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As we count down to TNW conference in Amsterdam on June 20 and 21, we’re previewing the sessions that we’re most excited about. One of my must-see talks mixes two of my great passions: sports and technology. Bringing them together is António Félix da Costa, a world champion of Formula E — the electric cousin of the petrol-powered Formula 1. Da Costa is driving into the event for two special talks on Friday. First up is a keynote that will give an exclusive peek under the hood of high-tech race cars. Читать дальше...

NATO’s Innovation Fund (NIF) has led a €9mn seed investment into German startup ARX Robotics, which builds unmanned ground robots for the battlefield.   The startup’s war bots look like small tanks — but without guns. The vehicles drive around on treads, and can be fitted with equipment like radar, mine-sweeping devices, or medical stretchers.  ARX sells four different machines. The largest carries military payloads weighing up to 500 kg — including injured soldiers — across the battlefield. Another... Читать дальше...

The ocean covers over 70% of our planet. It regulates the global climate, is home to 80% of life on Earth, acts as a carbon sink, and supports the livelihoods of billions of people. As an avid swimmer and surfer I also think the ocean is simply bloody magnificent. However, the world’s oceans face unprecedented threats from pollution, overfishing, and climate change. This is undermining the health of an ecosystem that supports all life on Earth.  In this era of rapid technological advancement, innovative... Читать дальше...

This year’s edition of TNW Conference is right around the corner — along with summer, we hope. We have a spectacular line-up of speakers and we cannot wait to share the special atmosphere that sets TNW apart from other tech conferences out there with you. Leading up to the event, the editorial team will be sharing some of their highlights and what not to miss from the TNW flagship conference taking place in Amsterdam on 20 and 21 of June. We hope you are as excited as we are and cannot wait to see you there. Читать дальше...

NATO’s Innovation Fund has co-led a $22.5mn (€21mn) investment into iCOMAT, a UK startup building ultralight composites for the aerospace, automotive, and defence sectors. NATO’s fund has a budget of €1bn to back startups developing deep tech for defence and security applications. This marks its first public investment since it launched last year.        Founded in 2019 by Greek scientist Evangelos Zympeloudis, iCOMAT has developed a fully automated manufacturing process that turns carbon fibre into lightweight composite materials. Читать дальше...

Friday is finally here and so is this week’s roundup of tech news from the Netherlands! From riveting developments in the chip sector to partnerships against financial fraud and concerns over smart camera technology, the first week of June has been action-packed. Here’s our pick of the hottest stories, startups, and insights. What we’re writing ASML’s new lab opens up access to its most advanced chipmaking machine Dutch chip giant NXP plans $7.8B chip plant in Singapore amid tensions with China What... Читать дальше...

Cars are great — until they break down, or need a service, or a roadworthy test. Then owning one can be a bit of a headache. Ricard Guillem knows this all too well. The 19-year-old from Barcelona grew up in a family of auto dealers and servicers. Guillem — who “was born with a phone in my hand,” as he puts it — felt that the family business was, for lack of a better word, outdated.   “So many sectors have been disrupted by technology — Netflix with movies, Uber with taxis, Deliveroo with food delivery. Читать дальше...

Europe is set to outspend the US on clean energy this year — but neither will come close to China’s investments. That’s according to new research from the International Energy Agency (IEA). It estimates that clean energy tech funding will hit $2 trillion in 2024 — nearly double the figure for fossil fuels. The biggest magnets for the cash include renewables, electric vehicles, and nuclear power. Yet not every region is splashing the cash lavishly. China has emerged as the runaway leader. The country is tracking to spend $675bn this year... Читать дальше...

A powerful privacy group has filed complaints in 11 EU countries about Meta’s plans to train AI models on personal data — without requesting consent from users. NOYB (none of your business) took the legal action over proposed changes to Meta’s privacy policy, which are due to take effect on June 26. The update would permit Meta to funnel years of personal posts, private images, or online tracking data into an undefined “AI technology,” NYOB said. The Vienna-based group warned that the Facebook owner could ingest personal data from any source. Читать дальше...

Dutch semiconductor company NXP has teamed up with TSMC-backed Vanguard International Semiconductor (VIS) to build a $7.8bn (€7.2bn) chipmaking plant in Singapore. The new factory will make 300mm silicon wafers for 130-nanometre to 40-nanometre chips, which power applications in the industrial, automotive, consumer, and mobile markets. These chips are less advanced than those TSMC itself manufactures in Taiwan. But the 300mn wafer capability marks a first for VIS, which currently fabricates 200mm wafers at its existing plant in Singapore. Читать дальше...