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New Straits Times
03-05-2025
- Automotive
- New Straits Times
Malaysia adopting advanced road barrier technologies to enhance safety
ARAU: Malaysia is adopting the latest road barrier technologies from developed countries to improve and ensure the safety of its road users. Works Minister Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi said the ministry was closely monitoring global advancements in road materials and technology, particularly from Europe, and assessing their suitability for local use. "We are always looking for ways to improve the performance and quality of materials used in our road infrastructure," he said on a working visit to Universiti Malaysia Perlis (UniMAP) Pauh Putra campus here today. He added that while Malaysia was keen to adopt new technologies, any materials introduced must first be evaluated based on local conditions, such as weather and road structure. "When new materials enter the market, we take samples and test them to see if they are suitable for our climate. Malaysia experiences heavy rainfall, prolonged heat and has challenging terrain in certain areas," he said. During the same visit, Nanta said construction of UniMAP's multipurpose hall was progressing well, with the RM12.6 million facility now 80 per cent completed. It is expected to be fully operational by July. The hall would provide a dedicated space for examinations, convocations and other major events — functions that previously required rented venues. The project involved the main hall structure as well as supporting facilities, including an electrical substation, waste management unit, pump house, fire tank base and chiller room. The minister also visited two other major developments on campus. UniMAP's new mosque and Islamic centre is 58 per cent completed and expected to be ready by August. The RM32.7 million complex will support both religious and community activities. Work is also ongoing on the university's new School of Engineering building, a RM71.6 million project that began in December last year. It is scheduled for completion by October 2026. Separately, Nanta inspected a road upgrade project connecting Kampung Chuping Bawah Bukit to Guar Musang and Panggas in Padang Besar. The RM44 million project, which spanned three kilometres, included a new bridge, street lighting, utility relocation and land acquisition. It is 93 per cent complete and on track to be finished by July. Keywords: Europe News Technology Malaysia Nst Road Safety Alexander Nanta Linggi Unimap Pauh Putra Related Articles Nation Mar 28, 2025 @ 3:19am Nanta: Overloaded heavy vehicles main cause of road damage Nation Apr 20, 2025 @ 9:14am Govt seeking more allocations for road maintenance not just for Sabah, but whole country, says Nanta Nation Apr 6, 2025 @ 10:46pm AI road monitoring system to tackle pothole safety Nation Apr 13, 2025 @ 9:24am Works Ministry to help assess SMK Lahat's safety after fire
Malay Mail
01-05-2025
- Business
- Malay Mail
Meta quarterly profit climbs to US$16.6b despite big cloud spending
SAN FRANCISCO, May 1 — Tech giant Meta on Wednesday reported quarterly profits that were well above expectations, brushing aside market worries that its heavy investments in cloud computing and artificial intelligence would hamper growth. The company reported a US$16.6 billion (RM71.6 billion) profit in the first three months of the year on revenue of US$42.3 billion, with business spending on ads remaining strong. Shares in the social media giant — which owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp — rose more than four per cent in after-market trades. 'We've had a strong start to an important year, our community continues to grow and our business is performing very well,' said Meta chief executive Mark Zuckerberg. 'We're making good progress on AI glasses and Meta AI, which now has almost one billion monthly actives.' Meta this week unveiled its first standalone AI assistant app, challenging ChatGPT by giving users a direct path to its generative AI models. Zuckerberg said in an Instagram video post that the app 'is designed to be your personal AI' and could be primarily accessed through voice conversations, with the interactions personalised to the individual user. Meta is putting AI to work throughout its platforms, from creating and targeting ads to recommending content for users, according to Zuckerberg. Defending the family The solid performance comes as Meta defends its group of apps in a US antitrust case that could end with the tech firm ordered to spin off messaging service WhatsApp and photo sharing platform Instagram. Some 3.43 billion people use apps in the Meta family every day, according to the company. Zuckerberg has denied in court that his company bought Instagram and WhatsApp to neutralize competitive threats, as alleged by the Federal Trade Commission. The earnings also come in the wake of significant shifts in Meta's content policies that are apparently intended to endear the company to US President Donald Trump, including the termination of its US fact-checking operation on Facebook. 'Meta robust earnings show that the company's advertising business remained healthy in Q1, proof that the controversial ending of its fact-checking program hasn't done much to deter advertisers,' said Emarketer analyst Minda Smiley. 'But investors and onlookers alike will be much more concerned with what's to come in Q2 and beyond, considering the wildly different economic environment the company now operates in because of Trump's tariffs.' Analysts are keen to see whether the hefty US tariffs will prompt businesses to cut their online advertising budgets, thereby weakening Meta's main source of revenue. Meta's first-quarter earnings came 'before the economic turmoil really kicked in and before the seesaw of the tariffs began,' and China-based advertisers like Temu and Shein cut ad spending, said Sonata Insights chief analyst Debra Aho Williamson. 'If Meta can continue to improve its AI-driven ad performance and targeting tools, it will be able to withstand any shortfall in revenue from China advertisers,' Williamson said. Meta has laid out plans for massive infrastructure investments, with expected capital expenditures of US$64-72 billion for 2025, primarily supporting AI initiatives. 'The pace of progress across the industry and the opportunities ahead for us are staggering,' Zuckerberg said on an earnings call. 'We are accelerating some of our efforts to bring capacity online more quickly this year, as well as some longer term projects, and that has increased our planned investment for this year.' While Meta's stock has performed strongly, the company faces both regulatory challenges and emerging competition. The rise of Chinese startup DeepSeek's more economical AI model has reportedly prompted Meta to establish war rooms to study and potentially adapt the innovations for its own Llama AI models. — AFP
