Latest news with #Infrastructure
Bloomberg
2 days ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
Australia Says US Not Making Demands Over Chinese-Owned Port
Australia's deputy prime minister said the national government has consistently opposed Chinese ownership of the Port of Darwin and isn't under added pressure from the Trump administration to find a new buyer for the facility that is under increased scrutiny in Canberra. 'We don't think it is appropriate that that piece of infrastructure was in the hands of a Chinese publicly-owned entity, a Chinese government-controlled entity,' Richard Marles, also Australia's defense minister, said Saturday in an interview with Bloomberg Television on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore. 'We are working through to get a better resolution to the ownership structure of the port.'
Yomiuri Shimbun
3 days ago
- Automotive
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Govt, Carmakers to Join Hands on Autonomous Cars With AI; New Technology Allows Greater Adaptability, Lower Cost
Yomiuri Shimbun file photo The Economy, Trade and Industry Ministry building in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo Major Japanese automobile manufacturers are planning to jointly develop self-driving technology that uses generative AI, according to sources. The companies are expected to cooperate in developing such elements as the AI infrastructure and in the collection of driving data. The government will provide financial support. It is hoped that through this endeavor, Japan's public and private sectors will catch up with the United States and China in the development of self-driving cars. The Economy, Trade and Industry Ministry and the Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Ministry were to submit a strategy plan at a meeting on Thursday. Toyota Motor Corp., Honda Motor Co., Nissan Motor Co. and other Japanese major carmakers are expected to decide by this summer the fields in which they will cooperate. This move to promote cooperation in both the public and private sectors reflects concern about the changes that generative AI has triggered in the development of self-driving technology. The 'conventional' self-driving technology that Japanese carmakers have developed so far enables automobiles to maneuver the steering wheel using geographical information and driving rules that they learned beforehand. This kind of technology needs time to have the cars learn about various situations on the road, and it cannot respond flexibly to unpredictable situations. It also requires high-precision 3D maps and expensive sensors. In contrast, cars with self-driving technology that uses generative AI can ascertain their situation and independently make judgements in any unpredictable situation, based on footage taken by the dashboard camera, which functions like human eyes. Such cars can be developed at a lower cost than conventional ones. U.S. carmaker Tesla has developed high-precision self-driving technology with generative AI, and Chinese makers are accelerating their development of such cars. Japanese makers have been cautious about developing such vehicles due to safety concerns. However, with AI-supported cars expected to become mainstream, the Japanese government decided to provide financial support and support cooperation among domestic automakers in developing the AI infrastructure and collecting driving data.
The Star
3 days ago
- Automotive
- The Star
Japan to introduce automated driving system for official govt vehicles
The Economy, Trade and Industry Ministry building in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo. - Photo: The Yomiuri Shimbun file TOKYO: The government aims to introduce an automated driving system for vehicles used by national and local government officials for official duties, according to a draft strategy revealed Thursday (May 29) for the promotion of the digitisation of the automotive industry. With autonomous vehicles becoming more common, it has been pointed out that Japan is falling behind. The Economy, Trade and Industry Ministry as well as the Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Ministry are working to promote the introduction of the vehicles through more public-private cooperation amid intensifying international competition. For that purpose, government procurement will be utilised. As vehicles used for official government duties often use specific routes, it is believed that those vehicles can be easily replaced with autonomous ones. In autumn, the government will begin conducting pilot tests, in which autonomous vehicles drive regular routes back and forth between the economy ministry building and the Diet Building. Test runs for autonomous trucks are currently underway on a section of the Shin-Tomei Expressway. Starting in or after fiscal 2026, the tests will be expanded to include general roads between logistic facilities and expressway exits and entrances. If automated driving is realized on general roads, it will create an environment in which such services as automated deliveries and joint deliveries to improve load efficiency will become easier. Efforts to share data across automakers will also be strengthened. In addition, the government aims to strengthen the resilience of supply chains. Learning from the Covid-19 pandemic, when a shortage of semiconductor chips led to factory operations being shut down, a system will be established to enable automakers to share information regarding the procurement status of the chips, among other things, starting this fiscal year. The government will also study ways to enhance the convenience of services such as ride-sharing services, in which individuals use their private vehicles to transport others for a fee, by linking the My Number identification system to vehicle information. - The Yomiuri Shimbun
Yomiuri Shimbun
3 days ago
- Automotive
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Japan to Introduce Automated Driving System for Official Govt Vehicles; Test Runs for Automated Govt Vehicles to Begin in Autumn
Yomiuri Shimbun file photo The Economy, Trade and Industry Ministry building in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo The government aims to introduce an automated driving system for vehicles used by national and local government officials for official duties, according to a draft strategy revealed Thursday for the promotion of the digitization of the automotive industry. With autonomous vehicles becoming more common, it has been pointed out that Japan is falling behind. The Economy, Trade and Industry Ministry as well as the Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Ministry are working to promote the introduction of the vehicles through more public-private cooperation amid intensifying international competition. For that purpose, government procurement will be utilized. As vehicles used for official government duties often use specific routes, it is believed that those vehicles can be easily replaced with autonomous ones. In autumn, the government will begin conducting pilot tests, in which autonomous vehicles drive regular routes back and forth between the economy ministry building and the Diet Building. Test runs for autonomous trucks are currently underway on a section of the Shin-Tomei Expressway. Starting in or after fiscal 2026, the tests will be expanded to include general roads between logistic facilities and expressway exits and entrances. If automated driving is realized on general roads, it will create an environment in which such services as automated deliveries and joint deliveries to improve load efficiency will become easier. Efforts to share data across automakers will also be strengthened. In addition, the government aims to strengthen the resilience of supply chains. Learning from the COVID-19 pandemic, when a shortage of semiconductor chips led to factory operations being shut down, a system will be established to enable automakers to share information regarding the procurement status of the chips, among other things, starting this fiscal year. The government will also study ways to enhance the convenience of services such as ride-sharing services, in which individuals use their private vehicles to transport others for a fee, by linking the My Number identification system to vehicle information.
Scoop
4 days ago
- Business
- Scoop
Infrastructure NZ Backs NPS To Strengthen Infrastructure Decision-Making
Councils have finally been given the message that they need to prioritise infrastructure in all their planning and decision-making, says Infrastructure New Zealand Chief Executive Nick Leggett. Infrastructure New Zealand is welcoming the release of consultation on the first National Policy Statement (NPS) for Infrastructure and the strengthening of guidance for local government as to how they can better integrate infrastructure into consenting and planning processes. 'A NPS for Infrastructure will support more coordinated decision-making across our different levels of government and help ensure that infrastructure development is more effectively considered in council planning,' Leggett says. 'It will provide essential direction for integrating infrastructure considerations into land use planning and environmental management, which is critical to making sure that development at a local level aligns with our objectives as a country.' 'This provides a level of nationwide consistency for those looking to invest and help develop our future nation-building infrastructure. It will then be up to central and local government to work together to implement these new national rules which support priorities that include delivering our growing infrastructure pipeline and the much-anticipated regional deals.' Infrastructure New Zealand particularly welcomes the changes, which will make consenting for new or expanding existing quarries easier and faster. 'Quarried aggregates are essential components in our roads and many other infrastructure constructions,' says Leggett. 'The current delays and limited local access to these materials are adding significant costs to our communities.' The new NPS for Natural Hazards is also a much-needed addition to New Zealand's consenting and planning system. 'Extreme weather events and other climate-related natural hazards are increasing in intensity and frequency, and along with Aotearoa's significant seismic risks, pose a major threat to the infrastructure we rely on,' Leggett says. 'New Zealand is ranked by Lloyd's of London as second only to Bangladesh in terms of natural disaster-related economic losses, and yet our response in terms of consenting and development planning has been left almost entirely to councils and is therefore piecemeal and inconsistent.' 'How different local government entities identify and manage risks associated with climate change, weather events and seismic activity can make a major difference to infrastructure planning and delivery. This NPS is therefore an important step towards standardising how those risks are identified and assessed, and providing a more predictable framework for future infrastructure development.'
