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MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Australia's House of Representatives passes bill banning children younger than age 16 from social media.The Charleston County Public Library (CCPL)'s Annual Impact Report for Fiscal Year 2024 (July 1, 2023-June 30, 2024) is now available. The report highlights how the system continues to grow and evolve into a modern library and service hub that has a lasting impact on its surrounding community. Highlights include: • 1.3 million patrons visited CCPL's 18 branches during the fiscal year. An increase of 17 percent over the previous period. • Staff interacted with 147,000 patrons about topics related to technology and workforce development, 24 percent more than in the previous period. This shows a growing demand for tech and workforce services in the Charleston Community. • CCPL staff engaged with 42,000 people outside of CCPL branches at 778 Outreach events. This is an increase of 36% from 2022-23. • Inside branches, 116,000 patrons (+14 percent) attended CCPL programs and events, including Storytimes, author talks, and more. • Patrons made over 2,300 meeting room bookings (+38 percent) and nearly 8,000 notary service appointments (+26 percent) at branches, spotlighting libraries as community hubs offering more than just books. • CCPL's Summer Reading Program, which promotes literacy to children, teens and adults during the summer months, grew by 32 percent in active participants compared to 2023. • CCPL distributed nearly 15,000 items through its Free and Fresh Community Fridge program, and a combined 41,729 free meals and snacks to kids and teens through Summer Feeding and Kids Cafe. The full Annual Impact Report can be viewed online at ccpl.org/annualreport . For more information on CCPL, visit ccpl.org or stop by one of our 18 libraries throughout the County.
* Aramco Digital in talks to invest $1 billion in Mavenir * Deal likely to value Mavenir at $3 billion * Aramco in talks to separately invest $200 million in Mavenir JV By Anirban Sen, Supantha Mukherjee and Alexandra Alper NEW YORK, - Saudi Aramco's digital arm is in talks to take a significant minority stake in Mavenir, in a deal that is likely to value the U.S. telecommunications software maker at about $3 billion, people familiar with the matter told Reuters on Friday. Aramco Digital is in talks to invest about $1 billion in Mavenir and a deal is likely to be signed before the end of the year, the sources said, cautioning that a transaction is not guaranteed. Mavenir is working with investment bank Evercore on its talks with Aramco Digital, the sources said, requesting anonymity as the discussions are confidential. The deal by Aramco Digital, the wholly-owned technology subsidiary of the oil giant, would be its first major transaction in the telecommunications industry as part of Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 plan, which focuses on technological advancements and economic diversification. Aramco and Evercore did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Mavenir declined to comment. The telecom equipment industry, which has long been dominated by vendors such as Sweden's Ericsson, Finland's Nokia and China's Huawei, is one of the few critical areas where U.S. companies do not have a significant presence. Richardson, Texas-based Mavenir is a pioneer in a technology called Open Radio Access Network that promises to radically cut costs for telecom operators building a mobile network. It uses cloud-based software and allows use of gear from many suppliers instead of relying on a handful of companies. The company has so far raised at least $800 million in various funding rounds. As the Trump administration took actions to thwart Huawei's U.S. business, it also pushed for more adoption of Open RAN technologies, which could put more American companies in the mix. The push to promote Open RAN continued under the Biden administration, but it was not widely adopted as the emerging technology could not always match all the features that traditional telecom vendors could provide. Last year, AT&T signed a $14 billion Open RAN deal with Ericsson for 70% of its wireless network traffic by late 2026, giving a renewed boost to the sector. Sources said the incoming Trump administration may also prioritize development of the technology. US-SAUDI TIES While a deal between Aramco and Mavenir is likely to go through a U.S. national security review, the Biden administration signed a deal with the Saudis in 2022 to cooperate on the technology to build 5G and 6G networks in Saudi Arabia. As part of the deal with Mavenir, Aramco Digital is in talks to separately invest $200 million in a joint venture with the company for technology development in the region. Aramco Digital in January announced its intent to build Saudi Arabia's first Open RAN development center in partnership with Intel, which has been working with telecom firms such as Vodafone and Reliance Jio to develop the technology. Aramco Digital last week received a license to provide wireless services in Saudi Arabia. A cash infusion from the Saudis would allow Mavenir to upgrade its 5G technology and better prepare for the 6G network rollout in the latter half of the decade, at a time when the entire telecom industry is going through a downturn. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.If you've been following the artificial intelligence market closely, then you likely already know a bit about the chip manufacturing company Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing ( TSM -0.70% ) and chip designer Nvidia ( NVDA -2.09% ) . These two companies are AI leaders in their respective fields, and their share price gains have trounced the market over the past year. But which company is the better artificial intelligence stock right now? Let's dive in and take a look. The case for Taiwan Semiconductor There are many ways to invest in AI's growth, and one of the most unique is semiconductor manufacturing. While it may not sound as flashy as a company creating an advanced AI chatbot, the results speak for themselves. Taiwan Semiconductor's sales increased 36% in the third quarter (ending Sept. 30) to $23.5 billion, and its earnings spiked 54% to $1.94 per American depository receipt. That growth was spurred on by large tech companies investing heavily in new AI chip production. Taiwan Semiconductor CEO C. C. Wei said on the company's latest earnings call that "Almost every AI innovator [is] working with us." The company's unique opportunity stems from its advanced manufacturing techniques, which include producing 3-nanometer chips, and it will ramp up production of 2nm semiconductors beginning in 2025. Its lead in semiconductor manufacturing has given it a 90% market share in making the world's most advanced processors. Taiwan Semiconductor is benefiting as the world's largest tech companies ramp up their AI infrastructure spending and compete to release the most advanced artificial intelligence services. Goldman Sachs estimates spending on AI will reach $1 trillion over the next few years, which should continue to fuel Taiwan Semiconductor's growth. The case for Nvidia Unlike Taiwan Semiconductor, Nvidia focuses on designing, not manufacturing, the semiconductors powering AI data centers. Nvidia's GPUs have long been a preferred choice among tech companies needing high-powered AI data centers, and demand has skyrocketed recently. Nvidia's sales soared 94% in the third quarter (ended Oct. 27) to $35.1 billion, and its non-GAAP earnings rose 103% to $0.81 per share. The driving force behind those impressive results was the company's 112% increase in data center revenue compared to the year-ago quarter, reaching $30.8 billion. Like Taiwan Semiconductor, Nvidia is riding a massive wave of investments as companies build new AI infrastructure. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang estimates that spending in this segment will reach $2 trillion over the next five years, giving his company an unprecedented opportunity to benefit. While Nvidia's rivals will no doubt grab some of this AI spending as well, the company is well-positioned to be the biggest winner. Nvidia's chips are in an estimated 70% to 95% of AI data centers, giving it a huge advantage as AI infrastructure spending ramps up. The verdict: Taiwan Semiconductor is the better AI stock You probably won't go wrong by investing in either of these stocks. Both Nvidia and Taiwan Semiconductor etched out a lead in their respective markets years before the AI boom took off. However, since this is a comparison of the best AI stock, I'm going to pick Taiwan Semiconductor for this match-up because its shares are technically less expensive than Nvidia's right now. Taiwan Semiconductor has a forward price-to-earnings ratio of 23.0, compared to Nvidia's forward P/E ratio of 32.7. Both stocks continue to have huge potential as AI grows, but if you're looking for a slightly less expensive stock, then Taiwan Semiconductor is the better choice.
The village, located in a remote area of Sichuan Province, is home to a close-knit community of residents who rely heavily on the village roads for commuting, transporting goods, and accessing essential services such as schools, markets, and medical facilities. However, over the years, the roads have progressively deteriorated due to heavy traffic, inclement weather, and lack of maintenance, leaving them pockmarked with potholes, cracks, and uneven surfaces.AP Business SummaryBrief at 6:43 p.m. EST
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