It’s a question as old as the tech industry itself: can Europe compete with Silicon Valley? This reared up again in my mind for two main reasons. The first is the recent(-ish)…
‘Quantum-first’ microscope could solve chip inspection roadblock
Oh, the wonderful and mind-twisting world of quantum mechanics. However, in order to harness the magic-like potential of bending qubits to one’s will, there is a whole lot of nitty gritty engineering…
New AI tool aims to democratise high-res image generation
In the world of AI image generation, tools like DALL-E and Midjourney are holding the crown — and not simply because of their high-resolution performance. The training of these models requires such…
GTA VI trailer leak linked to Rockstar dev’s son
Shady behaviour might be part of the Grand Theft Auto DNA, but leaking video game trailers on TikTok before launch is probably not what developers had in mind. Especially not when it…
Mistral AI nears $2B valuation — less than 12 months after founding
European contributions might have been a little late to join the generative AI investment party, but that does not mean they will not end up rivalling some of the earlier North American…
Climate tech gets 70% of ‘built world’ VC investment, report finds
We have all seen the gloomy headlines over the past week. VC funding for European tech startups will have dropped by a whopping $45bn in 2023. However, some sectors, such as build…
Klarna freezes hiring, citing AI ‘productivity gains’
In a hiring freeze that CEO Sebastian Siemiatkowski attributes to the rise of AI, Swedish fintech unicorn Klarna is no longer recruiting staff beyond its engineering department. “There will be a shrinking…
Tree-planting search engine Ecosia launches ‘green’ AI chatbot
With COP28 underway in Dubai making it again glaringly obvious just how little lawmakers are prepared to bend for the sake of future generations of Earthlings, the release of the first “green…
This giant dome battery cuts CO2 emissions — by using more CO2
Renewable energies like wind and solar are clean, abundant, and cheap — but notoriously unpredictable. That’s why so much time and money has been pumped into scaling energy storage solutions: we need…
Bluebird-inspired material could boost battery life
The eastern bluebird isn’t simply beautiful to look at. Its feathers also feature a unique structure that could revolutionise sustainable applications such as batteries and water filtration. Specifically, the brilliant blue of…