) -Nvidia is developing a new AI chip for China based on its latest Blackwell architecture that will be more powerful than the H20 model it is currently allowed to sell there, two people briefed on the matter said. U.S. President Donald Trump last week opened the door to the possibility of more advanced Nvidia chips being sold in China. But the sources noted U.S. regulatory approval is far from guaranteed amid deep-seated fears in Washington about giving China too much access to U.S. artificial intelligence technology. The new chip, tentatively known as the B30A, will use a single-die design that is likely to deliver half the raw computing power of the more sophisticated dual-die configuration in Nvidia's flagship B300 accelerator card, the sources said. A single-die design is when all the main parts of an integrated circuit are made on one continuous piece of silicon rather than split across multiple dies. The new chip would have high-bandwidth memory and Nvidia's NVLink technology for fast data transmission between processors, features that are also in the H20 - a chip based on the company's older Hopper architecture. The chip's specifications are not completely finalised but Nvidia hopes to deliver samples to Chinese clients for testing as early as next month, said the sources who were not authorised to speak to media and declined to be identified. Nvidia said in a statement: "We evaluate a variety of products for our roadmap, so that we can be prepared to compete to the extent that governments allow." "Everything we offer is with the full approval of the applicable authorities and designed solely for beneficial commercial use," it said. The U.S. Department of Commerce did not respond to a Reuters request for comment. FLASHPOINT The extent to which China, which generated 13% of Nvidia's revenue in the past financial year, can have access to cutting-edge AI chips is one of the biggest flashpoints in U.S.-Sino trade tensions. Nvidia only received permission in July to recommence sales of the H20. It was developed specifically for China after export restrictions were put in place in 2023, but company was abruptly ordered to stop sales in April. Trump said last week he might allow Nvidia to sell a scaled-down version of its next-generation chip in China after announcing an unprecedented deal that will see Nvidia and rival AMD give the U.S. government 15% of revenue from sales of some advanced chips in China. A new Nvidia chip for China might have "30% to 50% off", he suggested in an apparent reference to the chip's computing power, adding that the H20 was "obsolete". U.S. legislators, both Democratic and Republican, have worried that access to even scaled-down versions of flagship AI chips will impede U.S. efforts to maintain its lead in artificial intelligence. But Nvidia and others argue that it is important to retain Chinese interest in its chips - which work with Nvidia's software tools - so that developers do not completely switch over to offerings from rivals like Huawei. Huawei has made great strides in chip development, with its latest models said to be on par with Nvidia in some aspects like computing power, though analysts say it lags in key areas such as software ecosystem support and memory bandwidth capabilities. Complicating Nvidia's efforts to retain market share in China, Chinese state media have also in recent weeks alleged that the U.S firm's chips could pose security risks, and authorities have cautioned Chinese tech firms about purchasing the H20. Nvidia says its chips carry no backdoor risks. Nvidia is also preparing to start delivering a separate new China-specific chip based on its Blackwell architecture and designed primarily for AI inference tasks, according to two other people familiar with those plans. Reuters reported in May that this chip, currently dubbed the RTX6000D, will sell for less than the H20, reflecting weaker specifications and simpler manufacturing requirements. The chip is designed to fall under thresholds set by the U.S. government. It uses conventional GDDR memory and features memory bandwidth of 1,398 gigabytes per second, just below the 1.4 terabyte threshold established by restrictions introduced in April that led to the initial H20 ban. Nvidia is set to deliver small batches of RTX6000D to Chinese clients in September, said one of the people. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data


Forbes
an hour ago
- Forbes
Blackstone-Backed AirTrunk Gets $1.8 Billion Loan To Build Second Data Center In Singapore
AirTrunk—backed by U.S. private equity giant Blackstone—received a S$2.3 billion ($1.8 billion) loan to build its second cloud computing facility in the eastern Singapore town of Loyang, doubling down on its investments in one of the data center hubs in the Asia Pacific. The new AI-powered data center, which will have a capacity of over 70 megawatts, will be financed by a syndicate of more than 20 banks including Crédit Agricole CIB, DBS Bank and ING Bank, the Sydney-based company said in a statement released on Monday. 'This landmark transaction is Singapore's largest loan and green loan for a data center,' Robin Khuda, founder and CEO of AirTrunk said in the statement. 'It strengthens AirTrunk's leadership in sustainable finance and reflects strong market confidence in AirTrunk's growth and sustainability strategy.' The new facility, dubbed SGP2, will have among the lowest power usage among data centers in Singapore, according to AirTrunk. To further reduce its carbon footprint, the facility will be constructed using so-called green concrete and steel. Singapore has been selectively approving new data center projects after lifting a three-year moratorium in 2022 to ensure new facilities are built in a sustainable manner. Singapore has been attracting investments from global tech giants. In May 2024, Amazon announced plans to invest S$12 billion ($9 billion) to scale up its cloud infrastructure in the country over the next four years. The following month, Google completed expanding its facilities in the Lion City, bringing its total investment to $5 billion. AirTrunk currently operates SGP1, which was Singapore's largest data center when it opened in late 2020. Built on a 1.5-hectare site in Loyang, it has a capacity of over 78MW and is located in the same area where the new center will be developed. Founded in 2015 in Australia, where it opened its first facility, AirTrunk has since expanded across the region with operations in Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia and Singapore. Blackstone and Canada Pension Plan Investment Board bought AirTrunk last year in a deal valuing the company at A$24 billion ($15.6 billion), including debt and investment commitments for ongoing projects.