OpenAI Enters Japan, Vorlon $15.7M, Tencent API Anomalies
The API Changelog issue 2024.17
This is issue 2024.17 of the API Changelog, a mix of API news, commentary, and opinion. In this issue, you'll get to know the most relevant API-related information from the week of April 15, 2024. Subscribe now, so you never miss an issue of the API Changelog.
Highlight of the week
OpenAI enters the Asian market, inaugurating its first office in Tokyo. This marks the company's expansion into Japan, which includes the introduction of a GPT-4 model optimized for Japanese, enhancing performance for local language tasks. The office aims to collaborate with local entities to develop AI solutions tailored to Japan's unique needs, addressing societal challenges like rural depopulation and labor shortages.
Tadao Nagasaki has been appointed as the President of OpenAI Japan. Nagasaki was previously the President of AWS Japan and before that presided over the F5 Japanese branch. Under Nagasaki, OpenAI aims to introduce the custom Japanese GPT-4 model to local businesses.
Currently, organizations such as Daikin, Toyota, and the government of Yokusoka City are already OpenAI’s customers. Sam Altman, OpenAI’s CEO, sees the move as enriching. According to Altman, “Growing our presence across the world allows us to learn from a wide range of diverse perspectives, which is critical to our mission of ensuring AGI benefits all of humanity.”
To date, OpenAI has raised a total of $11.3B. ChaGPT alone has an estimated 180 million users and its three largest markets are the US, India, and Japan. OpenAI hired Rishi Jaitly in November 2023 to lead its India Operations and is now following a similar step in Japan.
This issue of the API Changelog was crafted with the help of Flotiq.
Flotiq is an intuitive content management system for designing OpenAPI-compliant APIs, offering unparalleled extensibility to accelerate development with easy-to-use SDKs, comprehensive API documentation, and a user-friendly interface for seamless API and content integration.
Announcements
Sendbird new Business Messaging offers an omnichannel API for efficient, critical messaging across SMS, WhatsApp, and in-app notifications. The solution prioritizes messaging channels to enhance user experience while reducing costs and message overload.
Thomson Reuters has launched a Developer Portal with over 100 APIs targeting tax, legal, and risk professionals to integrate workflows. The portal includes various tools, encourages innovation, and offers a community for developers to collaborate.
CNCF announced the graduation of CloudEvents, a standard for event metadata ensuring interoperability across protocols. CloudEvents, now at version 1.0, supports various protocols and encodings, gaining adoption across the industry.
YouTube is expanding its efforts against ad blocking on third-party apps. Viewers using ad blockers may encounter error messages while watching. See additional coverage on Forbes.
Alphaliner introduced Alphaliner Predict API to forecast Containerships' arrivals with high precision. The new API allows for advanced analytics and better decision-making in shipping logistics.
TravClan has partnered with TravelgateX to enhance its hotel inventory and pricing for users. The partnership focuses on API integration, enabling access to a wide range of global suppliers and market insights.
Aviatrix launched its Network Insights API to simplify multi-cloud network monitoring, now accessible via existing tools like New Relic. This enhancement allows real-time, fine-grained network performance data integration for improved management and security strategies. See additional coverage on Yahoo!finance.
OneAdvanced has launched eight new sector-focused software portfolios following its rebrand, aiming to enhance customer productivity and collaboration. The portfolios, powered by the OneAdvanced platform, offer advanced data, AI services, API integration, and security features to support operational efficiency.
SmartBear has enhanced SwaggerHub by integrating Stoplight's open-source API tools, advancing API quality and developer experience. This move adds to its recent PactFlow acquisition, contributing to a versatile API development hub for modernizing API practices.
Singtel partners with Vonage to boost enterprise digital transformation via an API-fueled orchestration platform. The collaboration will enable efficient global service scaling and innovation across network and edge computing APIs.
Funding and M&A
Vorlon, a leader in third-party API security, has raised $15.7m in a Series A funding round led by Accel. The investment will fuel business expansion and further development of Vorlon's AI-powered platform to bridge API security gaps. See additional coverage on SiliconAngle, Yahoo!news, Fintech Global, CTech, and TechCrunch.
NightVision, a DAST startup, secured $5.4 million in seed funding to enhance the early detection of software vulnerabilities. The firm offers simplified code scanning and defect identification, catering to the evolving and accelerated landscape of AI-assisted development.
Climate technology company Arcadia has secured $50 million to expand its community solar program and to drive AI product innovation. The funding round, led by new and existing investors, complements a new $30 million credit facility with J.P. Morgan.
AI
Stable Diffusion 3 is now accessible to developers through an API. This availability enhances creative capabilities and integration for various applications. See additional coverage on Gadgets 360, Android Headlines, Emerge, VentureBeat, The Verge, Thurrott, and MSPowerUser.
Ernie Bot, developed by Baidu, doubled its user base since December, reaching 200 million, with a daily API use of 200 million times. While Baidu leads in China, it trails Western competitors like OpenAI’s ChatGPT which had 1.86 billion views last month. See additional coverage on Medium.
OpenAI Batch API offers cost-effective, bulk processing and a 50% discount, supporting higher rate limits and various AI models. Developers can upload tasks in a JSONL file, obtain results within 24 hours, and track progress, albeit without real-time support or zero data retention.
Anthropic has introduced Claude 3 Opus on Amazon Bedrock, the smartest in the Claude 3 series, excelling in complex tasks. Claude 3 Opus, with notably better accuracy than its predecessor, is positioned for diverse industrial use, including automation and strategic analysis.
Veeva Systems unveiled the Veeva AI Partner Program to foster the development of GenAI solutions integrating with Vault applications. The program highlights the Vault Direct Data API, enhancing data access speed for AI applications in life sciences.
Fintech
Satago, a London-based FinTech, partners with mmob to quickly integrate its Invoice Finance and Cash Flow solutions into digital platforms. The new seamless embedding process via mmob's API adaptor enables efficient access to Satago's services for SMEs with minimal development effort. See additional coverage on Fintech Global.
Covalent extends its grants program to the Cronos ecosystem, encouraging innovation with support and resources. The program aims to empower developers with up to $25,000 in API credits to build on Covalent's robust Web3 data infrastructure.
Fintech firm Apex successfully conducted an account transfer using new protocols from National Securities Clearing Corp.'s ACATS, signaling modernization efforts. The API-based service supports broker-dealers with real-time testing, pivotal for the upcoming NSCC system transition by October 2025.
Bluestone has partnered with Siemens Financial Services to launch an automated online financing platform. This digital solution boosts efficiency and supports Bluestone's growth ambitions without needing to expand staff.
The Bitcoin Company launched its Remittances API for instant payments to Mexico and plans to expand to the US and Europe. In 2023, Mexico received over $63 billion in remittances, a 7% increase from the previous year.
Security
Kong Inc. unveils Kong Konnect Dedicated Cloud Gateways for high-availability, zero-downtime SaaS API management on AWS. The release simplifies global API infrastructure deployment, with one-click multi-region setup and automatic scaling. See additional coverage on two SiliconAngle articles.
Tencent Cloud experienced an 87-minute outage in 17 regions due to cloud API anomalies, the latest among China's cloud service crashes affecting dozens of products. See additional coverage on The Register and South China Morning Post.
Thales announced the 2024 Imperva Bad Bot Report, revealing that bot internet traffic hit a record 49.6% in 2023. The report details the rise in bad bots to 32%, API attacks, and specific industry vulnerabilities, emphasizing the pressing need for advanced bot and API security.
Cequence Security's integration with the Broadcom Layer7 API Gateway enhances app security and API infrastructure protection. The platform guards against automated attacks and vulnerabilities, and complies with data protection regulations, scaling with growing API usage.
AmiViz, the Middle East’s enterprise B2B marketplace, has partnered with Cequence Security to offer Unified API Protection in the GCC. This collaboration aims to secure APIs against threats, supporting regional demand for robust API security solutions.