The announcement by the Taiwanese giant Foxconn that it will build an LCD-manufacturing facility in Wisconsin worth an estimated $10bn was met with considerable fanfare. But the state has a troubled history in matters of economic development, and the company, a supplier to Apple, Google, Amazon and other tech giants, has a lackluster record when it comes to fulfilling its promises. The news should raise red flags. The deal, backers say, will create 13,000 jobs in six years – in return for a reported $3bn in state subsidies. Only 3,000 of those jobs will come immediately.

There's nothing like a throw-down to push new technologies out to the masses. A team of high-tech gearheads is applying that age-old adage to self-driving cars, with plans to launch a new motorsport that will pit robotic cars head-to-head on long, winding racetracks. Roborace--which refers both to the sport and its organizer--wants to create an autonomous version of Formula 1 racing, where the superstars are computer programmers whose code unleashes the speed, precision and efficiency needed to take the checkered flag. A key by-product of those victories: innovations that accelerate the path of driverless passenger cars to market. Roborace's plan to be the first championship for autonomous cars has a lot going for it, although also plenty of speed bumps to negotiate.

A few weeks after the tech giant admitted that it is already running its own machine learning investment fund, it now announced to the public its hands-on Launchpad Studio program which aims to provide support and resources to hungry AI startups. In the company's Google Developers Blog post on Wednesday, Google claimed that the program's mission is to "enable startups from around the world to build great companies." "In the last 4 years, we've learned a lot while supporting early and late-stage founders. From working with dynamic startups--such as teams applying Artificial Intelligence technology to solving transportation problems in Israel, improving tele-medicine in Brazil, and optimizing online retail in India--we've learned that these startups require specialized services to help them scale," a part of the post read. The Launchpad Studio is another initiative from Google that shows the company's commitment to artificial intelligence and machine learning studies.

Google has introduced a'Google Developers Launchpad Studio' to empower start-ups globally, including from India, which are working in the field of artificial intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML). It will provide tailored technical, product and investment support to the startups, all in one place, Google said on Thursday. From working with dynamic startups such as teams applying AI technology to solving transportation problems in Israel, improving tele-medicine in Brazil and optimising online retail in India, Google has learnt that these startups require specialised services to help them scale. "Whether you're a 3-person team or an established post-Series B startup applying AI/ML to your product offering, we want to start connecting with you. Applications to join Launchpad Studio are now open," posted Roy Glasberg, Global Lead, Google Developers Launchpad.

SAN FRANCISCO: Machine learning and AI-based startups can Google for help as the search giant launches its Google Developers Launchpad Studio Accelerator Programme for startups to build and scale their products across the globe. The accelerator programme is targeting startups in all global markets, including India, as well as homegrown players in the US. The length of the programme is still being worked out. "In the past four years (of Google Launchpad Accelerator), we have learned a lot while supporting early and late-stage founders," said Roy Glasberg, the global lead at Google Developers Launchpad. "While working with startups on innovative solutions, such as applying artificial intelligence to solve transportation problems in Israel, improving tele-medicine in Brazil and optimising online retail in India, we have learned that these firms require specialised services," Glasberg said.

As it is typical for any realpolitik, citizens are becoming less relevant in digital realpolitik. They are personally targeted in advertising and surveillance efforts by corporations and governments. Individuals per se are getting lost in big numbers. The individual is just one amongst billions of Facebook users, and just one amongst billions of contributors to Google searches. Governments are increasingly speaking about digital sovereignty and less about the empowerment of individuals. Citizens are becoming more and more the object of digital growth and less and less the engine behind it, as it has been since the early days of the Internet. On a promising note, realpolitik provides a more realistic picture of interests and risks as well as winners and losers resulting from Internet developments. It is in this way that realpolitik can contribute to creating the basis for more solid and sustainable Internet development. Governments are likely to continue striking deals with Internet companies in order to recuperate some taxes. The bilateral deals could be the building blocks for a more structured approach to revenues from the digital economy.

Ford's automotive revenue of $37 billion was in line with Wall Street's expectations. Total revenue rose 1 percent to $39.85 billion. The elevated performance in the second quarter was due mostly to a lowering of the company's corporate tax rate, from 30 percent down to 10 percent, Chief Financial Officer Bob Shanks acknowledged. Ford has put some overseas losses back on its books in anticipation of changes in the U.S. corporate tax code, Shanks said. The company expects to have a 15 percent rate this year, but that will return to 30 percent next year.

Ride-hailing startup Lyft announced last week that it's making its own self-driving car technology--a move that could help it meet an audacious goal of having autonomous vehicles chauffeur most of its passengers around by 2021. It sounds a bit far-fetched, considering that autonomous cars are still largely in the testing stages, but Lyft is just one of many companies saying that 2021 will be the year that these vehicles finally get out on the roads en masse. So, sure, it could happen. And going along with that positive line of thinking--assuming that we will, in fact, have self-driving cars in 2021--we wondered what other technological marvels and milestones await us in that magical year. According to an array of predictions from tech companies and market researchers, plenty of changes are coming, including many more developments in transportation, lots of people spending time in virtual reality, lab-grown chicken, and, just maybe, male birth control.

IBM is moving forward with its plans to promote its cognitive computing platform Watson in Brazil, one of the main target markets for the company. The company expects that by next year, 1 billion people worldwide will have had contact with the platform. In Brazil, a current priority is to educate prospective buyers about how the technology can improve their processes. IBM does not disclose how many local clients are using Watson so far - but it's demonstrating what the platform can do through some of its largest clients, who have been showcasing their recent experiments based on the AI system. Banking giant Bradesco is the first supporter of the technology in Brazil and has been piloting it for about a year.

Researchers have developed the world's first autonomous, zero-emissions cargo ship. The vessel could dramatically reduce diesel emissions from conventional cargo ships. The vessel, developed by agriculture company Yara International ASA and high-technology systems firm Kongsberg Gruppen, will be loaded and unloaded automatically using electric cranes. Researchers have developed the world's first autonomous, zero-emissions cargo ship: The Yara Birkeland. Developed by agriculture company Yara International ASA and high-technology systems firm Kongsberg Gruppen, will be capable of autonomous mooring and route planning.