investments - News, Features, and Slideshows

News

• Google invests in wind farm transmission project

  Google is continuing to back green energy projects, this time investing in the construction of a backbone that will carry energy produced by wind turbines off the East Coast back to shore.

• HP-SAP merger talk considered far-fetched

  Hewlett-Packard's <a href="http://www.infoworld.com/d/the-industry-standard/hp-names-ex-sap-chief-apotheker-new-ceo-466">surprise decision last week</a> to appoint ex-SAP CEO Léo Apotheker to its top job has stirred up speculation that HP will acquire the enterprise applications giant to compete more effectively against rival Oracle, but some analysts say the notion is mere piffle.

• TSMC allowed to upgrade chip technology in China

  The Taiwanese government granted chip giant Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) permission to start using a more advanced chip technology at a factory in Shanghai, the first time the government has allowed a Taiwanese company to do so.

• Intel makes WiMax investment with South Korea's KT

  Intel and South Korea's KT Corporation plan to work together to expand WiBro (Wireless Broadband) Internet service to several new areas of South Korea and and have worked to make the network compatible with mobile WiMax.

• Zuckerberg soars up Forbes list of richest Americans

  If Mark Zuckerberg had a dollar for every user on Facebook ... oh wait, he does. He has lots of dollars for every user on Facebook.

• Canon plans 40 per cent hike in inkjet printer production

  Canon is responding to strong global demand for inkjet printer products with plans to hike production by around 40 per cent in 2011, the company said Tuesday.

• Alibaba still wants Yahoo to sell back stake

  Even though Yahoo CEO Carol Bartz made soothing comments about her company's relationship with Alibaba Group on Friday, the Chinese e-commerce giant doesn't feel the same way, according to a source with knowledge of Alibaba's thinking.

• Google plans research center in France

  Google plans to make France the center for all its European cultural operations, and to open a new research center there, CEO Eric Schmidt told French President Nicolas Sarkozy on Thursday.

• Making smart IT decisions: Simple steps small businesses should take for smart IT investments

  According to a recent report from Forrester Research, IT spending in the United States is expected to ramp up in the second half of the year with an estimated 19 per cent increase in computer equipment spending, 11 per cent growth in software spending, seven per cent hike in communications equipment spending, and six per cent uptick in consulting services. As the overall IT industry starts to show signs of growth, small businesses -- often the last to display confidence -- are exhibiting cautious optimism as many anticipate increased IT investments in the next six months.

• Former Google China head invests in Chinese startups

  One year after leaving his position as head of Google's China operations, Kai-Fu Lee is funding a dozen startups with his new company, Innovation Works, to seize on opportunities with China's booming Internet market.

• Intel to promote Atom with chip unit from Texas Instruments

  Intel will expand the use of its Atom microprocessors in consumer electronic devices with the purchase of Texas Instruments' cable modem chip division, it said Monday.

• Teradata quietly scoops up Kickfire

  Data warehousing vendor Teradata has quietly scooped up Kickfire, a startup analytic appliance vendor known for its use of the open-source MySQL database and a SQL processing chip to boost query performance.

• Skype files IPO registration with SEC

  Skype SA seeks to raise US$100 million through an initial public offering (IPO) in the U.S., as the Luxembourg-based provider of Internet telephony, video calling and instant messaging communications seeks to diversify and boost its user base and revenue.

• Adobe acquires Web software maker for US$240 million

  Adobe Systems has agreed to buy Web software maker Day Software Holding in a deal worth US$240 million, the company said in a statement Wednesday.