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Welcome to R&D Market Pulse, a weekly report on the top spenders in research and development.
I’m R&D Magazine Editor Laura Panjwani
Toyota Employees Protest Tariffs
Employees from Toyota’s 10 U.S. assembly plants gathered in Washington, D.C. last week to protest against the government’s threat to impose a 25% tariff on imported vehicles and parts. They were joined by U.S. production workers from other international automakers across the country.
To draw attention to the automakers’ U.S.-built vehicles, a caravan of cars and trucks circled the Capitol during a Commerce Department hearing examining whether auto imports are a threat to national security.
Several Toyota employees spoke publically about how the tariffs would significantly impact their jobs, towns and the U.S. car industry.
Toyota exports eight of its U.S. models to 31 countries. If tariffs are imposed, Toyota estimates the cost of the Kentucky-built Toyota Camry will increase by $1,800, the Texas-built Tundra truck by $2,800 and the Indiana-built Sienna minivan by $3,000. The government is expected to decide later this year on whether to impose tariffs
Apple, Suppliers Invest in Clean Energy
Apple announced a new first-of-its-kind investment fund in China to connect suppliers with renewable energy sources.
Ten initial suppliers and Apple will jointly invest nearly $300 million over the next four years into the China Clean Energy Fund.
The fund will invest in and develop clean energy projects totaling more than 1 gigawatt of renewable energy in China, the equivalent of powering nearly 1 million homes.
In a statement, Lisa Jackson, Apple’s vice president of Environment, Policy and Social Initiatives, said.
“At Apple, we are proud to join with companies that are stepping up to address the climate challenge. We’re thrilled so many of our suppliers are participating in the fund and hope this model can be replicated globally to help businesses of all sizes make a significant positive impact on our planet.”
Apple and its suppliers will generate more than 4 gigawatts of new clean energy worldwide by 2020 — representing one-third of Apple’s current manufacturing electricity footprint.
Intel Studies AI in Healthcare
Intel has released findings from a new study, conducted in partnership with Convergys Analytics regarding the adoption of artificial intelligence in the healthcare industry.
The study surveyed 200 U.S. healthcare decision-makers and found that among the respondents whose organizations use AI the benefits were widely recognized, with 91 percent of respondents believing it will provide predictive analytics for early intervention, 88 percent saying the technology will improve care, and 83 percent saying it will improve accuracy of medical diagnoses.
However, trust remains the biggest obstacle to implementing AI in healthcare. More than one-third of those surveyed say patients won’t trust AI to play an active role in their healthcare, and 30 percent said that clinicians’ fear of fatal error is another large barrier to adoption.
Check Rdmag.com for More
R&D Magazine follows the top 25 spenders in R&D as part of its R&D Market Pulse Index. The full list of companies as well as expert stock market insight from R&D Magazine’s contributing editor Tim Studt is available each Monday on rdmag.com on the Market Pulse page.
I’m Laura Panjwani and thank you for watching R&D Market Pulse. Join us next week for more R&D business news.
