New tech lab focuses on AI

MTN has opened a research lab with Huawei in Johannesburg, deepening ties with the Chinese company and potentially accelerating the roll out of new technologies on the continent. The facility will focus on applications for artificial intelligence, data analytics, cloud computing, fintech and other technologies. Fin24 reports that Huawei, which has become a central focus in the USA’s ongoing trade war with China, has been banned from providing equipment for networks, particularly more advanced 5G equipment, in the US, while some European countries have taken steps to strip the technology from their networks. Germany is weighing additional measures to take Chinese-made equipment out of their networks and Spain is taking steps to bar the company from receiving state aid.