Author: Chris Anu

Image: Reuters Alphabet is taking on OpenAI with a gusto that underscores Wall Street’s perception that the Google parent is the leader in AI, a turn of events from a year ago when investors thought it was badly lagging behind rivals and punished its stock. Alphabet executives struck a more confident tone on the company’s post-earnings call on Wednesday, the first since it released the Gemini 3 model, which has wowed users and helped Google catch up in the artificial intelligence race. Though it did not mention its chief AI rival by name, Alphabet’s newly confident messaging emphasised a key…

Vehicle-to-grid helps balance grid demand, supports renewables and can generate income. (Image created using GenAI via ChatGPT) A new study suggests that widespread adoption of vehicle-to-anything (V2X) electric vehicles (EVs) could double as home energy assets, helping South African households save on fuel and electricity.The research shows that combining EVs with rooftop solar not only reduces costs but also makes electric driving more competitive with petrol vehicles.The study, led by University of Pretoria researcher David R Walwyn, examines the techno-economic interplay between small-scale embedded solar installations and battery electric vehicles (BEVs) equipped for vehicle-to-grid (V2G) interaction − a core component…

Digital identity has become economic infrastructure across the globe. For South Africa, which could begin rolling out its own digital IDs for citizens later this year, whether they drive inclusion or exclusion will depend on design, governance and cyber resilience. The core difference between smart IDs, which are currently replacing the green ID book, and digital IDs lies in their format and application. A digital ID is a virtual credential, often stored on a mobile phone – essentially a wallet-style app for paperless and remote authentication – while a smart ID is a physical, chip-enabled plastic card. TechCentral approached experts…

Cheslyn Jacobs, CEO of GoTyme Bank South Africa. TymeBank has officially transitioned to GoTyme Bank, marking the next step as part of the global Tyme Group.In a statement today, the branchless bank also unveiled a new GoTyme banking application.The name change came after TymeBank, which now serves over 20 million customers, became the first digital bank to make a profit in South Africa and on the continent, after reaching its first month of profitability in December 2023.The company says the GoTyme Bank brand reflects its alignment with global banking trends and its focus on digital banking services, while customer services…

The author, SevenC MD Graeme Millar Most small business owners don’t think about IT as often as they do about customers, cash flow, staff, suppliers and deadlines. IT sits quietly in the background, assumed to be working. And most of the time, that assumption holds. Until it doesn’t. When something goes wrong, it’s rarely dramatic at first. It starts as a small disruption: a system that feels slower than it should, a login that suddenly fails, a file that can’t be found. On their own, these moments are irritating. Over time, they begin to feel like signals that something underneath…

A MyCiTi electric bus fleet is planned to start operating by 1 July 2027. (Image source: 123RF, created via GenAI) Cape Town’s urban mobility directorate, in collaboration with the University of Cape Town (UCT), will research the use of electric buses (e-buses) as part of the MyCiTi bus fleet.The research, which is scheduled to take place in the coming months, seeks to test and understand the operational impact of e-buses before the electric bus fleet is rolled-out.According to a statement, the e-bus research is funded by the city and through a grant from the Urban Electric Mobility Initiative (UEMI).The agreement…

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang. Steve Marcus/Reuters Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has dismissed fears that AI will replace software and related tools, calling the idea “illogical”, after a significant selloff in global software stocks on Tuesday. The selloff, partly sparked by AI developer Anthropic’s updated chatbot release last week that heightened fears of AI-driven disruption in the data and professional services industry, broadened on Wednesday, hitting software stocks in India, Japan and China. Speaking at an artificial intelligence conference in San Francisco hosted by Cisco Systems, Huang said worries that AI will make software companies less relevant are misguided and AI…

National commissioner of the Department of Correctional Services, Makgothi Thobakgale. Over 8 000 cellphones were confiscated from South African prisons during the festive season.This was revealed by national commissioner of the Department of Correctional Services (DCS), Makgothi Thobakgale, yesterday when he announced the outcomes of Operation Vala 2025/26 and findings of investigations into security incidents in the Western Cape.Over many years, DCS has implemented Operation Vala, joined by the South African Police Service (SAPS) as a targeted festive season security intervention, commencing on 1 December and concluding in January.The operation is designed to strengthen safety and security within correctional centres…

Xneelo has begun construction on a second data centre at Samrand in Gauteng, expanding its infrastructure footprint as it prepares for growing demand for hosting and cloud services in South Africa. The new facility will mirror Xneelo’s existing Samrand data centre, while incorporating efficiency improvements to support next-generation cloud, colocation and self-managed server products. The location was chosen for its robust power infrastructure and its position between Johannesburg and Pretoria, which the company said will help it deliver consistent performance at scale. The new data centre is expected to be ready for operation by October 2026 Xneelo CEO Deon de…

Local young scientists have been awarded gold and silver medals at the Initiative for Research and Innovation in STEM (IRIS) Global Symposium in India. Four local young scientists have won top honours at the Initiative for Research and Innovation in STEM (IRIS) Global Symposium, held in New Delhi, India from 27 to 31 January.The IRIS Global Symposium brought together 77 young scientists from 17 states and 23 cities, who presented 58 projects. The focus was on practical scientific solutions to real-world problems, particularly in environmental sustainability and assistive technologies.Nkanteko Moyane, representing Daleview Secondary School in Gauteng, won a gold medal…