~the-next-web | Bookmarks (316)

The EU’s strictest-ever crackdown on big tech has only just begun, but critics fear it’s already missing the targets. Called the Digital Markets Act (DMA), the landmark law aims to curb the power of tech giants. Under the rules, the EU can designate companies that dominate a marketplace as “gatekeepers.” This forces them to make their services open to competitors.  Whatsapp, for instance, has...

Several subsea communications cables in the Red Sea were cut on Saturday, temporarily affecting a quarter of all data traffic flowing between Asia and Europe. Some have blamed the Houthi rebels for intentionally sabotaging the cables. The group, which has conducted a number of attacks on cargo vessels in the Red Sea in recent weeks, has denied any responsibility.   The real picture, however, looks...

Spanish regulators have ordered Worldcoin to pause operations over fears that the company’s eyeball-scanning technology may intrude on users’ privacy.   Worldcoin — co-founded by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman in 2019 —  uses orbs to scan people’s eyes in exchange for a digital ID and some cryptocurrency.   According to the order issued by Spain’s privacy watchdog yesterday, Worldcoin must stop collecting and processing personal data...

French startup Zama has raised $73mn to commercialise the “holy grail” of cryptography: fully homomorphic encryption (FHE). Conceptually simple but practically complex, FHE enables computations on encrypted data without having to first decrypt it. As a result, companies can provide services without seeing their customers’ information. The users, meanwhile, won’t notice any difference in the function. To visualise the process, imagine the encrypted data as a...

The Dutch government has reportedly launched a secret task force to keep chip giant ASML in the Netherlands. Dubbed “Operation Beethoven,” the task force was formed to allay ASML’s fears about the local business climate, according to De Telegraaf. Citing anonymous sources, the Dutch newspaper said the company was considering an expansion outside the Netherlands. France was mooted as a potential destination. Such a...

Amid tough market conditions, digital bank Monzo has raised £340mn (€409mn) in new funding, reaching a post-money valuation of £4bn (€4.7bn). The round was led by new investor CapitalG, the growth fund of Google’s parent company Alphabet. GV (Google Ventures, Alphabet’s venture capital investment arm) and HongShan Capital (a ChineseVC firm that split from Sequoia Capital last year) also participated, alongside existing investors including...

A Nobel Laureate who co-created graphene has made another discovery that could turbocharge numerous futuristic applications, from smart contact lenses to rapid disease detection. Konstantin Novoselov, who won the 2010 Nobel Prize for Physics, is among a group of scientists behind the breakthrough. The team announced today that they’ve unearthed unique properties in two unusual compounds: rhenium diselenide and rhenium disulfide — aka ReSe2 and...

In the last decade, the US established itself as a leader in funding climate tech ventures, with Europe trailing. Known for their willingness to embrace risk and invest heavily, US investors stand out in their approach to supporting these ventures. The world of climate tech is marked by uncertainty: new markets are emerging, technology winners are yet to be determined, and fluctuating policies impact...

 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 Ioanna talk about the benefits of walking, progressive web apps, unhealthy food, and physical controls in cars in the EU. Here are...

UK-based space tech startup Open Cosmos has successfully launched a new AI-powered satellite that can provide near real-time views of Earth.  The satellite, HAMMER — short for Hyperspectral AI for Marine Monitoring and Emergency Response — was successfully blasted into orbit Monday aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.  Its mission is to provide high-resolution imaging from across the Atlantic ocean to help authorities monitor...

Ammonia is perhaps best known as a household cleaner or the chemical that makes your pee smell. Few might realise, however, that half of the world’s food production relies on ammonia-based fertilisers produced in just a handful of countries.  This clear, foul-smelling chemical is largely made by superheating water, air, and natural gas under pressure — a process that emits vast quantities of carbon...

Amsterdam-based Mews, a cloud-based property management system (PMS) for the hospitality industry, has become the latest Dutch unicorn. In a fresh funding round, the startup — which is also a TNW community member — achieved unicorn status after raising $110mn (€101mn) at a valuation of $1.2bn (€1.1bn). Mews was founded in 2012 by Richard Valtr, an ex-hotelier on a mission to accelerate the digital transformation...

The excitement of auto racing comes from split-second decisions and daring passes by fearless drivers. Imagine that scene, but without the driver — the car alone, guided by the invisible hand of artificial intelligence. Can the rush of racing unfold without a driver steering the course? It turns out that it can. Enter autonomous racing, a field that’s not just about high-speed competition but...

Historically, women’s health has taken a back seat to men’s — leaving a persistent gender gap in data, research, and clinical trials. A wave of femtech innovators may finally bring balance. Among them is Elina Berglund Scherwitzl, co-founder and CEO of Natural Cycles, the world’s leading birth-control app. “We need more companies focusing solely on women’s health and women’s issues because that’s what is...

Lithium-ion batteries have transformed everything from consumer electronics to electric vehicles and energy storage. But to power the next wave of tech — from planes to smartphones — they need to get denser. One option is to replace the graphite anodes within them with silicon ones. Silicon anodes can store 10 times the amount of lithium ions that graphite can and they take up...

A former British security chief has reignited the perennial ransomware question: to pay or not to pay? Ciaran Martin, who was the first-ever CEO of the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), answered emphatically in the negative. Yet Martin doesn’t only advise victims to hold onto their cash. He also wants to ban them from handing over the ransom. Writing in today’s London Times,...

The EU has fined Apple €1.8bn for stifling music streaming rivals — the first penalty that the bloc has imposed on the tech giant. Antitrust regulators intervened following a complaint made by Spotify back in 2019. The Swedish streaming giant argued that Apple’s App Store rules harmed consumer choice and broke competition law. After a lengthy investigation, the EU took Spotify’s side. Brussels announced...

The role of an ethics committee is to give advice on what should be done in often contentious situations. They are used in medicine, research, business, law and a variety of other areas. The word “ethics” relates to the moral principles governing human behaviour. The task for ethics committees can be quite tricky given the wide range of moral, political, philosophical, cultural and religious...

Seven European organisations have teamed up to build a prototype ocean energy device that could power tropical islands with virtually limitless, consistent, renewable energy.    The technology is called Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC). It generates electricity by harnessing the temperature difference between sun-warmed surface water and the cold depths of the ocean. OTEC systems transfer heat from warm surface waters to evaporate a low-boiling...

Is AI a panacea or a Pandora’s box? It’s a question that divides the British government. Ask the deputy prime minister, Oliver Dowden, and he’ll fill your ears with promises about a glorious future. AI is a “game-changer” that can “revolutionise public services,” Dowden gushed yesterday. Healthcare, education, and crime prevention are all prime targets for the technological transformation — and that’s just the...

Walking is the simplest form of exercise, but it has enormous benefits. As our lifestyles become ever more sedentary, doctors are increasingly prescribing walks to address medical conditions and our general wellbeing. But how can patients stay motivated to keep it up? And how can doctors keep track of their progress? That’s where Lithuanian startup Walk15 comes in. Founded in 2019, Walk15 is on...

When it comes to raising startup capital, 2023 was rough, to say the least. In fact, Pitchbook characterised it as Europe’s “most depressed” year in a decade in terms of VC exit value. The question is, will 2024 be a turning point? And if not, how can startups become part of that small percentage that does complete a successful funding round? If you’re a...

A blimp billed as the “world’s most efficient large aircraft” — but better known as the “The Flying Bum” — is applying for approval to take off. Officially named the Airlander 10, the voluptuous vehicle resembles the legendary Zeppelin. Like its fabled ancestor, the Airlander is greener than the commercial planes currently spraying CO2 across the sky. Much greener, in fact. Powered by a combination...

TNW is taking our relationship with one of Europe’s top innovation hubs to the next level. We’re teaming up with Startup Valencia to accelerate the international expansion of tech extravaganza VDS — which soon reopens its doors to the future. On October 23 and 24, the seventh edition of VDS returns to Valencia’s breathtaking City of Arts and Sciences. During two jam-packed days, the sunny city...