The EU’s Chips Act enters into force: Here’s what it means


The EU’s Chips Act finally entered into force yesterday (September 21), after spending over a year winding its way through the legislature. The landmark law is designed to bolster the bloc’s domestic supply, sovereignty, and competitiveness in the semiconduc

A linguistic anthropologist explains how humans are like ChatGPT


ChatGPT is a hot topic at my university, where faculty members are deeply concerned about academic integrity, while administrators urge us to “embrace the benefits” of this “new frontier.” It’s a classic example of what my colleague Punya Mishra calls the “doom-hyp

Biotech startup opens UK’s first pilot facility for cultivated animal fat


Hoxton Farms, a London-based biotech startup, has opened today the UK’s first pilot production facility for cultivated animal fat. Launched in 2020, the company combines cell biology and mathematical modelling to produce cultivated fat from pig and cow stem

EIF invests €40M in female-founded climate tech growth fund


The European Investment Fund (EIF) announced today it would invest €40mn with Blume Equity. Based out of London, the VC was founded by three women in 2020, and invests into European high-growth climate tech scaleups.  Blume Equity backs com

Apple store workers in France to strike during iPhone 15 launch


Apple is having a rough time of it in France as of late. As if mandated updates to the iPhone 12 due to radiation concerns weren’t enough, Apple customers in the country may now struggle to get their mitts on the latest model when it’s rele

UK targets Meta’s encryption plans over child sexual abuse concerns


On Wednesday, the UK’s Home Secretary Suella Braverman unveiled a new campaign against Meta, urging the tech giant to rethink its plan to roll out end-to-end encryption (E2EE) on Facebook Messenger and Instagram. The company aims to finalise the encryption r

Europe and US head-to-head in 3D printing innovation surge


3D printing, also known as additive manufacturing, has seen exponential growth over the past decade, analysis by the European Patent Office (EPO) reveals. In its latest study, the EPO found that international patent families (IPFs) in 3D printing tech increase

Hackers breach defences of ICC war crimes tribunal


The computer systems of the International Criminal Court (ICC), the world’s most high-profile war tribunal, were hacked last week, according to a statement released by the court yesterday. The tribunal said that its services detected “anomalous activity” affecting it

DeepMind’s new AI tool can predict genetic diseases


Google DeepMind has unveiled its novel AI tool that can predict whether DNA mutations are likely to cause genetic diseases. The ambition is that it will  facilitate faster diagnosis and development of life-saving treatments. The new AI model, called AlphaMi

German startup Fernride bags $50M to make trucking autonomous


Munich-based autonomous trucking startup Fernride has closed a further $19mn in its Series A funding round, neatly pushing the total amount raised in the round to $50mn.  Founded in 2019, Fernride has developed autonomous vehicle software that converts


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