SOFTWARE SERVICES
Central government sets Rs 1.5 lakh laptop price limit for employees; Rs 1.8 lakh for Make-in-India devices
The central government has issued new guidelines allowing officers in Pay Levels 8 and above to buy laptops for their official duties. Eligible officers can invest up to Rs 1,50,000, or Rs 1,80,000 for Make-in-India devices. After four years, these laptops can be kept, provided that all data is erased prior. In case of transfers or retirements, officers can retain laptops by settling the book value.
AI can bring productivity gains with job risks; impact on India not yet clearly visible: Moody's
Artificial intelligence is expected to improve productivity in IT services and BPO sectors in emerging markets. Moody's predicts GDP growth for India will rise to 7% in 2027. The lack of digital infrastructure and skills could limit how emerging markets benefit from AI.
India's innovation journey begins in classrooms: Narayana Murthy
Advocating for transformative educational reforms, NR Narayana Murthy suggested a nationwide program to prepare 500,000 teachers annually by engaging retired STEM professionals. He stressed that enhancing educational quality is vital for India's goal of a $5-trillion economy. With an estimated budget of $20 billion over 20 years, the initiative seeks to improve teacher welfare and develop critical thinking skills in the nation's classrooms.
Sundar Pichai tops HSBC Hurun Global Indians List as Alphabet overtakes Microsoft
Sundar Pichai, the CEO of Alphabet, heads the HSBC Hurun Global Indians List 2026, marking a staggering company valuation of $4.2 trillion. Featuring 236 leaders of Indian descent, the collective value of these companies reaches an impressive $15 trillion. Noteworthy is the growth in artificial intelligence, boasting 18 companies valued at $227 billion.
Farmer's son from small Tamil Nadu village builds Rs 1.5-crore software business after quitting nine-year Chennai IT career & starting with just two laptops
Eswaran Arumugam launched his Tamil Nadu-based software venture, Yaa Creations, with just Rs 1 lakh borrowed from his brother and two laptops. The business faced several hurdles, including financial strain, disruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic and accumulated debt of Rs 5 lakh. However, he gradually turned things around and expanded operations. Today, the company, headquartered in Rasipuram in Namakkal district, employs 26 people, serves clients in seven countries and completed projects worth Rs 1.5 crore in 2025.
Five IndiaAI empanelled companies ineligible for new compute bid
CDAC requires bidders to own, lease or operate a Tier-III, Rated-3 or higher data centre in India. Bidders must also hold the required ISO certifications and operate a network operations and security operations centre in India.
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Rs 500 can buy you 40 minutes on Yamuna! What passengers can experience aboard Delhi's first-ever river cruise
Delhi has got its first Yamuna cruise service, Namo Yamuna River Safari, offering a 40-minute ride between Sonia Vihar and Jagatpur. Inaugurated on Tuesday, the electric-powered cruise covers around 5 km, with tickets priced at Rs 500 per person and a capacity of 30 passengers. Here are the route, fare, ride duration and other details.
EkaCare selected as tech partner for National Health Authority's Ambient AI-enabled Voice Scribe solution for doctors
EkaCare was selected through NHA's Expression of Interest process for Open-Source Ambient AI Enabled Voice-to-Text Solutions for Digital Health Record Creation under ABDM
Anthropic IPO: Amazon, Google could make staggering over USD 400 billion from Claude maker's successful listing. Here's how
Anthropic IPO: Amazon has invested at least $13 billion in Anthropic and in April agreed to invest up to an additional $20 billion. Google has committed up to $40 billion to Anthropic, including an initial $10 billion investment announced in April.
Microsoft presses President Trump to scuttle expected ban on Chinese data centre technology
Reuters reported in August that the Trump administration wants to ban US imports of new models of Chinese optical transceivers, which allow data to travel over fiber-optic cables at the speed of light within data centers. The concern is that they could be used by Beijing to steal data, install malware or disrupt service at US data centers.
It's the ecosystem, stupid! Anand Mahindra celebrates India's rise to the top 3 in the AI race, beating the UK, Japan and South Korea
Anand Mahindra has welcomed India's rise to the top three in Stanford's global AI vibrancy rankings, ahead of countries such as Japan and South Korea. He believes India's software talent, systems integration expertise and huge domestic market could give it a significant advantage in the global AI race. Explaining his optimism, Mahindra said the next big AI opportunity could come from applications, industry-specific expertise and enterprise-wide adoption rather than chips and foundational AI models.
AI can now build an OS from scratch, claims Anthropic
In just eight days, Anthropic's Claude Fable 5.2 created a functional prototype operating system. This involved more than 1,000 dedicated AI agents who tirelessly collaborated to craft and evaluate the code.
India’s product landscape is changing: Which products are setting the benchmark across technology, finance, and consumer markets?
The ET Product of the Year Awards 2026 showcase India's rapidly growing product ecosystem by honoring groundbreaking innovations across diverse sectors such as enterprise technology, financial services, and consumer markets. These awards place emphasis on products that have made a significant market impact, gained customer adoption, and demonstrated exceptional innovation, motivating companies to present their tangible successes and contributions to the industry.
Chinese chipmakers Denglin and Xinde make mixed Hong Kong market debuts
Chinese chipmakers Suzhou Denglin Technology and Jiangsu Xinde Semiconductor Technology made contrasting Hong Kong market debuts after raising a combined HK$2.36 billion through their IPOs. Denglin opened 0.9% below its offer price, while Xinde gained 20.5%. Both companies plan to use most of the proceeds to expand their semiconductor businesses.
Linguistic barriers & legacy tech slow India’s VoiceAI shift
India’s broader conversational artificial intelligence market, spanning voice and text-based applications, is estimated at $500-550 million and has an addressable opportunity of about $4 billion over the next decade, growing at 23-25% annually, Deloitte India estimates.
From streaming to software, microdrama startups rewrite their growth pitch
Peak XV Partners-backed Dashverse has discontinued its consumer platform DashReels and is looking to raise $30-40 million, largely for Frameo AI, its video production software for businesses. Eloelo, which raised $80 million this week led by Hornbill Capital and NBCUniversal, is investing in Dolphin AI, its new production suite, alongside content creation and international expansion.
Grey zone in Indian payment laws: Crypto goes shopping in rupee using QR-linked loophole
Unified payments interface is now being used for buying cryptocurrencies through applications like goat.cash. Consumers can conveniently convert their cryptocurrencies, such as USD Coins, to pay vendors for goods. This involves scanning QR codes and entering necessary details, which facilitates quick transactions. Intermediaries help complete the process by converting USDC to rupees for vendors. Additionally, stable coins often trade at a premium within the Indian market.
Meet Marcin Kleczynski, who was 14 when a computer virus led him to start a side hustle; how did he turn it into a multi-hundred-million-dollar company?
Marcin Kleczynski was not initially an experienced professional programmer. He taught himself coding using online communities and programming resources. He started developing malware-removal utilities to tackle infections that many antivirus products were missing. His early work included a tool that helped remove rogue security software. One of the people he connected with through an online security forum was Bruce Harrison, who later became his business partner.
AI gains fail to cool rising staff costs at Indian IT services firms
Although artificial intelligence (AI) and automation are changing the traditional labour-intensive model of IT services, they have yet to bring down employee costs for the country’s top six IT services companies—Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), Infosys, HCLTech, Wipro, Tech Mahindra and LTM (formerly LTIMindtree).
SAP must continue software support to Nayara: Delhi HC
Delhi High Court's division bench refused to stay a single judge's order for SAP India to continue software services. Nayara Energy requires access to SAP's support system for its operations, as denied access could incur high costs. SAP suspended its services after the European Union imposed sanctions against Nayara Energy for its links to Russia.
Tata Motors PV says CERT-In-flagged app vulnerabilities addressed through updates
The vulnerabilities identified in the iRA 2.0 and iRA.ev applications have been addressed through software updates and enhanced security measures, a Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles spokesperson told.
Shiprocket posts maiden profit on strong core business growth
The company swung to a profit of Rs 60 lakh ($63,487) in the quarter ended September 30, from a loss of Rs 20.29 crore a year ago
AI sharpens cat-and-mouse hacking battle as companies strengthen defences
From hacked supermarket fridges and a record cryptocurrency theft at Binance to an emergency over flaws in widely used web software, companies worldwide are facing a wave of cyber threats executives say AI is accelerating
OpenAI to acquire developer tools firm Pierre to expand Codex capabilities
OpenAI will acquire Pierre Computer Company, the developer of open-source coding tools, to expand its Codex platform's capabilities in building, understanding and reviewing software, as it looks to strengthen the role of AI agents across the software development process.
AI deployment accelerating, but enterprises becoming more discerning: Freshworks CEO Dennis Woodside
The Nasdaq-listed software-as-a-service (SaaS) company reported a 14% year-on-year increase in revenue to $245.4 million for the July-September quarter, marginally ahead of its guidance. Net profit stood at $18.3 million, compared with a loss of $4.7 million in the year-ago period.
Freshworks crosses $1 billion ARR as enterprise push lifts growth
Revenue for the July-September quarter rose to $245.4 million from $215.1 million a year earlier. Net profit stood at $18.3 million, compared with a loss of $4.7 million in the year-ago period. Its non-GAAP operating margin expanded to 29.8% from 21% a year earlier, while adjusted free cash flow increased 29% to $73.9 million.
Binance says North Korean hackers stole $6.34 billion funds in a technical breach
Binance reported a cyberattack attributed to North Korea that compromised $6.34 billion in digital assets. Approximately $2.85 billion of the affected assets have since been frozen or intercepted. The attackers utilized fake job interviews and advanced malware to breach Binance's security systems. Subsequently, the company took steps to replenish the lost assets and mitigate the damage caused.
Corporate India's white-collar hiring rises 14% in October, led by manufacturing
Corporate India's white-collar hiring showed a 14% increase in October compared to the previous year. Notably, production and manufacturing roles experienced a significant growth of 39%. The demand for AI/ML skills also remained strong, leading to a 32% increase in hiring. Various sectors such as automobiles and BPO/ITeS witnessed substantial hiring increases as well. Overall, metropolitan areas like Hyderabad and Pune led in job growth during this period.
Coders out, VCs in: Investors bet billions on AI-first services
The AI-native services firms’ promise of high margins and rapid growth with fewer people has attracted the interest of VC firms. If Distyl AI raised $175 million at a $1.8 billion valuation a year ago, Wonderful raised $550 million at a $5 billion valuation in September.
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