Tech giants tussle for a piece of China's smog forecasting cake

Beijing

AIR pollution in China could be big business. Two of the world's largest technology firms, IBM and Microsoft, are vying to tap the nascent, fast-growing market for forecasting air quality in the world's top carbon emitter.

Bouts of acrid smog enveloping Beijing prompted the authorities in the Chinese capital to declare two unprecedented "red alerts" this month - a warning to the city's 22 million inhabitants that heavy pollution is expected for more than three days.

Such…