thenextweb-rss

A British R&D unit today unveiled a futuristic vision of “quantitative safety guarantees” for AI. The Advanced Research and Invention Agency (ARIA) compares the guarantees to the high safety standards in nuclear power and passenger aviation. In the case of machine learning, the standards involve a probabilistic guarantee that no harm will result from a particular action. At the core of ARIA’s plan is a “gatekeeper” AI.  This digital sentinel will ensure that other AI agents only operate within the guardrails set for a specific application. ARIA will direct £59 million towards the scheme. By the programme’s end , the agency…This story continues at The Next Web

A British R&D unit today unveiled a futuristic vision of “quantitative safety guarantees” for AI. The Advanced Research and Invention Agency (ARIA) compares the guarantees to the high safety standards in nuclear power and passenger aviation. In the case of machine learning, the standards involve a probabilistic guarantee that no harm will result from a particular action. At the core of ARIA’s plan is a “gatekeeper” AI.  This digital sentinel will ensure that other AI agents only operate within the guardrails set for a specific application. ARIA will direct £59 million towards the scheme. By the programme’s end , the agency…

This story continues at The Next Web

Read More 

With the geopolitical landscape turning more unstable by the day, EU relations with China are also becoming increasingly turbulent. At the core of the rising tensions lies the quest for tech supremacy as well as economic and national security. “In a world powered by technology, those who lead are those who control the most critical technologies, and their supply chains,” EUcompetition chief Margrethe Vestager said during a speech on Tuesday. With cleantech one of the critical technologies for the bloc, Vestager also announced a new round of investigations into Chinese producers of wind turbines destined for wind parks in Spain,…This story continues at The Next Web

With the geopolitical landscape turning more unstable by the day, EU relations with China are also becoming increasingly turbulent. At the core of the rising tensions lies the quest for tech supremacy as well as economic and national security. “In a world powered by technology, those who lead are those who control the most critical technologies, and their supply chains,” EUcompetition chief Margrethe Vestager said during a speech on Tuesday. With cleantech one of the critical technologies for the bloc, Vestager also announced a new round of investigations into Chinese producers of wind turbines destined for wind parks in Spain,…

This story continues at The Next Web

Read More 

A German startup has secured new funding for a peculiar twisted-looking reactor that could prove a quicker path to clean, virtually limitless fusion energy.  Proxima Fusion has raised €20mn as it looks to bring its designs for the so-called stellarator fusion reactor to life.  “We are working to deliver a demonstrator of net-energy production in continuous operation by 2031, and a first-of-a-kind power plant in the mid-2030s,” Dr Francesco Sciortino, CEO and co-founder of Proxima Fusion, told TNW via email. Much like the more well-known tokamak, a stellarator confines plasma using giant magnets. But instead of generating electric currents inside…This story continues at The Next Web

A German startup has secured new funding for a peculiar twisted-looking reactor that could prove a quicker path to clean, virtually limitless fusion energy.  Proxima Fusion has raised €20mn as it looks to bring its designs for the so-called stellarator fusion reactor to life.  “We are working to deliver a demonstrator of net-energy production in continuous operation by 2031, and a first-of-a-kind power plant in the mid-2030s,” Dr Francesco Sciortino, CEO and co-founder of Proxima Fusion, told TNW via email. Much like the more well-known tokamak, a stellarator confines plasma using giant magnets. But instead of generating electric currents inside…

This story continues at The Next Web

Read More 

There’s no escaping the hype around artificial general intelligence. Barely a day passes without a new headline about the concept, which envisions computer systems outperforming humans at various cognitive tasks. In the last month alone, a trio of tech luminaries have added fresh proclamations. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang suggested AGI would arrive within five years. Ben “father of AGI” Goertzel forecasted a mere three. Elon Musk typically made the boldest prediction for the tipping point: the end of 2025. Still, not everyone is so bullish. One notable sceptic is Yann LeCun, Meta’s chief AI scientist and a winner of the prestigious Turing…This story continues at The Next Web

There’s no escaping the hype around artificial general intelligence. Barely a day passes without a new headline about the concept, which envisions computer systems outperforming humans at various cognitive tasks. In the last month alone, a trio of tech luminaries have added fresh proclamations. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang suggested AGI would arrive within five years. Ben “father of AGI” Goertzel forecasted a mere three. Elon Musk typically made the boldest prediction for the tipping point: the end of 2025. Still, not everyone is so bullish. One notable sceptic is Yann LeCun, Meta’s chief AI scientist and a winner of the prestigious Turing…

This story continues at The Next Web

Read More 

 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 a promising quantum breakthrough, a public funding disaster in Poland, the first Macintosh in Europe, and much more. The guest of the show is Jean-David Malo, Director of the Executive Agency for EIC and SMEs (EISMEA). It’s a long title — but you’ll understand every bit of it if you listen to the conversation. Here are…This story continues at The Next Web

 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 a promising quantum breakthrough, a public funding disaster in Poland, the first Macintosh in Europe, and much more. The guest of the show is Jean-David Malo, Director of the Executive Agency for EIC and SMEs (EISMEA). It’s a long title — but you’ll understand every bit of it if you listen to the conversation. Here are…

This story continues at The Next Web

Read More 

Backed by state lender Cassa Depositi e Prestiti (CDP), Italy is committing €1bn to AI development over the course of the next five years. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni first announced the plan for a dedicated AI fund last month. “The purpose of this mechanism is clearly to act as a multiplier and serve to attract further investment,” Meloni said in a video message. CDP’s venture capital arm will provide the capital, divided into three areas. Some €580mn will be invested in startups, while €300mn will go to more mature companies that are ready to scale abroad. The remaining €120mn will…This story continues at The Next Web

Backed by state lender Cassa Depositi e Prestiti (CDP), Italy is committing €1bn to AI development over the course of the next five years. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni first announced the plan for a dedicated AI fund last month. “The purpose of this mechanism is clearly to act as a multiplier and serve to attract further investment,” Meloni said in a video message. CDP’s venture capital arm will provide the capital, divided into three areas. Some €580mn will be invested in startups, while €300mn will go to more mature companies that are ready to scale abroad. The remaining €120mn will…

This story continues at The Next Web

Read More 

A vertical farming startup from the UK is taking its technology to new heights.   The UK Space Agency has awarded Vertical Future £1.5mn to build an autonomous farm in orbit. The high-tech veggie garden will be installed on the world’s first commercial space station.  Currently being constructed by US-based Axiom Space, the station is due to open its doors to eager astronauts in 2026. Space stations are an ideal testing ground for growing fruit, veggies, and even pharmaceuticals in microgravity. The lessons learnt here will likely be critical to feeding hungry humans once (if?) we set up shop on the…This story continues at The Next Web

A vertical farming startup from the UK is taking its technology to new heights.   The UK Space Agency has awarded Vertical Future £1.5mn to build an autonomous farm in orbit. The high-tech veggie garden will be installed on the world’s first commercial space station.  Currently being constructed by US-based Axiom Space, the station is due to open its doors to eager astronauts in 2026. Space stations are an ideal testing ground for growing fruit, veggies, and even pharmaceuticals in microgravity. The lessons learnt here will likely be critical to feeding hungry humans once (if?) we set up shop on the…

This story continues at The Next Web

Read More 

Ukraine has launched a defence tech accelerator programme for new startups aiming to deliver innovative solutions for military applications. The Defence Builder Accelerator is a four-month-long training programme, which will provide full-cycle support for product development. This includes 100 hours of online lectures and eight 1:1 meetings with mentors. As part of the programme, startups will also receive introductions to investors and further fundraising assistance. In addition, they will get access to testing their products on the battlefield. The accelerator’s first cohort will comprise 15 startups in total, which will develop technologies in the following fields: avionics; cybersecurity; unmanned aerial…This story continues at The Next Web

Ukraine has launched a defence tech accelerator programme for new startups aiming to deliver innovative solutions for military applications. The Defence Builder Accelerator is a four-month-long training programme, which will provide full-cycle support for product development. This includes 100 hours of online lectures and eight 1:1 meetings with mentors. As part of the programme, startups will also receive introductions to investors and further fundraising assistance. In addition, they will get access to testing their products on the battlefield. The accelerator’s first cohort will comprise 15 startups in total, which will develop technologies in the following fields: avionics; cybersecurity; unmanned aerial…

This story continues at The Next Web

Read More 

Helsinki-based startup ReOrbit is preparing for the first demonstration of its “software-enabled” satellite. This marks the next phase of the ESA’s UKKO programme, which works with ReOrbit to develop and test next-gen tech for Earth observation satellites. (Fun fact: Ukko is the god of the sky, weather, harvest, and thunder in Finnish mythology). ReOrbit’s first in-orbit demonstration satellite is scheduled for launch in the second quarter of 2025. It will be a crucial test of the startup’s avionics and software stack, designed to create an internet-of-things network in space. “We aim to enable the next generation of more modular, inter-connected…This story continues at The Next Web

Helsinki-based startup ReOrbit is preparing for the first demonstration of its “software-enabled” satellite. This marks the next phase of the ESA’s UKKO programme, which works with ReOrbit to develop and test next-gen tech for Earth observation satellites. (Fun fact: Ukko is the god of the sky, weather, harvest, and thunder in Finnish mythology). ReOrbit’s first in-orbit demonstration satellite is scheduled for launch in the second quarter of 2025. It will be a crucial test of the startup’s avionics and software stack, designed to create an internet-of-things network in space. “We aim to enable the next generation of more modular, inter-connected…

This story continues at The Next Web

Read More 

Helsinki-headquartered Basemark has raised €22mn to bring its augmented reality (AR) “toolkit” to automakers across the globe. Basemark’s software, dubbed Rocksolid AR, is an AI-based computer vision system that enables carmakers to develop their own AR applications for Heads-up Displays (HUDs).  Car companies are embracing AR HUDs as a means of relaying important information to the driver. Instead of having to look down at a screen, HUDs project real-time driving guidance, alerts, and other information onto the windshield.  Many cars on the road already use this technology, but it is getting more and more advanced each year. It’s designed to…This story continues at The Next Web

Helsinki-headquartered Basemark has raised €22mn to bring its augmented reality (AR) “toolkit” to automakers across the globe. Basemark’s software, dubbed Rocksolid AR, is an AI-based computer vision system that enables carmakers to develop their own AR applications for Heads-up Displays (HUDs).  Car companies are embracing AR HUDs as a means of relaying important information to the driver. Instead of having to look down at a screen, HUDs project real-time driving guidance, alerts, and other information onto the windshield.  Many cars on the road already use this technology, but it is getting more and more advanced each year. It’s designed to…

This story continues at The Next Web

Read More