Geeky international news on technology, business and culture.
TNW Podcast: Caroline Viarouge on EIT Manufacturing and EU-UK collaboration
17 April 2024 @ 7:08 pm
Welcome to the new episode of the TNW Podcast — the show where we discuss the latest developments in the European technology ecosystem and feature interviews with some of the most interesting people in the industry. In today’s episode, Linnea and Andrii talk about artificial general intelligence, repairable airbuds, some Wolverine nerdery, drone delivery adoption, and much more. The guest of the show is Caroline Viarouge, CEO at EIT Manufacturing. A big part of the conversation focused on the cooperation between the UK and the EU when it comes to research and innovation. Here are the stories and things…China still ASML’s biggest market, but falling sales cause drop in profit
17 April 2024 @ 3:00 pm
Amid the semiconductor industry’s slowdown and increasing geopolitical tensions, Dutch chip machine-maker ASML reported a decrease both in sales and profits. Europe’s most valuable tech company saw orders fall to €3.6bn in the first quarter of 2024, down from €9.2bn in the previous quarter. Its net profit also dropped to €1.2bn — a 37% decrease compared to Q4 2023. “We see 2024 as a transition,” ASML’s President and CEO Peter Wennink said in a statement. Wennink expects a stronger second half of the year “in line with the industry’s continued recovery from the downturn.” Interestingly, China represented ASML’s largest market…In biggest-ever election year, tech platforms are wide open for voter manipulation
17 April 2024 @ 2:16 pm
Under orders from the EU, tech giants have launched 11 advertising transparency tools. None of them are fit for purpose, according to a new study from Mozilla. The tools provide libraries of data about online adverts. By exploring the repositories, researchers can identify the funders and techniques behind the ads. At least, that’s the idea. The libraries are obligatory under the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA), a law designed to safeguard online environments. By shining a light on ad content and targeting, the EU hopes to tackle disinformation and manipulation. The impact could be global. Because platforms often respond to international…Air taxi firm raises $110M, plans to launch commercial service in 2026
17 April 2024 @ 9:27 am
A British drone maker plans to launch air taxis in 2026 after raising a whopping $110mn. Skyports has already flown electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft on delivery and monitoring trials. The new funding brings commercial air taxis closer to the services on offer. The first flights are slated to take off in the United Arab Emirates. Earlier this year, Skyports inked a deal with authorities in Dubai to build four vertiports ahead of the launch of air taxi services in 2026. Skyports intends to then bring air taxis into other markets. The company is currently developing the UK’s first…Tree-planting search engine Ecosia to monitor reforestation from space
17 April 2024 @ 6:00 am
Berlin-based Ecosia, best known as the tree-planting search engine, has teamed up with French startup Kanop to monitor its reforestation efforts from space. With around 20 million users, Ecosia is the world’s largest not-for-profit search engine. It is also one of the biggest tree-planters in the world. The company claims to have planted 200 million trees since its inception in 2009. To date, Ecosia has monitored its tree-planting efforts using ground-based observations. But with the help of Kanop, it is about to take things up a notch. Based in Paris, Kanop uses optical, radar, and Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR)…Google will outpace Microsoft in AI investment, DeepMind CEO says
16 April 2024 @ 4:30 pm
We have all been guilty of falling under the foundation model spell of the past year-and-a-half, initiated by OpenAI’s unveiling of ChatGPT to the public. But it is not only where large language models (LLMs) such as GPT-4 are concerned that incredible progress has been made in the field of artificial intelligence. And one company has been behind more impressive milestones than most — DeepMind, acquired by Google in 2014 for a reported £400mn to £650mn. Speaking at the TED 40th anniversary conference in Vancouver, Canada, on Monday, DeepMind’s CEO and head of Google’s entire AI R&D efforts, Demis Hassabis, confirmed…Dutch deep tech fund for photonics startups reaches €75M after second close
16 April 2024 @ 4:02 pm
PhotonVentures, a Dutch deep tech fund aiming to boost Europe’s photonics industry, has closed its second fundraising round with over €15mn — bringing its total capital to €75mn. The fund targets startups and scaleups developing solutions with photonic chips for a wide range of applications: from data transmission and health diagnostics to smart sensors, AI, AR, and VR. PhotonVentures will initially invest in 20 early-stage companies with international growth potential. It will focus on Seed to Series A rounds, with investments varying between €1mn and €2.5mn. The VC firm is a spinoff and strategic partner of PhotonDelta, a manufacturer of…Dutch cultivated meat startup secures €40M for ‘world’s kindest burger’
16 April 2024 @ 12:22 pm
In 2013, Dutch scientist Mark Post unveiled the world’s first cultivated meat burger on live television — taking lab-grown meat from the realm of science fiction to science fact. Post ended up turning his invention into a startup called Mosa Meat. The new venture promised to bring the “world’s kindest burger” to supermarket shelves. Today, Mosa Meat announced it has secured another €40mn — just two years after closing a $85mn Series B funding round. Lowercarbon Capital and M Ventures led the round, alongside existing investors including actor Leonardo DiCaprio. The freshing funding comes as US politicians wage a culture…French software firm launches biggest IPO on EU stock exchange in 3 years
16 April 2024 @ 11:49 am
French SaaS company Planisware launched its initial public offering (IPO) today, reaching a valuation of €1.11bn. This is the largest IPO on the Euronext Paris stock exchange in the past three years. Planisware was founded in 1996 by Yves Humblot, Pierre Demonsant, Matthieu Delille, and François Pelissolo. Planisware provides software for enterprise project portfolio management. It counts over 500 blue-chip clients across the globe, including PepsiCo and Pfizer, and employs circa 700 people. The company has seen its consolidated revenue grow at a compounded annual rate of approximately 20% during the last three years — with an EBITDA margin of over…Climate tech heavyweights EQT, Contrarian launch investment ‘playbook’
16 April 2024 @ 7:00 am
More than 50 European VCs and startups have joined forces to launch Climate Brick — a new community designed to fast-track investment in green technologies. Climate Brick launched today along with what its founders claim to be one of the most comprehensive climate tech studies ever conducted. The report, featuring interviews with 100 climate experts and 3,000 companies, offers a roadmap for climate tech startups looking to scale. “We really needed a common vocabulary and playbook for climate tech, and now with Climate Brick — we have it,” said Rokas Peciulaitis, partner at Contrarian Ventures and one of Climate Brick’s…
The SkyNest combines a hammock, bug mesh net and rainfly in a single package that can be used all together or in its separate components. It's claimed to be roomier than other hammock tents, and easier to set up.Continue ReadingCategory: Outdoors, LifestyleTags: Kickstarter, 
Boston Dynamics has unveiled a stronger, more agile, fully electric version of its Atlas humanoid robot. The kinda creepy-looking thing is already slated to enter use on Hyundai's automotive production line.Continue ReadingCategory: Robotics, TechnologyTags: Boston Dynamics, 
Back in January, researchers showed off the kitchen skills of an open-source Aloha housekeeping robot. Now the Unleashed project gets to grips with knotting shoelaces, hanging shirts and even repairing other robots.Continue ReadingCategory: Robotics, TechnologyTags: Machine Learning
The production of the cement used in concrete is a major contributor to worldwide CO2 emissions and since we're reliant on the stuff for our infrastructure, this is a serious problem. However, Nendo showcases an example of a greener way to build with its Block-Wall House, which was part-built using a novel concrete that actually captures CO2 instead of emitting it.Continue ReadingCategory: Architecture, 
One of the more fascinating start-ups we’ve seen in a long time is Oruga and it's rather unique single-track all-terrain-vehicle. Indeed, you will NOT have seen one of these before. There are three wheels with massive balloon tires inside a proprietary monotrack system, a big battery and an electric motor with oodles of grunt. The Oruga is designed for non-expert ease-of-use in very rugged conditions: very steep hills, snow, mud, sand.Continue ReadingCategory: 
After almost 10 years of often-jaw-dropping achievements, Boston Dynamics has said farewell to Atlas, the world’s most dynamic – and groundbreaking – humanoid robot.Continue ReadingCategory: Robotics, TechnologyTags: Boston Dynamics, Humanoid, 
NASA has given the green light for the nuclear-powered Dragonfly rotorcraft to explore Saturn's largest moon, Titan. Approval for the 2028 interplanetary mission comes after years of delay due to COVID-19 and a series of cost overruns.Continue ReadingCategory: Space, ScienceTags: NASA, Saturn, 
Eating a fatty, sugary Western diet (read: junk food) during the crucial years of brain development impairs memory long-term, new research has found. Caused by a reduction in a neurotransmitter associated with Alzheimer’s disease, the memory impairment wasn’t reversed by switching to a healthy diet in early adulthood.Continue ReadingCategory: ScienceTags: Diet, 
Graphene is a bit like the Novak Djokovic of materials – it’s so damn talented that each new achievement feels passé. But now, an exciting new upstart is challenging graphene’s title. Meet goldene, a two-dimensional sheet of gold that has its own strange properties.Continue ReadingCategory: Materials, ScienceTags: Gold, 
Good news for anyone looking to become one of the first to park an all-new GMC Sierra EV in their driveways. General Motors announced today that the Sierra EV Denali Edition 1 will push well past the previously announced 400-mile range, putting it in position to battle its brother, the Chevy Silverado EV, for all-out electric pickup range supremacy. Despite that, it will actually cost thousands less than originally estimated.Continue ReadingCategory: Automotive, 
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With early computers, you didn't boot up to a fancy schmancy desktop, or a screen full of apps you could easily poke and prod with your finger. No, those computers booted up to the command
On an
Websites have gotten a lot
Mysterious hooded computer guys doing mysterious hooded computer guy .. things! Who knows what kind of naughty digital mischief they might be up to?
Unfortunately, we now live in a world where this kind of digital mischief is literally rewriting the world's history. For proof