Governance, Legislation, and Geostrategies
Whoever controls the AI stack controls the future
(East Asia Forum – 14 April 2025) Asia’s middle powers are at risk of missing the coming AI productivity boom. But they could jointly develop a public-private consortium involving national AI laboratories from across the region to aggregate capabilities and co-develop applications built on shared open-source foundation models. The ‘Airbus for AI’ model could offer Asian nations an opportunity to establish AI-related industrial capacity and at the same time protect their strategic autonomy. – https://eastasiaforum.org/2025/04/14/whoever-controls-the-ai-stack-controls-the-future/
From Theory to Impact: Winning Quantum for Society Challenge Startups Take On the Planet’s Greatest Challenges
(Quantum Insider – 14 April 2025) Ten startups were recognized on World Quantum Day in Riyadh for applying quantum technologies to urgent sustainability challenges, including water scarcity, climate change, and healthcare. Winners like Nomad Atomics, PlanetAI Space, and Quantum Mads are using quantum sensing and machine learning to address environmental monitoring, CO₂ storage, and water management. Startups such as Algorithmiq, Qnity, and Quantasphere are advancing quantum applications in healthcare, from drug discovery to genomic data security, using both software and hardware innovations. The Quantum for Society Challenge, backed by the World Economic Forum and C4IR KSA, intends to accelerate quantum impact by integrating early-stage innovators into a global support ecosystem aligned with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. – https://thequantuminsider.com/2025/04/14/from-theory-to-impact-winning-quantum-for-society-challenge-startups-take-on-the-planets-greatest-challenges/
Quantum Utility Will be Achieved Within a Decade, According to Majority of Industry Professionals
(Quantum Insider – 14 April 2025) A new Economist Impact survey finds 83% of quantum professionals believe quantum utility will be achieved within the next decade, despite persistent technical, talent, and leadership challenges. Respondents cite error correction (82%), talent shortages (75%), and lack of executive understanding (75%) as top barriers to realizing quantum’s commercial potential. The upcoming Commercialising Quantum Global summit in London will focus on aligning business needs with quantum advancements, highlighting use cases in sustainability, energy, drug discovery, and cybersecurity. – https://thequantuminsider.com/2025/04/14/quantum-utility-will-be-achieved-within-a-decade-according-to-majority-of-industry-professionals/
UK Announces £121 Million Boost For Quantum Tech to Tackle Fraud, Prevent Money Laundering And Drive Growth
(Quantum Insider – 14 April 2025) The UK government has announced a £121 million investment in quantum technologies to support crimefighting, financial security, and economic growth as part of its Plan for Change. The funding will expand quantum applications across sectors like fraud detection, cybersecurity, and healthcare, while strengthening research hubs and creating career pathways. With the world’s second-largest community of quantum businesses, the UK aims to secure its global leadership through coordinated public investment and private sector partnerships. – https://thequantuminsider.com/2025/04/14/uk-announces-121-million-boost-for-quantum-tech-to-tackle-fraud-prevent-money-laundering-and-drive-growth/
The UAE’s Trump-Era AI Strategy
(Georgia Adamson – Lawfare – 13 April 2025) On March 18, United Arab Emirates (UAE) National Security Adviser Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan dined with U.S. President Trump and top-level Trump administration officials following two days of meetings in Washington. A top priority for the Emirati adviser’s trip: expanding UAE access to U.S. artificial intelligence (AI) chips. Then came a check. On March 21, the White House announced that the UAE will invest a staggering $1.4 trillion in U.S. AI infrastructure, semiconductors, energy, and manufacturing over the next decade. According to U.S. government sources, the announcement was a direct result of the meeting between Al Nahyan and Trump earlier that week and underscores “the close ties” between the two countries, including in AI. The investment marks the UAE’s biggest bet on AI thus far as it seeks to become a global technological leader and to diversify its oil-based economy. Though total Emirati spending on AI is not public, the figure is likely already in the hundreds of billions of dollars. In January, Trump revealed that Abu Dhabi AI investment firm MGX would be one of four initial equity partners for a $500 billion bid to build AI infrastructure for OpenAI in the United States. The partnership follows a $100 billion AI investment deal between MGX and several U.S. companies announced in September 2024, as well as a $1.5 billion partnership between Microsoft and Emirati AI national champion G42 announced earlier, in April 2024. For now, the conditions of the $1.4 trillion Emirati investment pledge are unclear, including whether it will afford the UAE greater numbers of U.S. AI chips in the future. – https://www.lawfaremedia.org/article/the-uae-s-trump-era-ai-strategy
Cambodia’s Digital Leap: Blockchain-Based Finance
(Sauradeep Bag – Observer Research Foundation – 11 April 2025) Central banks worldwide have been actively exploring innovations in financial infrastructure, with blockchain technology emerging as a key area of experimentation. While a comprehensive, long-term evaluation is necessary to assess the viability and systemic implications of such developments, Cambodia’s experience offers valuable insights. As policymakers and regulators in various jurisdictions seek to modernise their payment ecosystems, the Cambodian case provides a critical reference point for understanding the practical implementation, operational challenges, and broader economic impact of blockchain-enabled financial systems. The National Bank of Cambodia’s latest annual report provides an interesting perspective on the rapid evolution of digital finance, particularly through the expansion of the Bakong payment system. In 2024 alone, Bakong facilitated transactions worth US$ 104.81 billion—an extraordinary 330 percent of Cambodia’s GDP. This figure not only underscores the system’s growing importance but also signals a fundamental shift in the country’s financial architecture, where digital payments are increasingly complimenting traditional banking channels. – https://www.orfonline.org/expert-speak/cambodia-s-digital-leap-blockchain-based-finance
Defense, Intelligence, and Warfare
NATO picks Palantir’s Maven AI for military planning, amid trans-Atlantic tension
(Sydney J. Freedberg Jr. – Breaking Defense – 14 April 2025) Amidst disputes over Trump’s tariffs, Ukraine, and the very future of the US-Europe alliance, NATO’s operational headquarters has committed to using American AI software for military planning, Palantir’s Maven Smart System. Allied Command Operations “will begin using the new system within the next 30 days,” according to a NATO press release this morning. The acquisition was finalized on March 25, the release said. The value of the contract was not disclosed. The new tech is meant to provide “customized state-of-the-art AI capabilities to the Alliance, and empowering our forces with the tools required on the modern battlefield to operate effectively and decisively,” NATO Communications and Information Agency General Manager Ludwig Decamps said in the release. – https://breakingdefense.com/2025/04/nato-picks-palantirs-maven-ai-for-military-planning-amid-trans-atlantic-tension/
Army eyeing first Human Machine Integrated Formations in 2027, common controller for robotics
(Ashley Roque – Breaking Defense – 14 April 2025) As the US Army explores how soldiers will use a slew of new ground and aerial drones in combat, it is moving out with a multi-phased plan that aims to field new Human Machine Integrated Formation (HMIF) in 2027, according to service officials. “That’s an armor configuration and that’s an infantry configuration,” Lt. Col. Jonathan Judy, the military deputy charged with HMIF, told an audience in Huntsville, Ala. late last month. “HMIF platoons will incorporate both ground and air platforms, payloads and enablers, in addition to the control vehicle that soldiers will operate out of. “HMIF will bring robotic systems into formations with the goal of having machines, not soldiers, make first contact with the enemy,” he added. – https://breakingdefense.com/2025/04/army-eyeing-first-human-machine-integrated-formations-in-2027-common-controller-for-robotics/
Could this breakthrough in robot manufacturing reshape warfare?
(Patrick Tucker – Defense One – 14 April 2025) A new way to train factory robots could revolutionize how militaries make drones and other weapons, enabling high-volume manufacturing close to front lines. And beyond the battlefield, it shows a possible path forward in the next era of manufacturing, a topic central to the competition between the United States and China, which the National Defense Strategy calls the “pacing challenge.”. The paper, published in the January issue of the International Journal of Extreme Manufacturing, lays out a transformative vision of AI-driven additive manufacturing, or AAM. – https://www.defenseone.com/technology/2025/04/could-breakthrough-robot-manufacturing-reshape-warfare/404531/
US Navy veterans to develop 100-ton robot warship with thousands-of-mile range
(Kapil Kajal – Interesting Engineering – 14 April 2025) To improve the US Navy’s autonomous capabilities, Boston-based maritime technology startup Blue Water Autonomy has announced the development of a captainless and crewless vessel. Founded less than a year ago by former US Navy officers and ex-tech executives, the company plans to develop a 100-foot autonomous vessel with thousands of nautical miles range. The company aims to develop a mission-ready platform for strategic operations in contested maritime environments. – https://interestingengineering.com/military/us-navy-veterans-robot-ship
Frontiers
RAND Europe: Quantum’s Future Workforce Needs More Than Physicists
(Quantum Insider – 14 April 2025) A new RAND Europe report warns that overreliance on PhD-level physicists is limiting the growth of the quantum workforce and slowing commercial progress. The study calls for expanded talent pathways, including technical and non-technical roles, flexible training models, and local ecosystem development. RAND recommends coordinated action across sectors to build a more inclusive, resilient, and future-ready quantum workforce. – https://thequantuminsider.com/2025/04/14/rand-europe-quantums-future-workforce-needs-more-than-physicists/
Watch: Mini Chinese bipedal robot tackles obstacles with precision using AI models
(Jijo Malayil – Interesting Engineering – 14 April 2025) A new video by a Chinese firm shows how its compact bipedal robot walks and navigates obstacles with reinforcement learning. High Torque Robotics’ Mini π is a 54cm (1.7 feet) high bipedal robot that can walk and dance with two legs. The robot features 12 degrees of freedom (DoF) with custom joint motors, enabling it to run, jump, and flip. – https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/mini-bipedal-robot-tackle-obstacles