AMD launches the Pro version of the Ryzen APUs aimed at enterprise customers-- Ryzen Pro, with high-performance x86-based Zen cores and Radeon Vega graphics, with processors aimed at both notebook and desktop use.

The models are technically identical to the consumer-grade varieties, with the same core counts, frequencies and memory support, but include updated support and a promise of superior silicon. AMD offers three APUs for mobile applications and four for desktops, all promising to "address the demands of today’s compute-intensive enterprise-focused workloads."

The long-delayed Apple datacentre in Galway County, Ireland, is no more, Reuters reports-- the iPhone maker says it was "forced to make other plans" by seemingly interminable legal proceedings.

The €850 million facility was announced back in February 2015. Built in 500-acre site around 3 miles from the rural town of Athenry, it was designed to take advantage of green energy sources. However a series of planning appeals delayed approval. The Irish High Court did approve plans for the datacentre in October, but two residents took the matter to the Supreme Court.

“Despite our best efforts, delays in the approval process have forced us to make other plans and we will not be able to move forward with the data centre,” Apple states. "While disappointing, this setback will not dampen our enthusiasm for future projects in Ireland as our business continues to grow.”

The Intel Q1 2018 financial report bears good news for shareholders, but the news is not so good for customers-- Chipzilla is delaying mass production of 10nm processors from 2018 to 2019.

“We are shipping [10-nm chips] in low volume and yields are improving, but the rate of improvement is slower than we anticipated," CEO Bryan Krzanich says. "As a result, volume production is moving from the second half of 2018 into 2019. We understand the yield issues and have defined improvements for them, but they will take time to implement and qualify.”

IBM joins forces with IFTTT in the name of more intelligent services-- bringing the smarts of the Watson Assistant to the IFTTT ecosystem, bringing "a way to create entirely new connections for customers."

Watson Assistant was revealed just a month ago at the IBM Think 2018 Conference. Formerly known as Watson Conversation, it is the Big Blue take on the smart assistants made popular by the likes of Apple and Amazon. However, unlike Siri or Alexa, Watson Assistant does not reside in smartphones or speakers. Instead it is aimed at enterprise applications, powering custom-built virtual assistants. As such, it is already available in customised form for the automotive and hospitality industries.

Fujifilm and Xerox agree to combine Xerox with the longstanding Fuji Xerox joint venture, creating a combined print technologies and intelligent work solutions company with annual revenues reaching $18 billion.

The company formed through the joint venture holds the "Fuji Xerox" title, and is has dual HQs in the the US and Japan. It operates in over 180 countries, and maintains the "Xerox" and "Fuji Xerox" branding within the respective operating regions.

VMware announces a new worldwide channel chief-- Microsoft channel veteran Jenni Flinders, who takes over the development and execution of overall channel strategy and programs for the virtualisation giant.

Flinders fills the position left by Brandon Sweeney, who was promoted to VMware global sales VP back in August 2017. She has 15 years of experience in several channel, sales and marketing executive roles across multiple geographies and customer segments at Microsoft, and most recently was CEO of consulting practice Daarlandt Partners.