~the-next-web | Bookmarks (223)

 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, Ioanna and Andrii talk about the international expansion of Bolt, the benefits of Europe’s big tech regulation, the recent blue moon appearance, electric vehicles...

In a UK first, drones have successfully delivered blood packs, flying beyond the visual line of sight, where the pilot can no longer see them as they travel. The flights were part of a joint trial between the NHS and healthcare logistics startup Apian. Its aim was to test the viability of blood samples following drone transport. To do this, the research team sent...

In March, a plane transporting UK defence minister Grant Shapps to Poland had its GPS signal jammed as it flew near Russian territory.  While the disruption forced the plane to use alternative ways to navigate for over half an hour, the British aircraft was most likely not the intended target. Russia regularly jams satellite signals to disrupt enemy equipment — from drones to tanks....

Europe’s Juice spacecraft has completed the world’s first lunar-Earth flyby. The Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer — aka Juice — harnessed the gravity of Earth to sling itself in the direction of Venus. The route will provide a shortcut to Jupiter through the inner Solar System. Juice made it closet approach to the Moon at 23:15 CEST on August 19. Gravitational forces then guided the spacecraft...

The European Commission today approved €5bn in German state aid to support TSMC’s chip plant in Dresden — its first in Europe. Dubbed European Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (ESMC), the fab is a joint venture between the Taiwanese chip giant, the Netherlands’ NXP, and Germany’s Bosch and Infineon. TSMC will own 70% of the factory, while the European chipmakers will each have a 10% equity...

A rocket engine has exploded during tests for a landmark space flight from the UK. The fire erupted at SaxaVord Spaceport, which aims to host the first vertical launch into orbit from Western Europe. German startup Rocket Factory Augsburg (RFA) has exclusive access to the spaceport’s first launch pad. On Monday evening, RFA planned to complete a nine-engine test of its launch vehicle. But disaster soon struck. At...

Robot coaches that read brain signals could pave a new way for the rehabilitation of stroke and brain injury survivors. That’s according to the EU-funded VITALISE project, led by researchers from the UK’s National Robotarium and developed in partnership with the AIT Austrian Institute of Technology. The three-month trial, which was completed in Vienna, targeted individuals with upper limb impairments. These affect approximately 80%...

SportAI has grand plans for tennis analytics. The startup wants to not only enhance a player’s technique, but also the racket they swing. The Norway-based business analyses sports footage in real-time. It then delivers instant, personalised feedback. For tennis players, the system serves up coaching advice. For racket makers and retailers, the insights can return product recommendations. “The AI analyses a player’s technique, identifying...

Female-led Apheros has raised $1.85mn to tackle a pressing problem for the tech sector: the exponential energy consumption of data centres. Data centres are the foundation of our digital infrastructure, housing the servers, data storage systems, and networking equipment necessary to power everything online. They’re also critical for the development of emerging technologies, such as AI and high performance computing (HCP), which are driving...

Finland’s first-ever commercial hyperspectral satellite has successfully launched into space. The satellite — named Hyperfield-1 — is the brainchild of Finnish startup Kuva Space. Kuva equipped the spacecraft with a hyperspectral camera, which captures detailed data on wavelengths of light. When materials on Earth absorb these wavelengths, they produce “spectral fingerprints.” The hyperspectral camera will record these fingerprints, which Kuva will analyse with machine learning....

German-Finnish internet anti-hero Kim Dotcom is perhaps one of the most eccentric, and divisive, figures in tech history. A serial cybercriminal to some, a large-than-life legend to others. You either love him or you hate him. Either way, boy does he know how to generate headlines. News broke this week that Dotcom is being extradited to the US to face criminal charges related to...

UK fintech Revolut has been valued at $45bn following a share sale by employees, making it Europe’s most valuable private tech company and shaking up the world of traditional finance.  An employee share sale is when staff sell their company shares either to the company they work for, external investors, or on the open market. In Revolut’s case, its employees sold a portion of...

British police will experiment with uncrewed aircraft as part of new drone trials in the UK. Britain’s aviation regulator has backed the project, which the National Police Air Service (NPAS) will lead. The tests will focus on flights “beyond the visual line of sight” — meaning the operators won’t see their drones. The police will instead rely on tech for navigation, control, and detection...

Although Mozart has no living descendants, his music still has countless inheritors. The latest in the lineage — born just this summer — is a digital twin. German tech giant Siemens conceived the prodigious clone. Last month, the company brought the system to Mozart’s hometown of Salzburg. Located at the foot of the Alps, the scenic city is hosting the prestigious Salzburg Festival of music...

Norway’s sovereign wealth fund is celebrating a $138 billion profit from the first half of the year, but has put the champagne on ice. The $1.6 trillion fund credited the returns to investments in tech. Driven by surging demand for AI, technology stocks surged during early 2024. Norway’s sovereign wealth fund — the largest in the world — reaped the benefits. Its equity portfolio...

The English Premier League is giving offside calls a (semi) automated upgrade. The new system revamps arguably the most controversial rule in sports. First introduced back in 1863, the offside law prevents sneaky footballers from camping by the goal. In its current iteration, the rule only applies to attackers in their enemy’s half. Once they enter that space, teammates can only pass to them...

 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 potential solution to the issue of death from overwork, the UK’s attention to AI companies, table tennis robots,...

Dawn Aerospace is a small startup with big ambitions: to build the first vehicle to fly over 100 km above the Earth — twice in one day.     A couple of weeks back, the budding company — headquartered in the Netherlands and New Zealand — took a major step toward that goal. Its reusable, rocket-powered Mk-II Aurora aircraft reached speeds of Mach 0.92 (967...

Much has been said today about the interview that took place on Monday between Elon Musk and Donald Trump on X. Delayed by technical reasons, which Musk blamed on DD0S attacks, the two-hour conversation has been labelled, among other things, “surprisingly dull,” “rambling,” and “friendly.”   The exercise in mutual admiration of the two “planet-sized egos” had Trump blaming Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on President...

Go was first released as an open source programming language in 2009, and it’s had its ups and downs over the past 15 years. Although it was only released in November 2009, Go saw such a dramatic rise in interest that it was named the 2009 Programming Language of the Year by the TIOBE Index, which awards this title to the language with the...

UK startup OXCCU has opened a Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) demo plant at London Oxford Airport, as it looks to make a dent in emissions from air travel.  OXCCU spunout from Oxford University in 2021. The startup has developed a type of eFuel made by converting captured CO2 and hydrogen into SAF using renewable electricity.    SAF is designed to be used as a “drop-in”...

Balderton Capital today announced the closing of its $1.3bn early stage and growth funds in a sign of the European tech sector regaining investor confidence and momentum.   We are often disconcerted at the lack of support for European entrepreneurship and innovation in comparison to that across the pond. However, there are investors who champion the region’s changemakers, such as Balderton, which invests exclusively in...

Climate-focused venture capital funds have already raised $6.9bn since the beginning of 2024, up from $5.2bn for the entirety of 2023, according to a new report from Venture Capital Journal. While climate VCs have closed less funds overall — 24 compared to 26 last year — the average pot size has swelled from $202mn to $267mn so far in 2024. This climate tech cash...

In the business world (and beyond) everybody loves the success story of an underdog. Estonia’s Bolt is one such example. The startup was founded in 2013 by then 19-year-old Markus Vilig with €5,000 in his pocket. Since then, it has successfully become the European challenger to Uber, valued at €7.4bn at its latest fundraising in 2022. The company also claims to be Europe’s first...