When Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh said that blockchain and artificial intelligence would “revolutionize war,” as Cointelegraph reported on Nov. 4, did he take things a bit too far? Jet engines have revolutionized warfare, and so have missiles and nuclear weapons — but shared digital ledgers? Former NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen, for one, told Cointelegraph that he agrees with India’s minister when he was asked about blockchain’s possible military uses: “Yes, potentially. Digital technologies have been transforming warfare since the 1990’s so emerging technologies such as blockchain have the potential to define the war industry over the coming …

Experts allege the biggest hurdle facing the blockchain systems being adopted by food retail giants such as Walmart and Nestlé has nothing to do with the technology itself. In an interview with Tech Wire Asia, published on Nov. 7, Craig Heraghty — Agribusiness Leader at “Big Four” auditor PwC — reflected on the rising trend of blockchain among major retailers globally. He argued that: “The weakest link in the chain is not blockchain or any technology, the weakest link is the piece of sticky tape that puts the label on the package. You have to think like a fraudster and …

Automaker Volvo announced on Nov. 6 that it will use cobalt tracked on a blockchain for its car batteries following the unveiling of its fully electric XC40 Recharge model last month. “Transparent and reliable shared data network” Volvo has reached an agreement with its two battery suppliers, namely China-based CATL and South Korea-based LG Chem. Volvo explains: “Blockchain technology, which establishes a transparent and reliable shared data network, significantly boosts transparency of the raw material supply chain as the information about the material’s origin cannot be changed undetected.” As part of the deal, the two suppliers will cover Volvo’s battery …

Coca Cola’s bottlers are implementing blockchain technology to manage their cross-party transactions. A Business Insider report on Nov. 5 revealed that Coke One North America (CONA) — the tech firm that manages IT operations for the soda giant’s bottlers — is using a blockchain solution developed by German software firm SAP to manage its supply chain. Managing 160,000 orders per day As the report notes, CONA manages a platform to oversee multiple franchises that manufacture, bottle and ship nearly 160,000 orders of Coca-Cola products daily. Andrei Semenov, senior manager at CONA, told Business Insider: "There are a number of transactions …

Topco Associates, the largest American retail food group purchasing organization, will pilot Mastercard’s blockchain tech in its operations. According to a press release on Oct. 27, Topco will test a traceability platform developed by logistics firm Envisible. The Wholechain platform is based on Mastercard’s blockchain-based Provenance Solution. Topco will use the platform to trace the provenance of produce, meat and seafood. Blockchain provides transparency for food supply chains Blockchain technology has found widespread application in the food industry with multiple high-profile companies. Major American retailer Walmart began using blockchain tech to track Indian shrimp supply chains earlier this month. This …

When receiving new shirts you’d bought online, or bought some jeans from one of the fashion stores on your street, the question that may have come to mind then was, how did these items get to be in my hands? The answer is supply chains. Supply chains in the fashion industry organize people, activities and information to move fashion products from the producer to the consumer. Although supply chains have undergone a revolution since the advent of the internet and artificial intelligence, that revolution might be incomplete without the introduction of the decentralized, distributed and public digital ledger known as …

The World Economic Forum (WEF) and seven major mining and metals firms are partnering to develop responsible sourcing and sustainability practices using blockchain. The Global Mining Review reported details of the new “Mining and Metals Blockchain Initiative” on Oct. 25. Advancing sustainability, transparency and efficiency The seven partners, together with the WEF, plan to pool their resources to experiment with, design and deploy joint proofs-of-concept as part of an inclusive blockchain platform. Rather than acting individually, the initiative aims to foster industry-wide trust through mutual cooperation and to tackle inadequate standardization and prevent fragmentation in the sector. An industry-wide blockchain …

Global Container Terminals (GCT), a container terminal operator in North America, has joined Maersk and IBM's blockchain shipping tool TradeLens. Adding four Canadian and U.S. terminals to the platform As part of the initiative, Vancouver-based GCT will gradually roll out the blockchain-based platform at the four terminals it operates, the firm said in a press release on Oct. 17. GCT wants to use the platform to improve visibility on the cargo supply chain to the east and west coasts of North America. The platform will establish a secure interconnection between all members of the supply chain, including ocean carriers, cargo …

Bunkertrace, a blockchain and DNA-based fuel tracking solution, is using DNA markers to trace bunker fuel oil throughout the supply chain. On Oct. 21, in an article by the American Journal of Transportation, Bunkertrace announced its commercial launch after a successful trial in the Netherlands where the company added DNA markers to bunker fuel oil. The new solution combines synthetic DNA markers and blockchain technology to trace the fuel and make it possible to track any changes made to it. The company then records each transaction in a blockchain-based system to manage risk for marine fuels by creating a transparent …

Samsung SDS, the IT subsidiary of global tech giant Samsung, has announced a joint initiative to launch a new blockchain-based traceability product. To develop the new project, Samsung SDS partnered with American software firm Pega and Tech Mahindra, a subsidiary of major Indian multinational conglomerate holding company Mahindra Group, according to a press release on Oct. 16. Specifically, the joint initiative will be a combination of Samsung SDS’s enterprise blockchain platform Nexledger Universal and Pega’s digital process automation platform Pega Platform. By integrating Pega’s core product with Nexledger, the firms aim to develop improvements for supply chain systems, the press …

Global tech giant IBM has launched a new integrated supply chain product based on IBM’s technologies including Watson AI and IBM Blockchain. Hybrid-cloud integration Called Sterling Supply Chain Suite, the new IBM’s product enables hybrid-cloud support of data integration between manufacturers, retailers and other network participants, purportedly providing greater reliability, transparency and security, the firm announced on Oct. 8. Specifically, the level of integration flexibility provided by the new service enables enterprises to update and improve their supply-chain solutions in accordance with business needs. Red Hat acquisition IBM says the open-architecture capabilities of Sterling Supply Chain Suite services are strengthened …

United States retail giant Walmart, in collaboration with IBM, will use blockchain technology to track its shrimp supply chains. On Oct. 4, Indian business publication LiveMint reported that Walmart will use blockchain technology to track its Indian-sourced shrimp to select locations of Sam's Club retail stores in the U.S. This is reportedly the first time that blockchain technology will be used to track shrimp exports from the Indian farmer to an overseas retailer. President of the National Fisheries Institute John Connelly said: “As one of the most traded commodities in the world, seafood has a complex and wide-reaching supply chain, …