U.S. stocks ended mixed on Tuesday, as tech Nvidia saw another strong gain surging to a new all-time high with a market capitalization at 2.8 trillion U.S. dollars.
In a live report with China Media Group on Wednesday, the American business news channel CNBC said that the chipmaker's shares closed at 1,139.01 U.S. dollars, up nearly 7 percent for the day and a remarkable 130 percent this year to date, as its market capitalization is approaching Apple's 2.9 trillion U.S. dollars.
Some analyses noted that Nvidia's stock price was fueled after Elon Musk's startup xAI announced it had raised 6 billion U.S. dollars, underscoring the artificial intelligence (AI) investment craze that has propelled the chipmaker to market giant status, said CNBC.
The business news channel also noted that Nvidia is planning a 10-for-1 stock split, which is set to take effect after the close of market on June 7 and is expected to make the stock more accessible to both employees and retail investors.
In the midst of the AI frenzy, OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT, announced on Tuesday the formation of a new Safety and Security Committee, as it begins training its next artificial intelligence model, CNBC added.
OpenAI said the newly formed committee's major task will be assessing and enhancing its existing safety practices over the next 90 days.
CNBC pointed out that analyses showed that the effectiveness of such safety and security committee is still under some debates, but the measure taken by OpenAI has been quite important, as the generative AI industry needs to take safety responsibilities seriously in the process of rapid development.
Nvidia surges to new all-time high
China's waterway passenger traffic during the five-day May Day holiday is projected to reach 7.75 million trips, more than 11 percent higher year on year as sailing continue to gain popularity as a holiday activity in recent years.
The holiday, celebrated annually from May 1-5, is one of China's busiest travel and leisure periods, as people across the country take advantage of the time off to relax, travel and seek out entertaining activities.
Nighttime sightseeing tours are already seeing significant growth this holiday period, with riverfront cities like Liuzhou, Guangzhou, and Ningbo reporting heightened interest.
In Liuzhou City of south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, the Liujiang River -- dubbed the "Hundred-Mile Liujiang" for its scenic waterfront -- is expected to attract 38,400 night cruise passengers during the holiday.
"It feels so comfortable and pleasant in this gentle breeze," said a passenger aboard a river ship.
Guangdong Province's Pearl River cruises have sold tickets for over 900 trips that will take place during the five-day holiday, serving more than 150,000 passengers. To enhance tourism appeal, operators introduced combo tickets bundling daytime river tours with visits to the Guangdong Provincial Museum.
Meanwhile, eco-friendly electric vessels, praised for reduced noise and emissions, dominated the night cruise fleet in the provincial capital of Guangzhou.
In preparation for increased passenger flows, maritime authorities prioritized safety checks on new-energy ships, including inspections of battery systems and crew training.
"We focused on conducting a safety hazard inspection of the battery power equipment of new energy ships and strengthened the inspection of the crew's operation ability of the battery power equipment," said Yao Zhi, vice-captain of the Xihe maritime patrol enforcement brigade under the Neigang Maritime Safety Administration in Guangzhou.
In Ningbo, another coastal city in east China's Zhejiang Province, the estuary of the Yuyao, Fenghua and Yong Rivers has been designated as the starting point of the "Three Rivers Night Tour" route, offering views of the city's bridges and waterfront landmarks.
Local officials implemented real-time monitoring of cruise operations to ensure safety.
"By setting a night cruise ship live monitoring special channel, we provide full-process safety protection for passengers from the moment they board the ship until they all disembark. We focus on conducting full coverage inspections of vessels in the waters around passing passenger ships," said Zhao Houyong, vice-captain of the Jiangxia maritime patrol enforcement brigade of the Sanjiangkou Maritime Safety Administration in Ningbo.
China's waterway to handle over 7.7 mln passenger trips in May Day holiday
