NXP Semiconductors wants to get in on the ground floor of the factory of tomorrow. The Netherlands-based chipmaker has teamed with China’s leading gear maker, Huawei, to explore opportunities in so-called “smart manufacturing.” Chinese Premier Li Keqiang last month unveiled a strategic plan called “Made in China 2025” that aims to integrate the mobile Internet, cloud computing, Big Data and the Internet of Things with manufacturing in that
The higher-than-expected profitability of Amazon.com’s cloud computing business sent its stock to a new high Friday and rippled through the IT industry. Microsoft shares also jumped on upbeat views for its cloud business, Azure. Late Thursday, Amazon (AMZN) reported financials for Amazon Web Services (AWS), its cloud services unit, for the first time. Q1 revenue for AWS rose 49% from the year-earlier quarter to $1.57 billion, with net income of
Google’s Q1 missed views as costs escalate for an Internet company tackling everything from wireless services to driverless cars, but currency issues played a role in the miss, and sales growth stayed solidly in the double digits. Google (GOOGL) stock, which has stagnated the past 18 months, was up 4% in after-hours trading Thursday, after the company released its results. Shares rose 1.5% in the regular session to 557.46. The stock is up 5% this