Technology News Era

Sam Altman’s turbulent relationship with European regulators has taken two more turns. The OpenAI CEO is reportedly set for further talks with the EU — and a new HQ on the continent. Altman last sparked an uproar after criticising the EU’s AI Act. The 38-year-old threatened to withdraw OpenAI’s services over plans for the landmark legislation, which would force his company to comply with extra obligations.  Following a fierce backlash from lawmakers, Altman made a swift U-turn. The ChatGPT maker was “excited to continue to operate here,” he tweeted, and had “no plans to leave.” The charm offensive continued in an interview… This story continues at The Next Web from The Next Web https://ift.tt/t5dNPyk

Here’s the thing, it doesn’t take long for an outsized ego to manifest itself in the workplace. Everything is self-referential. Any topic leads back to wonderful them. One of my clients was offered a job recently that would pay roughly twice what she’s earning now. She nailed the interview, so I figured all she had to do was read and sign the contract. I was surprised when she said she wasn’t taking the position. Why not? Because the boss of the new company had led the interview panel. The HR manager asked relevant, open questions. The external interview panellist probed… This story continues at The Next Web from The Next Web https://ift.tt/yc10Pir

Italy is the latest country looking to quickly shore up domestic development of an AI ecosystem. As part of its Strategic Program for Artificial Intelligence, the government will “soon” launch a €150 million fund to support startups in the field, backed by development bank Cassa Depositi e Prestiti (CDP).  As reported by Corriere Communazione, Alessio Butti, Italy’s cabinet undersecretary in charge of technological innovation, relayed the news of the state-backed fund yesterday. While he didn’t provide specific details on the amount to be made available, government sources subsequently told Reuters the figure being discussed in Rome was in the vicinity… This story continues at The Next Web from The Next Web https://ift.tt/1Atsod5

Dutch architecture firm MVRDV has completed Matrix One — a 6-storey, energy-efficient, office and laboratory block constructed using over 120,000 reusable components.  The building is the largest of seven that make up the Matrix Innovation Center in the Amsterdam Science Park, which serves as a hub for scientists and entrepreneurs developing solutions to some of the world’s toughest challenges. Matrix One has been designed for disassembly: almost everything from the doors and windows to ceilings and furniture is fully detachable and reusable. Even the floors are made from prefabricated concrete slabs with no fixed connections — they can simply be… This story continues at The Next Web from The Next Web https://ift.tt/2JLKOFu

Einride, a pioneer in electric and autonomous freight transport, is expanding its services to the Middle East, following a collaboration with the UAE government to accelerate the region’s transition to sustainable shipping. Founded in 2016, the Swedish startup is on a mission to decarbonise the industry by developing and deploying a holistic freight mobility ecosystem. This includes its electric and autonomous fleets, its intelligent platform, called Einiride Saga, charging infrastructure, and connectivity networks. Einride, which is already operating in Europe and the US, has now signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the UAE government to deploy its ecosystem over… This story continues at The Next Web from The Next Web https://ift.tt/MRldCQ8

No matter who your favourite character was, The Office (both the UK or US versions, let’s not get into a fight here) became an iconic series because it played on one thing we all know to be true: offices are boring. The tech industry tried to change all that by infusing some ‘fun’ into the office. Their plan was to attract adults to the workplace with bright colours, slides, rock walls, and a relaxed dress code, echoing kid’s jungle gyms. They did away with the cubicles of the 90s and introduced open office plans, assuming that having people from different… This story continues at The Next Web from The Next Web https://ift.tt/bq5MNtn

A UK startup has tapped ChatGPT to build a text-to-music playlist generator. The AI system is the brainchild of Uppbeat, an audio platform based in Leeds. Targeting content creators, the feature finds copyright-free tracks for video soundtracks. Uppbeat claims it’s the first tool that lets people use their own language to find the songs they want. “Generative AI music is rife with copyright and overall quality issues,” said Lewis Foster, CEO of Uppbeat, in a statement. “Our catalogue is full of incredible artists and AI doesn’t come closet. But, we asked ourselves, ‘What if we can use AI to help creators pinpoint… This story continues at The Next Web from The Next Web https://ift.tt/Kw3Tc0i

Following a decision to pull Twitter out of the EU’s (voluntary) disinformation Code of Practice last week, the reactions have not been long in coming. Upon receiving the news, the bloc’s industry chief Thierry Breton said that Twitter would still need to abide by EU rules soon enough. Or, as Monsieur Breton put it (tweeted, in fact) when referring to the Digital Services Act (DSA), which will make fighting disinformation a legal obligation from 25 August, “You can run, but you cannot hide.”  Twitter leaves EU voluntary Code of Practice against disinformation. But obligations remain. You can run but you… This story continues at The Next Web Or just read more coverage about: Twitter from The Next Web https://ift.tt/l3Qswt0

Some of Europe’s top technologists today joined a global group of IT luminaries in warning that AI could lead to extinction. At just 22 words long, their statement is short and stark: “Mitigating the risk of extinction from AI should be a global priority alongside other societal-scale risks such as pandemics and nuclear war.” Issued by the non-profit Center for AI Safety, the message has been signed by an array of business leaders, researchers, and public figures. They include Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, Kevin Scott, the CTO of Microsoft, and, err, the musician Grimes. Her ex-boyfriend, Elon Musk,… This story continues at The Next Web from The Next Web https://ift.tt/wpOtAhU

A German startup has secured its first investment to scale a bizarre twisted-looking fusion machine that could power the world with abundant, clean, and limitless energy.    Proxima Fusion raised €‎7mn in funding to build a device known as a stellarator, a little-known fusion reactor that could hold the key to unlocking the potential of atom-fusing power within our lifetime.   While the initial funding round was small, it is noteworthy because the startup is the first spinout from Germany’s esteemed Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics.   The institute is solely dedicated to fusion research and is home to the world’s largest… This story continues at The Next Web from The Next Web https://ift.tt/WUbwdNf

If you, like me, have been waiting for the day when urban sprawls begin to resemble your favourite sci-fi scene with flying taxis journeying in silent files high up amongst the skyscrapers, it seems you may have to wait a little while longer.  Bristol-based urban air mobility (UAM) startup Vertical Aerospace is the latest in a long line to announce the (second) delay of entry into service of its aircraft, the VX4. The company has told investors it is now targeting certification from the UK’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) by the end of 2026 – two years behind the original… This story continues at The Next Web from The Next Web https://ift.tt/ek0VfPA

It’s as if I am chatting to a merchant on a European dockside more than a century ago when I ask Jorne Langelaan, founder and CEO of Dutch shipping startup EcoClipper, how his vessel’s maiden voyage is going. “In the beginning the winds were really favourable,” he says of the progress made by the 1912-built De Tukker, which recently embarked on a regular sailing schedule taking it to ports around Europe. Chocolate, olive oil and wine are among its first items of cargo. On the way from The Netherlands to Portugal, like many thousands of mariners in centuries gone by,… This story continues at The Next Web from The Next Web https://ift.tt/qVyAc7R

It’s been 66 years since the EU first introduced the principle of equal pay for male and female employees conducting work of equal value. Yet, the gender pay gap stubbornly persists in the bloc. Women earn, on average, around 13% less than men, with significant variations among member states. To narrow this gap, the European Parliament and Council recently approved a set of new rules that establish binding pay transparency measures. For the first time in the union’s history, this legislation also tackles intersectional discrimination (on the combined basis of ethnicity, race, religion, etc.) and addresses the rights of non-binary… This story continues at The Next Web from The Next Web https://ift.tt/AhFQCn1

Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, really wants AI regulation. Truly, madly, deeply, he wants it. Because of safety and stuff. Unless, of course, it’s the type of regulation that he doesn’t want. If that’s the case, he’ll threaten to withdraw his services instead. Altman issued the warning this week during a tour of European regulators. He said OpenAI could “cease operating” in the EU if it can’t comply with the bloc’s impending AI Act. The 38-year-old is particularly worried about the plans for “high-risk” systems. Under the current proposals, OpenAI’s ChatGPT and GPT-4 models would both be designated high-risk,… This story continues at The Next Web from The Next Web https://ift.tt/0t5iVuR

BMW has partnered with Swiss gaming platform AirConsole to bring in-car gaming to its new all-electric 5 Series.   Drivers and passengers can play the games to kill time while the vehicle is charging, for example. Sadly, but probably for the best, you can’t play while the car is moving.  In addition to the new BMW 5 Series, which debuted this week, the AirConsole app will be rolled out in other BMW vehicles. The service has been available on TVs for some time, but this is the first time it has been available in a car.   To use the gaming… This story continues at The Next Web from The Next Web https://ift.tt/4H8cZSQ

Dutch aviation startup ELECTRON Aviation has inked an agreement with Twente Airport, in the next step of its plans to launch a zero-emissions short-haul flight service from 2027.  The startup’s planned fleet of electric air taxis will transport up to four passengers at a time to various European cities within a 500km radius of the airport.  “To be clear, that gets you to Berlin, London, or Paris, all in under 2 hours,” said Josef Mouris, CEO and co-founder of ELECTRON.  The startup’s Electron5 plane, which is still in the prototype phase, will fly at around 300km/h with a max range… This story continues at The Next Web from The Next Web https://ift.tt/F8Xn0lv

Over a decade ago, a cycling accident left Gert-Jan Oskam paralysed after causing him a spinal cord injury. Now, he’s able to stand and walk again thanks to an innovative brain-spine interface (BSI) developed by a team of Swiss neuroscientists. To walk, the brain must send a command to the region of the spinal cord that’s responsible for movement control. But a spinal cord injury interrupts this communication. “Our idea was to reestablish this communication with a “digital bridge”, an electric communication between the brain and the region of the spinal cord that is still intact,” said Professor Grégoire Courtine,… This story continues at The Next Web from The Next Web https://ift.tt/XZDpsM0

GDPR turned five this week — and celebrated in customary style: by slapping Meta with another eye-watering fine. At a record-breaking €1.2bn, the punishment was the perfect self-gift for the EU regulation. For Meta, however, it marks another miserable anniversary. According to research by Privacy Matters, Mark Zuckerberg’s demonic brainchild has accrued over half of the €4bn in total GDPR fines. After amassing a staggering €2.5bn across seven separate penalties, it’s safe to say that Meta won’t be attending the birthday party. But it wasn’t likely to have got an invite anyway. The social media behemoth has been feuding with… This story continues at The Next Web from The Next Web https://ift.tt/ifhePHK

London has been named the world’s most high-tech city, according to Z/Yen Group’s seventh edition of the Smart Centres Index, published today.   The British capital secured the top spot for its world-leading financial services, deep talent pool, quality of its business environment, and international reputation. Climbing from second place, London was joined in the top five by New York, San Francisco, Zurich, and Lugano. Oxford came in seventh place, putting four European cities in the top 10.  The news that London has taken the top tech title from New York will undoubtedly be welcomed by British PM Rishi Sunak, who… This story continues at The Next Web from The Next Web https://ift.tt/U5klTKQ

Microsoft’s appeal against a veto of its Activision Blizzard takeover offers a chance to “find a third way” in the feud, say legal experts. The Xbox maker on Wednesday formally appealed a UK regulator’s decision to block the $69bn (€64bn) deal. The shock intervention was a potentially fatal blow to the bid for Activision, which owns the Call of Duty, Candy Crush, and Warcraft franchises. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) had concluded that the purchase would give Microsoft an unfair edge in the nascent cloud gaming market. The decision made the CMA an international outlier among antitrust regulators —… This story continues at The Next Web Or just read more coverage about: Microsoft from The Next Web https://ift.tt/C1epx3t

Experts estimate around 60% of buildings that will exist in 30 years’ time have yet to be built. This equals constructing a city the size of Stockholm every week until 2050. However, the construction sector currently doesn’t have the people or the skills to deliver the infrastructure and homes we need at the pace required. But what if we could offload some of the work to robots?   Enter 3D concrete printing — an emerging technology that uses 3D printers to create all manner of structures, from bridges and sculptures to houses and even whole neighbourhoods. These huge printers work much… This story continues at The Next Web from The Next Web https://ift.tt/5Y16ax0

In conjunction with a visit of CEO Sundar Pichai’s visit to Stockholm yesterday, Google announced the launch of the second Google.org Social Innovation Fund on AI to “help social enterprises solve some of Europe’s most pressing challenges.”  Through the fund, Google is making €10 million available, along with mentoring and support, for entrepreneurs from underserved backgrounds. The aim is to help them develop transformative AI solutions that specifically target problems they face on a daily basis. The fund will provide capital via a grant to INCO for the expansion of Social Tides, an accelerator program funded by Google.org, that will… This story continues at The Next Web from The Next Web https://ift.tt/4ucmvbe

British unicorn Improbable has sharpened its metaverse focus with the launch of a new think tank. Dubbed the Metaverse Society, the think tank will explore the social and economic impacts of the nascent tech. Improbable told TNW that it wants to develop use cases, clarify misconceptions, and reduce risks associated with the metaverse. “We want to contribute to ensuring the metaverse holds its promise of being a network of meaning that unlocks creativity, social interaction, and economic opportunities, free from gatekeepers,” said Herman Narula, Improbable’s founder and CEO. “The convergence of AI, metaverse, and blockchain technologies offers a unique moment to… This story continues at The Next Web from The Next Web https://ift.tt/TqlOyAR

Although escooters are a common sight in many European cities, you won’t see them in the Netherlands. That’s because escooter use is restricted to private driveways or gardens, but riding one on public roads and bike lanes is illegal, and will land you with a €280 fine. However, this might change soon. The Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management is currently working on a bill that will make escooters road-legal, local newspaper Het Parool reports. If the bill is approved by the House of Representatives, escooters that meet the criteria of the Netherlands Vehicle Authority (RDW) will be allowed… This story continues at The Next Web from The Next Web https://ift.tt/drcPKia

Researchers from the University of Cambridge have developed an ‘artificial leaf’ that uses sunlight to convert water and carbon dioxide into ethanol and propanol.  These so-called ‘drop-in’ fuels can directly power an internal combustion engine without any modifications, potentially offering a low-emissions alternative to gasoline.  Unlike fossil fuels, these solar fuels produce net-zero carbon emissions, said the researchers, and are entirely renewable. What’s more, unlike most bioethanol, they do not divert any agricultural land away from food production.    Researchers made the artificial leaf from multiple layers including copper, glass, silver, and graphite. The leaf contains light absorbers – similar… This story continues at The Next Web from The Next Web https://ift.tt/B4GzbYq

The time when Netflix used to profess that “love is sharing a password” is long gone. Now, the streaming giant is expanding its controversial password sharing crackdown across the globe, including nine European countries: France, Germany, Ireland, the UK, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Belgium, and the Netherlands. Starting on Tuesday, users who are sharing their Netflix account outside of their household will be receiving a long-dreaded email essentially informing them they can no longer do that. “Your Netflix account is for you and the people you live with — your household,” the company emphasises in its announcement. And it will use… This story continues at The Next Web Or just read more coverage about: Netflix from The Next Web https://ift.tt/C3r0fpP

This article features an interview with Krijn de Nood, the CEO and co-founder of cultivated meat startup Meatable. De Nood will be speaking at TNW Conference, which takes place on June 15 & 16 in Amsterdam. If you want to experience the event (and say hi to our editorial team!), we’ve got something special for our loyal readers. Use the promo code READ-TNW-25 and get a 25% discount on your business pass for TNW Conference. See you in Amsterdam! As a vegetarian for the past 13 years, I have tried the whole gamut of plant-based meat substitutes. And let me tell you, the texture and… This story continues at The Next Web from The Next Web https://ift.tt/WDSYevt

Since its launch in 2021, the all-electric Rimac Nevera has hit the hypercar world like the storm it’s named after — and for good reason. With an impressive 1,914 horsepower and a 0-100km/h acceleration in just 1.85 seconds, this beautiful machine not only holds the top EV speed record, but also outperforms its petrol-powered counterparts. Now, the Nevera has hit another milestone: it has broken 23 performance records in a single day, claiming the title of the “ultimate record-breaking hypercar.” The tests were run at Germany’s Automotive Testing Papenburg (ATP) facility, and were independently verified by third-party companies Dewesoft and… This story continues at The Next Web from The Next Web https://ift.tt/T7F4sDQ

Designers have given a glimpse into the future of urban architecture: AI-generated inflatable skyscrapers. The buildings are the brainchild of Zumo, a Barcelona-based architectural practice. Founded in 2020 by Andre Sashko and Alessandro Lussignoli, the firm blends classical knowledge and contemporary tech to visualise new construction forms. Their latest project adds Midjourney to the art of architecture. Zumo used the text-to-image model to visualise the wobbly edifices in urban settings. First published by Design Boom, the images depict the superstructures towering over future cities. To my unsullied eyes, they resemble illuminated balloons soaring into the skyline. But my cruder colleagues compared them to… This story continues at The Next Web from The Next Web https://ift.tt/x3HF1fh

Last September, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella identified an issue that was eating away at managers: productivity paranoia. This was on the back of Microsoft research spanning 20,000 people across 11 countries, which found a disconnect between workers feeling productive in hybrid and remote environments and managers straining to “see” productivity in this new context. About as many workers reported being productive as leaders reported a lack of confidence in that productivity (87% and 85%, respectively). Intrusive micro-management Unfortunately, to bridge this divide, some business leaders have turned to a new and intrusive form of micro-management. With employees working out of… This story continues at The Next Web from The Next Web https://ift.tt/OJGNYbH

Dutch aerospace pioneer Fokker is looking to make a comeback. This time however, it won’t be polluting Jet A fuel propelling the company’s aircraft. Instead, in the revived guise of Fokker Next Gen, it is playing the long game and joining in on the clean-burning hydrogen hype.  With €25 million in funding from the Dutch government, and an additional EU Clean Aviation grant of undisclosed amount, Fokker is aiming at a 2035 entry into service of a clean-sheet aircraft design operating on liquid hydrogen. The plane’s intended range is 2,500 km, meaning it could fly across Europe from London to… This story continues at The Next Web from The Next Web https://ift.tt/gtfFdHO

The EU Parliament agreed last week on the world’s first comprehensive set of rules to regulate the transfer of cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, as it looks to crack down on money laundering and illegal transfers in the bloc. From 2024, all crypto transfers, regardless of amount, will be covered by the so-called ‘travel rule’ — information on the source of the asset and its beneficiary will have to travel with the transaction and be stored on both sides of the transfer.  The regulation requires firms that want to issue, trade, and safeguard crypto-assets, tokenised assets, and stablecoins in the 27-country bloc… This story continues at The Next Web from The Next Web https://ift.tt/lWY6vwS

In a seminal moment for international data flows, the EU has fined Meta a record-breaking €1.2bn for privacy violations. The penalty is the largest ever for a violation of GDPR, which was introduced to protect personal information. According to EU regulators, Meta broke the rules by transferring user data from the bloc to the US for processing. The Facebook owner made these transfers on the basis of standard contractual clauses (SCCs), which govern the flow of personal data. But an EU investigation determined that SCCs don’t provide enough protection from US surveillance. Andrea Jelinek, chair of the European Data Protection… This story continues at The Next Web from The Next Web https://ift.tt/A3SXn2B

Sustainability has become a major trend across different industries, and tourism isn’t an exception. In fact, 83% of leisure and business travellers worldwide believe that sustainable travel is vital. Some, such as the Sands Expo, which is now carbon neutral, have used this status to differentiate themselves on the market and attract new eco-conscious customers. Before we dive further, just what is sustainable tourism? The UNWTO defines it as: Tourism that takes full account of its current and future economic, social and environmental impacts, addressing the needs of visitors, the industry, the environment, and host communities. In practice, this means… This story continues at The Next Web from The Next Web https://ift.tt/QOh7P1l

Krijn de Nood, Julie Hawkins, and Stephanie Klein Nagelvoort-Schuit will be speaking at TNW Conference, which takes place on June 15 & 16 in Amsterdam. If you want to experience the event (and say hi to our editorial team!), we’ve got something special for our loyal readers. Use the promo code READ-TNW-25 and get a 25% discount on your business pass for TNW Conference. See you in Amsterdam! Renowned university spinouts such as chip designer Arm in the UK and immunotherapy pioneer BionNTech in Germany have proven the importance of bringing scientific innovation to real-world industries. But the road from… This story continues at The Next Web from The Next Web https://ift.tt/Xphq1Sa

People don’t just fly kites for fun. At a test site near Munich, engineers recently launched an electricity-generating, box-style kite fitted with small, wind-catching rotors. The contraption, tethered to the ground by a hefty cable, flew repeatedly in a predetermined figure of eight — its rotors spinning in the wind. “The wind speed is a couple of times higher than that a conventional wind turbine would see,” says Maximilian Isensee, chief executive of Kitekraft, explaining how the very movement of the kite itself boosts power generation. “That’s why we can get away with much smaller rotors.” The figure of eight… This story continues at The Next Web from The Next Web https://ift.tt/rcPRtlC

It seems barely a day goes by without reports of artificial intelligence replacing jobs. On Thursday, BT added the latest bad news, when the UK telecoms giant announced plans to replace 10,000 staff with AI. Across Europe, predictions on automation’s effect on jobs vary wildly —but major changes are inevitable. With the impact already being felt, the need for government action is becoming urgent. Here are six interventions they can take. 1. Retraining the workforce The concept of a “job for life,” was disappearing even before AI’s relentless march into the workplace. Increasingly, we’re becoming accustomed to learning marketable new skills throughout our… This story continues at The Next Web from The Next Web https://ift.tt/u2bq7Pz

After a two-year wait, the UK has finally announced its semiconductor support plan, aiming to grow the domestic sector, increase its competitiveness, and reduce the risk of supply chain disruptions. But while industry players welcomed the strategy, they also criticised its level of support. Under the new scheme, the government will invest up to £1 (€1.15) billion in the next decade, with an initial £200 million to be deployed in the next couple of years. This amount, however, is dwarfed by similar initiatives in the West. The US has pledged $52bn in subsidies to boost its domestic semiconductor industry, while… This story continues at The Next Web from The Next Web https://ift.tt/Nlq48by

German mobility startup FlixBus is best known for its fleet of big green buses that whisk passengers around mainland Europe at affordable prices — akin to Greyhound in the US.  But there is also a rail-bound version of FlixBus dubbed, you guessed it, FlixTrain. The service began operations in 2018, following the opening of German rail lines to private competition five years earlier. By mid-2022, the company serviced over 70 stations along many of Germany’s main rail routes. Flix also recently expanded its train network to Sweden. Now, FlixTrain has its sights set on expanding into the Netherlands. This week,… This story continues at The Next Web from The Next Web https://ift.tt/7W8UqJB

Rolls-Royce has completed the first tests of its UltraFan demonstrator aircraft engine at its facility in Derby,UK. The tests were conducted using 100% sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) primarily from waste-based feedstock, but the company is also exploring options for hybrid-electric and hydrogen-powered options. “The UltraFan demonstrator is a game changer. In the making for nearly a decade, UltraFan has been designed to showcase technologies that can deliver greater fuel efficiency for both existing and future aircraft engines, in turn, lowering their emissions and increasing sustainability. Specifically, UltraFan’s technology is slated to offer a 25% fuel efficiency improvement compared to the… This story continues at The Next Web from The Next Web https://ift.tt/lIoqwf4

Tom Furness will be speaking at TNW Conference, which takes place on June 15 & 16 in Amsterdam. If you want to experience the event (and say hi to our editorial team!), we’ve got something special for our loyal readers. Use the promo code READ-TNW-25 and get a 25% discount on your business pass for TNW Conference. See you in Amsterdam! Since the world’s first (and rather crude) VR machine was invented in 1956, extended reality (XR) has evolved into some seriously advanced kit and is becoming increasingly common in workplaces and homes across the world.  Few have contributed to… This story continues at The Next Web from The Next Web https://ift.tt/hv7KSVa

Jinhua Zhao and Shashi Verma will be speaking at TNW Conference, which takes place on June 15 & 16 in Amsterdam. If you want to experience the event (and say hi to our editorial team!), we’ve got something special for our loyal readers. Use the promo code READ-TNW-25 and get a 25% discount on your business pass for TNW Conference. See you in Amsterdam! Urban transport systems are straining under unprecedented pressure from population growth, fiscal challenges, and environmental harm. Living in London, I feel the impact every day. The roads are horribly polluted, the metro is the world’s most expensive, and… This story continues at The Next Web from The Next Web https://ift.tt/vbcwQ8K

A UK startup has unveiled a unique system for bringing spacecraft back to Earth. The company, named Space Forge, developed the tech to provide a low-cost and sustainable way of reusing satellites. Ultimately, the startup wants the system to support in-space manufacturing, which can produce materials that can’t be made on Earth. These “supermaterials” have transformative potential for electronics, pharmaceuticals, and alloys. Unfortunately, returning them to Earth is currently painfully complex and costly. To solve this problem, Space Forge developed two separate components: a hover-net called Fielder and a heat shield dubbed Pridwen. Named after King Arthur’s legendary shield, Pridwen… This story continues at The Next Web from The Next Web https://ift.tt/mOnl0sK

While Europe’s climate tech companies raised a record $13.2bn in 2022, investment is nowhere near the levels required to combat climate change, according to a new report by World Fund. Specifically, analysts from the European climate tech VC, in collaboration with Cleantech Group and PwC, have found that investment needs are outpacing investment volumes at an exponentially increasing rate. The numbers are telling. For the EU to reach its goal of reducing emissions by 55% by 2030, an annual investment of €1 trillion would be needed. By the same year, 29% of emission reductions would need to come from new… This story continues at The Next Web from The Next Web https://ift.tt/yd2megH

A growing number of founders are leveraging the power of technology to help solve some of society’s biggest problems, from developing self-monitoring digital health platforms that give patients more autonomy to finding new solutions for storing renewable energy. Today, on Global Accessibility Awareness Day, it’s particularly important to recognise the advancements a growing number of founders have made in making technology open, equal, and accessible to all, from creating devices that take into account deaf and blind communities to using AI to build groundbreaking advancements in prosthetics. But, due to the novel and often disruptive approaches they take to solve… This story continues at The Next Web from The Next Web https://ift.tt/artDvPC

Award-winning innovators Caroline Lair and Lucia Gallardo will be speaking at TNW Conference, which takes place on June 15 & 16 in Amsterdam. If you want to experience the event (and say hi to our editorial team!), we’ve got something special for our loyal readers. Use the promo code READ-TNW-25 and get a 25% discount on your business pass for TNW Conference. See you in Amsterdam! Social inequality and climate risk have become central to understanding what will drive innovation – and investment – for the future. On day two of TNW Conference, Caroline Lair, founder of startup and scaleup communities The Good AI… This story continues at The Next Web from The Next Web https://ift.tt/ZnzGjeJ

The crackdown on cryptocurrency escalated today after lawmakers called for consumer trading to be regulated like gambling. In a new report by a cross-party committee, British politicians claimed the likes of Bitcoin and Ether have “no intrinsic value” and serve “no useful social purpose.” They also noted several adverse impacts of cryptocurrencies. Specifically, they highlighted the vast energy consumption, the risk to consumer traders, and the criminal use in scams, fraud, and money laundering. ‘Effective regulation is clearly needed. Due to the public risks, the committee warned against regulating trading as a financial service — which the UK government has proposed.… This story continues at The Next Web from The Next Web https://ift.tt/1NCPJ8a

Barbara Belvisi, award-winning innovator and entrepreneur, will be speaking at TNW Conference, which takes place on June 15 & 16 in Amsterdam. If you want to experience the event (and say hi to our editorial team!), we’ve got something special for our loyal readers. Use the promo code READ-TNW-25 and get a 25% discount on your business pass for TNW Conference. See you in Amsterdam! Picture a future where technology enables sustainable living on Earth, while preparing for life in space. That’s the exact mission of Interstellar Lab — and this future is happening now! So if you share my… This story continues at The Next Web from The Next Web https://ift.tt/7g8GvlU

Eu regulators have greenlit Microsoft’sacquisition of gaming giant Activision Blizzard, but analysts warn that the deal remains a long way from completion. The EU approved the $69 billion (€63bn) takeover after Microsoft agreed to several pro-competition remedies. Most notably, the company pledged to automatically license popular Activision Blizzard games, such as Call of Duty, to rival cloud gaming services. “The commitments offered by Microsoft will enable for the first time the streaming of such games in any cloud game streaming services, enhancing competition and opportunities for growth,” said Margrethe Vestager, the EU’s antitrust czar. With our 🇪🇺 clearance #Activition Blizzard’s… This story continues at The Next Web Or just read more coverage about: Microsoft from The Next Web https://ift.tt/D9EvKep

If you’re working with other people — which most of us are — it’s quite likely that you’re spending a sizeable chunk of your time in meetings. Before COVID-19, you’d expect most meetings to be conducted in-person, and business travel was much more prolific than it is these days. The pandemic changed that dynamic beyond recognition, as startups and corporates alike suddenly discovered that a lot of things can actually be discussed and solved in a video call. Combined with people being generally reluctant to return to the office, this has ushered in an era of telepresence, where at least… This story continues at The Next Web from The Next Web https://ift.tt/dI1hPDO