Google invests in AI research in China, T-Mobile targets TV and Target wants to try to catch up with Amazon on same-day shipping. All that and more in The Daily Crunch for December 13, 2017. 1. Google opening AI research lab in China Google is opening a new research center in China, with a focus specifically on AI. The company has been hiring up a ton of top AI talent within the country, but the news is still somewhat surprising given that Google has very little product presence within the Chinese market. The search giant has been essentially reconfiguring its business around AI, however, and China is a key leader in the space that is outpacing the U.S. in the field according to some accounts. 2. T-Mobile will launch its own TV service next year The Uncarrier also wants to be the Uncabler... the Un-TV provider? Whatever – it's launching its own paid TV service. I just got back from vacation I'll be funnier in a few days. 3. Target is buying a same-day delivery provider If you can't provide same-day shipping are you even really a retailer? That's the question companies must be asking themselves in the age of Amazon, and Target definitely doesn't want to be left behind. Target acquired Shipt, which is based in Alabama, and spent $550 million to make it happen. 4. Amazon rolls out same-day delivery to thousands of new markets 'Coincidentally' Amazon also today announced a broad expansion of its same-day and one-day shipping, covering thousands of new markets. The competition might want to catch up, but Amazon isn't going to make it easy. 5. People were Googling things this year Yes, they were; specific kinds of things, including a lot of 'how.' And gadgets, and tragic things, and sad things. Some happy stuff, too – a little bit of that. 6. This Japanese space company raised a significant Series A to make it to the Moon Space is expensive, but a $90 million Series A definitely makes it more viable for a startup to dream of getting to the moon with two lunar missions before the end of 2020, which is what ispace hopes to do. 7. Apple invests $390 million into iPhone X laser sensor maker Apple wants to help its laser supplier grow, which probably means it has big ambitions for TrueDepth – across more devices. I'd love Face ID in a MacBook Apple, so hopefully that's partly what this is about. Also, check out the TechCrunch Gift Guide for 2017. Time's running out – you're not creative enough to figure out the rest of your list on your own. |
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