South Korea's exports hit record high on AI boom Share South Korea's exports hit record high on AI boom on social media South Korea's exports have surged to a monthly record amid explosive demand for chips used to power artificial intelligence. Exports jumped 83.5 percent year-on-year to $120.9bn in September, eclipsing the previous monthly record of $102.25bn set in June, preliminary customs figures showed on Thursday. Total exports from January through September hit $814.5bn, During the first nine months of the year, the country recorded a trade surplus of $49.85bn. "This is a valuable achievement that once again demonstrates the strength of our industries and companies, and is thanks to the sweat and efforts of our entrepreneurs who have competed fiercely in the global market," said Kim Jeong-kwan, South Korea's minister for trade and industry, in a statement.

Chinese internet giant Baidu reported on Tuesday third-quarter revenues of 32.5 billion yuan ($4.6 billion), representing a year-on-year increase of 2 percent. Its earnings report showed Baidu posted a net loss of 146 million yuan for the three months through September as it reined in costs and trimmed back far deeper losses from the equivalent quarter last year. Chinese technology majors have struggled in recent months amid an economic slowdown, Covid-19 curbs that have hammered consumer sentiment, and tighter regulatory scrutiny. Earnings reports from internet titans, including Alibaba and JD.com, have presented a mixed picture in recent weeks. "Baidu Core delivered a solid set of financial and operational results in the third quarter, despite the continued challenges posed by the Covid-19 resurgence," said CEO Robin Li.

Advances in artificial intelligence (AI) have led to a surge in demand for data management skills, as companies seek to bolster their ranks with the right talent as the "age of AI" draws closer. According to a report, Harnessing the Power of AI: The Demand for Future Skills, by recruitment firm Robert Walters and market analysis experts Vacancy Soft, uptake of the technology will change the job market "drastically" and create 133 million new jobs across the globe. In the UK, where the research was based, up to a third of jobs will be automated or changed as a result of AI, impacting 10.5 million workers. "As businesses become ever more reliant on AI, there is an increasing amount of pressure on the processes of data capture and integration," said Ollie Sexton, Principal at Robert Walters. "Now is the perfect time to start honing UK talent for the next generation of AI-influenced jobs. If you look at the statistics in this report we can see that demand is already rife, what we are at risk of is a shortage of talent and skills."

South Korea's IT export for November rose 3.3 percent compared to a year ago thanks to semiconductors and displays, the country's trade ministry has said. The rise ends 14 straight months of decline caused by the rise of Chinese competitors and the global economic downturn. Total IT export for the month was $14.8 billion, a rise of 3.3 percent from a year ago, while import was $8.08 billion, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy said. BlackBerry licenses brand to Chinese phone maker TCL APAC users concerned about lack of safety standards in driverless vehicles Fujitsu secures 32 million euro deal to push Finnish smart healthcare projects No foreign ownership issues in TPG's path to becoming fourth Singapore telco Semiconductors contributed the lion's share with $5.79 billion, a rise of 11.6 percent year-on-year, thanks to rise in demand in mobile and servers and the price rise of DRAMs and NAND flashes. Displays marked $2.47 billion, an increase of 3.1 percent, thanks to large demand for OLED panels and rising prices.

A 1 billion investment in Didi, announced last week, could be the harbinger of a long-term relationship that some analysts speculate could lead to the U.S. company partnering with the ride-hailing company not only in providing software and services, but also down the line in jointly developing self-driving cars. Apple, however, faces a number of challenges in China. It has seen its revenue from the country, its second largest market, dip by 11 percent in the last quarter as smartphone uptake slowed down in China. The company faces regulatory challenges as well. The State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television is said to have ordered the company to shut down its iBooks Store and iTunes Movies only six months after the services were launched in the country, amid growing concern about increased regulation and censorship of online services.