[🇧🇩] ICT Industry in Bangladesh

[Bilal9]

Grameenphone launches 'Super Core' data center in Bangladesh​

12 months after construction commenced

February 07, 2024 By Georgia Butler

Bangladeshi telco Grameenphone has launched its first 'Super Core' data center in Sylhet, Bangladesh.

– Getty Images

The Grameenphone (GP) data center is described as a Tier III standard facility (though not listed as Uptime certified), and has an IT capacity of 4MW.

Construction started in January 2023 on the Super Core Data Center which is a joint effort between GP and ZTE. It was officially launched on January 30, 2024.

The facility is supposedly the largest owned by a mobile network operator in the country.

Yasir Azman, CEO of GP, said: "This facility not only confirms our pledge to lead the way in technological innovations but also demonstrates our devotion to putting our customers first in every aspect of our work, guaranteeing a future of technological progress and reliability in delivering a superior customer experience."

"The SCDC is like the body's heart. It needs to be safe and healthy to support the business," said ZTE managing director of engineering service Ma Liang.

"The data center uses the best and most innovative technology in the industry. It has multiple levels of protection to ensure its reliability. It will also be the first private sector Telco Data Center in Bangladesh to meet the Uptime Tier-III standard which follows the principles of saving energy and reducing emissions with a smart energy management system that makes it efficient and eco-friendly."

The data center uses NOVEC gas for auto fire suppression, and a monitoring system with intrusion detection capabilities to ensure security at the site.

GP is a joint venture between Norwegian telco Telenor and Grameen Telecom Corporation. Telenor owns a 55.8 percent share of the company, which has been operating in Bangladesh for 25 years. The company currently holds around a 46.3 percent revenue market share in the country, with 79 million subscribers as of 2022.

According to Data Center Journal, Bangladesh has 16 data centers in its capital city Dhaka.

Despite a fairly minimal colocation market in the country, there are local players such as Felicity IDC and Red.Digital, while the government operates an Uptime Tier IV-certified data center in the capital.

In February 2023, Indian data center firm Yotta Infrastructure announced plans to invest 20 billion Bangladeshi Taka ($190.5m) in developing a hyperscale data center park in Dhaka in the next four to six years. In September, Saudi firm DataVolt announced it was planning a campus in the country just outside the capital city for which it would invest around $100m.

 

[Bilal9]

Video on Felicity Data Center

 

[Saif]

Software and ITES provider urge for extension of tax exemption until 2031

Software and IT Enabled Service (ITES) providers yesterday urged the government to extend the income tax exemption applicable to them by six years until 2031 in order to help the nation achieve its vision for a Smart Bangladesh by 2041.

www.thedailystar.net

Software and ITES provider urge for extension of tax exemption until 2031​

Zunaid Ahmed Palak, state minister for telecom and ICT, and Russell T Ahmed, president of the Bangladesh Association of Software and Information Services, pose for photographs with ICT industry people at an event celebrating the 25th anniversary of the trade body in the capital yesterday. Photo: collected

Software and IT Enabled Service (ITES) providers yesterday urged the government to extend the income tax exemption applicable to them by six years until 2031 in order to help the nation achieve its vision for a Smart Bangladesh by 2041.

At present, the government offers tax breaks to software and ITES sector entrepreneurs.​

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But the privilege is going to expire on June 30 this year, Russell T Ahmed, president of the Bangladesh Association of Software and Information Services (BASIS), said during the national trade body's 25th-anniversary ceremony held at GreenVill Outdoors in Dhaka.

BASIS began its journey in 1998 with just 18 members. Today, it has nearly 2,500 members who play a role in the development of local software and IT services, expansion of access to international markets, and promotion of digital development.

Ahmed added that BASIS had made great strides towards social and economic development through technology-based innovation, making greater use of the benefits of the digital economy.

"ICT is the nucleus of the Smart Bangladesh vision. From agriculture, manufacturing, trading to education, all these sectors will have to implement ICT solutions to become smart within 2041," he said.

Ahmed said the current income tax exemption has been instrumental in propelling Bangladesh towards its digital aspirations.

"Exemption until 2031 would significantly facilitate the journey towards a Smart Bangladesh. Furthermore, offering tax incentives and streamlining the enlistment process for prominent IT enterprises in order to lure recent graduates would further incentivise growth and innovation in the sector," he said.

"The competitive edge of the ICT sector, unlike other industries, relies solely on human resources possessing global and future-oriented ICT skills," he stressed.

The BASIS president also said the establishment of an R&D and innovation fund is vital to transitioning from a knowledge process outsourcing (KPO) and business process outsourcing (BPO) model to a product and service-oriented ICT model.

He also suggested a BASIS-led cross-country comparative study financed by government grants to assess the demand for ICT skills, and effective restructuring of the computer science education system.

"Re-evaluate and augment national ICT competencies administered by the National Skills Development Authority to align with dynamic industry requirements," Ahmed said.

BASIS said it was also targeting training initiatives, internship support, and dedicated grant funds to facilitate the transition of participants into industry-ready professionals.

Additionally, he sought the institution of a supplementary wage policy to incentivise greater female engagement in the ICT sector, alongside recommending the establishment of a dedicated grant fund to support micro and small ICT firms in recruiting fresh graduates.

"Through collaborative efforts and strategic initiatives, the nation is poised to embrace the boundless opportunities that lie ahead, ensuring a bright and prosperous future for generations to come," he said.

He said Bangladesh is embarking on a transformative journey and that the roadmap towards a Smart Bangladesh by 2041 encompasses multifaceted strategies to propel growth in the IT sector.

For example, the global export market for software and ITES is growing and is projected to register $600 billion by the end of the year. If only 3.4 percent can be captured by readying our human resources and private sector, then Bangladesh can earn more than $20 billion within a few years to come. This can be observed as a milestone achievement, especially when we are facing a crunch in our forex reserve.

Addressing this potential, to ensure our comprehensive growth in exports, the BASIS president suggested a framework termed "3 by 3".

"This approach involves conducting research to identify target markets and products, promoting products through marketing and sales efforts, and cultivating a skilled workforce to seize growth opportunities," he said.​

 

[Saif]

OpenAI valued at $80 billion after deal, NYT reports

OpenAI has completed a deal that values the AI company at $80 billion or more

www.thedailystar.net

OpenAI valued at $80 billion after deal, NYT reports​

Microsoft-backed OpenAI has completed a deal that values the artificial intelligence company at $80 billion or more, the New York Times reported on Friday, citing people with knowledge of the deal.

The company would sell existing shares in a so-called tender offer led by venture firm Thrive Capital, the report,said.

Under the deal, employees will be able to cash out their shares of the company rather than a traditional funding round which would raise money for the business, the report added.

OpenAI did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

It agreed to a similar deal early last year. The venture-capital firms Thrive Capital, Sequoia Capital, Andreessen Horowitz and K2 Global agreed to buy OpenAI shares in a tender offer, valuing the company at around $29 billion, the report said.

The launch of OpenAI's ChatGPT in late 2022 has kicked off buzz around AI, prompting companies to explore ways to harness the power of the technology.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has also been reportedly in talks to raise funds for a chip venture as he looks to boost the world's chip building capacity to drive new AI-related tools.​

 

[Saif]

New AI-video tool by maker of ChatGPT worries media creators

A new artificial intelligence tool that promises to create short videos from simple text commands has raised concerns along with questions from artists and media...

www.newagebd.net

New AI-video tool by maker of ChatGPT worries media creators​

Agence France-Presse . Paris | Published: 23:12, Feb 17,2024

In this photo illustration, Open AI’s newly released text-to-video ‘Sora’ tool is advertised on their website on a monitor in Washington, DC, on Friday. — AFP photo

A new artificial intelligence tool that promises to create short videos from simple text commands has raised concerns along with questions from artists and media professionals.

OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT and image generator DALL-E, said Thursday it was testing a text-to-video model called ‘Sora’ that can allow users to create realistic videos with simple prompts.

The San Francisco-based startup says Sora can ‘generate complex scenes with multiple characters, specific types of motion, and accurate details of the subject and background,’ but admits it still has limitations, such as possibly ‘mixing up left and right.’
Here are early reactions from industries that could be affected by the new generative artificial intelligence (AI) tool:
Examples of Sora-created clips on OpenAI’s website range widely in style and subject, from seemingly real drone footage above a crowded market to an animated bunny-like creature bouncing through a forest.

Thomas Bellenger, founder and art director of Cutback Productions, has been carefully watching the evolution of generative AI image generation.

‘There were those who felt that it was an unstoppable groundswell that was progressing at an astonishing rate, and those who just didn’t want to see it,’ said Bellenger, whose France-based company has created large scale visual effects for such touring musicians as Stromae and Justice.

He said the development of generative AI has ‘created a lot of debate internally’ at the company and ‘a lot of sometimes visceral reactions’.

Bellenger noted that Sora has yet to be released, so its capabilities have yet to be tested by the public.

‘What is certain is that no one expected such a technological leap forward in just a few weeks,’ Bellenger said. ‘It’s unheard of.’
He said whatever the future holds, they will ‘find ways to create differently’.

Video game creators are equally likely to be impacted by the new invention, with reaction among the sector divided between those open to embracing a new tool and those fearing it might replace them.

French video game giant Ubisoft hailed the OpenAI announcement as a ‘quantum leap forward’ with the potential to let players and development teams express their imaginations.

‘We’ve been exploring this potential for a long time,’ a Ubisoft spokesperson told AFP.

Alain Puget, chief of Nantes-based studio Alkemi, said he will not replace any artists with AI tools, which ‘only reproduce things done by humans’.

Nevertheless, Puget noted, this ‘visually impressive’ tool could be used by small studios to produce more professionally rendered images.

While video ‘cut scenes’ that play out occasionally to advance game storylines are different from player-controlled action, Puget expects tools like Sora to eventually be able to replace ‘the way we do things.’

Basile Simon, a former journalist and current Stanford University researcher, thinks there has been ‘a terrifying leap forward in the last year’ when it comes to generative AI allowing realistic-looking fabrications to be rapidly produced.

He dreads the idea of how such tools will be abused during elections and fears the public will ‘no longer know what to believe’.

Julien Pain of French TV channel FranceInfo’s fact-checking programme ‘Vrai ou Faux’ (True or False) says he’s also worried about abuse of AI tools.

‘Until now, it was easy enough to spot fake images, for example by noticing the repetitive faces in the background,’ Pain said.
‘What this new software does seems to be on another level.’

While OpenAI and US tech titans may promote safety tools, such as industry-wide watermarks that reveal AI-created imagery, ‘what about tomorrow’s competitors in China and Russia?’ he posited.

The Fred & Farid agency, which has collaborated with the Longchamp and Budweiser brands and where a studio dedicated to AI was opened in early January, anticipates that ‘80 per cent of brand content will be generated by artificial intelligence’.

‘Creative genius’ will no longer be limited by production skills thanks to generative AI tools, one enthusiast contended.

Stephanie Laporte, chief executive and founder of the OTTA advertising and influencer agency, believes the technology will ‘force the industry to evolve’.

She also anticipates ad companies with lean budgets will resort to AI tools to save money on workers.

A possible exception, she believes, is the luxury segment, where brands are ‘very sensitive to authenticity’ and ‘will probably use AI sparingly’.​