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,... Read more ›
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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... Read more ›
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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... Read more ›
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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... Read more ›
8
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... Read more ›
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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... Read more ›
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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... Read more ›
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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... Read more ›
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If, as a software developer, you want to know what the most popular or best-paid programming languages are in the industry right now, there’s always a constant stream of surveys and reports to let you know. And career advice for developers will typically recommend that constant learning on the job is essential. But if AI can produce code from a few plain-speaking prompts, has learning programming languages become redundant? Certainly,... Read more ›
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US pressure to block ASML from servicing the chip-making machines it has sold to China is increasing the Netherlands’ entanglement into an escalating geopolitical race for tech supremacy. Implementing a clear technological and economic decoupling strategy from China, the Biden Administration has introduced a series of thorough export rules aiming to restrict Beijing from obtaining key chip technology. But as the world’s only manufacturer of equipment for advanced chips, ASLM... Read more ›
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Spotify is further tapping AI to boost its services with a new feature that enables users to create playlists using text prompts. Dubbed AI Playlist, the feature is currently in beta and available on Android and iOS devices for premium subscribers in Australia and the UK. Interestingly, the new tool goes beyond standard playlist creation requests based on genre or artists. Instead, prompts can include activities, colours, places, and emojis.... Read more ›
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A UK startup has claimed a major breakthrough in its plans to beam solar energy from space to Earth. At a lab in Belfast, Oxford-based Space Solar managed to light up an LED sign by wirelessly beaming energy through the air, from all angles. This marks the world’s first 360-degree wireless power transmission, said the startup. “This steerable power beaming capability is the heart of our solar power satellite design,”... Read more ›
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The World Literacy Foundation and Dutch marketing firm Media.Monks have teamed up to create a pen designed to help millions of people around the world grappling with illiteracy. The device, dubbed Literacy Pen, is compatible with any standard pen or pencil. Users slip the device onto the pen and then speak their desired words into the built-in microphone. Voice dictation technology then transcribes these words, letter by letter, onto a... Read more ›
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The unimaginably complex task of creating, containing, and commercialising fusion energy is undoubtedly one of the greatest scientific endeavours of our time. Since the 1950s, hoards of the world’s top scientists and engineers have toiled away trying to turn the process that powers the Sun into a clean, safe, and virtually limitless energy source for humanity. Despite huge progress, fusion energy has always seemed to be that “20-years-away” technology. But... Read more ›
13
When researchers revealed the results of a study on the prevalence of microplastics in human placentas earlier this year, the findings were profoundly disturbing. Researchers analysed 62 placental tissue samples — and found microplastics in all of them. In the words of the lead author of the study, “If we are seeing effects on placentas, then all mammalian life on this planet could be impacted.” The world desperately needs to... Read more ›
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Technology is often accused of causing loneliness. The US Surgeon General recently warned that tech can deepen isolation, increase fear of missing out, and reduce social interaction. Surveys frequently show that isolation among young people surges when their social media use grows. But what could possibly solve these problems caused by tech? Why, more tech of course! It’s a common response from (who else?) technologists, who have a remarkable variety... Read more ›
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Last month, Finnish startup Polar Night Energy announced that it is building a giant sand battery capable of heating a town of 5,000 people for up to a month. That’s on a single charge. Polar Night is constructing the sand battery for the town of Pornainen in southern Finland. The system is expected to enable the town cut all oil use in its district heating network — slashing greenhouse gas... Read more ›
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Are you frustrated with your employer’s lack of commitment to sustainability? Maybe “climate quitting” is for you. Climate quitting means leaving your job due to concerns about your employer’s impact on the climate or because you want to work directly on addressing climate issues. If you’re contemplating leaving your job over climate concerns, you’re not alone. Half of Gen Z employees (people born between the late 1990s and early 2010s)... Read more ›
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Europe’s linguistic diversity has received a boost into the AI era with the launch of new LLMs for Nordic languages. Fittingly named Viking, the model family is the brainchild of Finnish startup Silo AI. The company claims to host Europe’s largest private AI lab and has pledged to protect the continent’s digital sovereignty. Viking is the latest step of that mission. By integrating Danish, Finnish, Icelandic, Norwegian, and Swedish into... Read more ›
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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 flying cars, unexpected effects of climate change, espresso origins, and real-life invisibility shields. The guest of the show is Svilen Rangelov, co-founder and CEO of... Read more ›
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30.04.2026 10:15
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