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Britain is set to test facial verification tech that removes the need for passports, but experts have dashed hopes of a full launch this year. The project was unveiled this week by Phil Douglas, the director-general of the UK’s Border Force. Douglas told the Times that he aims to install new e-gates at airports that create an “intelligent border.” By integrating enhanced facial verification, the system would...

With more and more EVs on the road, the need for battery recycling and reuse has emerged as a necessity to further enhance the sustainability of these vehicles. But there’s another component whose potential for a second life could be a game changer: the electric motor.  Extending the use phase of electric motors is crucial for two reasons. Firstly, they contain valuable raw materials...

Although the EU introduced the equal pay for equal work principle in 1957, the gender pay gap stubbornly persists — 67 years later. Women in the block earn on average 12.7% less than their male counterparts. Unsurprisingly, the gender pay gap more than doubles in the tech sector. According to a report by compensation platform Ravio, the European median reaches 26% with variations across...

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, Andrii and Linnea talk about brain-computer interfaces, autonomous cars in the UK, cybersecurity safewords, Benford’s law — and many things in between. In the interview...

A world record of 210 successful orbital launches was set in 2023, but Europe has slipped further behind the global leaders. The continent contributed just three of the year’s launches — its lowest total since 2004. It’s a figure that pales in comparison to several individual nations. The US alone had 109 successful orbital launches — the most a single country has ever completed....

Following an order by the Dutch government, ASML — the world’s leading manufacturer of high-end chipmaking equipment — will curb shipments of two of its machines to China. Specifically, the government has partially revoked the export licence of the NXT:2050i and NXT:2100i lithography systems, the company said in a statement. Much like its other products, the two lithography machines use light to print blueprints...

This year was challenging for the financial technology, or fintech, sector. Interest rates rose and funding fell, continuing the shift in focus from growth to profitability.   But what does 2024 have in store? Will AI revolutionise the industry? Will funding pick up? What sectors will thrive? What’s the outlook for the Dutch market?   We spoke to five experts on what to look out for...

2023 was a rough year for climate tech. While it fared slightly better than other sectors, total venture and private equity investment in planet-saving technologies fell 40% last year, down to a five-year low.  It wasn’t all doom and gloom, however. For one, the EU enacted the Green Deal Industrial Plan, which makes over €1trn available for everything from EVs and carbon capture plants...

Mikko Hyppönen has spent decades on the frontlines of the fight against malware. The 54-year-old has vanquished some of the world’s most destructive computer worms, www.youtube.com/watch?v=lnedOWfPKT0″ data-mce-href=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lnedOWfPKT0″><sp< span=””>an style=”font-weight: 400;” data-mce-style=”font-weight: 400;”>tracked down</sp<>”font-weight: 400;”> the creators of the first-ever PC virus, and sold his own software since he was a teenager in Helsinki.&nbsp;an>p> tyle=”font-weight: 400;” data-mce-style=”font-weight: 400;”>In the intervening years, he’s earned n>air.com/news/2004/01/virus-hunters-200401″ data-mce-href=”https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2004/01/virus-hunters-200401″>-weight:...

Recent technological advances are transforming the medtech sector. European companies and research institutions are working on solutions aimed at improving our knowledge and response to genetics, diseases that impact millions of people, and public health emergencies. How will this momentum continue in 2024? And which technologies will further push medtech innovation forward? Yes, AI From predicting genetic diseases to improving cancer treatments and making...

As the world becomes increasingly globalised, maintaining compliance while embracing global mobility will be the key to retaining talent as we move into 2024. This is according to Hanna Asmussen, CEO and co-founder of Localyze, a global mobility platform for companies and employees. In 2023, there was a continued interest in flexible working. Recent research from #WorkAnywhere has shown that remote workers in Europe...

Artificial intelligence went mainstream in 2023. The watershed moment arrived at the end of the previous year, with the November 30 release of ChatGPT. Just two months later, the OpenAI system was reaching an estimated 100 million active users. According to analysts at investment bank UBS, the headline-grabbing chatbot had become the fastest-growing consumer app of all time. Over the remaining course of 2023, the...

In this bonus episode of the TNW Podcast, we’re featuring two interviews with notable European VC players: Kinga Stanislawska, founder of European Women in VC and co-founder Experior VC. We talked about the state of diversity in European VC, the issues we’re facing, and the potential ways to solve them. Sten Tamkivi, partner at Plural Platform. We discussed his vision of the European VC...