Governance, Legislation, Tech & Democracy

Funding Europe’s Open Digital Infrastructure

(OpenForum Europe – July 2025) This report outlines the case for an EU Sovereign Tech Fund (EU-STF) to address chronic underinvestment in open source technologies. By securing, maintaining, and scaling critical open digital infrastructure, the fund would strengthen Europe’s digital sovereignty, cybersecurity, and competitiveness. Drawing on the success of Germany’s Sovereign Tech Fund, it proposes a mission-driven, pan-European model to ensure sustainable and resilient open source ecosystems. – https://eu-stf.openforumeurope.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/EU-STF-Feasibility  -Study_vf.pdf

New York Seeking Public Opinion on Water Systems Cyber Regulations

(Security Week – 24 July 2025) Released by the New York State Department of Health (DOH) and New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), the documents propose minimum standards for improving water infrastructure’s resilience against sophisticated cyberattacks. Additionally, the Department of Public Service (DPS) released proposed cyber regulations covering water-works corporations, cable television companies, and other public utilities. The proposed rules are accompanied by a new grant program established by the Environmental Facilities Corporation (EFC) alongside technical assistance for water and wastewater utilities. – https://www.securityweek.com/new-york-seeking-public-opinion-on-water-systems-cyber-regulations/

Decoding Trump’s AI Playbook: The AI Action Plan and What Comes Next

(Brianna Rosen, Joshua Geltzer, Jenny Marron and Sam Winter-Levy – Just Security – 24 July 2025) The White House released its long-awaited AI Action Plan and signed three executive orders on AI, laying out the Trump administration’s strategy to secure what it calls “unquestioned and unchallenged” U.S. dominance across the entire AI tech stack. Framing AI as a global race for technological supremacy, the Plan envisions nothing short of an industrial revolution, an information revolution—and even a renaissance—all driven by AI. To achieve that vision, the Plan is centered around three pillars: innovation, infrastructure, and international diplomacy and security. It calls for upskilling the workforce, revising federal rules, building high-security data centers, and tightening export controls—all whilst removing what the administration views as regulatory obstacles to faster AI adoption. The plan also raises major questions. What’s the role of government in steering this technology responsibly? Are we building the right guardrails as we scale up? And what message is the U.S. sending to allies and adversaries as it charts a new course in AI policy? – https://www.justsecurity.org/117752/just-security-podcast-trump-ai-action-plan/

President Trump Signs Executive Order on American AI, Emphasizing Exporting U.S. AI Infrastructure

(AI Insider – 24 July 2025) President Trump signed an executive order establishing the American AI Exports Program, directing U.S. agencies to promote global adoption of American-built AI infrastructure. The program invites industry consortia to propose “full-stack” AI solutions—hardware, models, cloud platforms, cybersecurity, and domain-specific applications—for export to selected countries, with priority access to federal financing tools. The move positions AI as strategic economic and diplomatic infrastructure, signaling a sharp shift toward assertive AI export policy amid rising geopolitical competition. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2025/07/24/president-trump-signs-executive-order-on-american-ai-emphasizing-exporting-u-s-ai-infrastructure/

Aggressive AI Strategy Unveiled by Trump Administration with Focus on Deregulation and Defense

(AI Insider – 24 July 2025) The Trump administration has released its AI Action Plan, outlining a sweeping pro-growth strategy aimed at accelerating the United States’ position in artificial intelligence. In a marked departure from the Biden administration’s regulatory focus, the plan emphasizes rapid AI infrastructure buildout, data center development, national security, and global competitiveness — especially against China. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2025/07/24/aggressive-ai-strategy-unveiled-by-trump-administration-with-focus-on-deregulation-and-defense/

White House unveils sweeping plan to “win” global AI race through deregulation

(Ars Technica – 24 July 2025) On Wednesday, the White House released “Winning the Race: America’s AI Action Plan,” a 25-page document that outlines the Trump administration’s strategy to “maintain unquestioned and unchallenged global technological dominance” in AI through deregulation, infrastructure investment, and international partnerships. But critics are already taking aim at the plan, saying it’s doing Big Tech a big favor. Assistant to the President for Science and Technology Michael Kratsios and Special Advisor for AI and Crypto David Sacks crafted the plan, which frames AI development as a race the US must win against global competitors, particularly China. – https://arstechnica.com/ai/2025/07/white-house-unveils-sweeping-plan-to-win-global-ai-race-through-deregulation/

From Tech Podcasts to Policy: Trump’s New AI Plan Leans Heavily on Silicon Valley Industry Ideas

(Associated Press – Security Week – 24 July 2025) The “AI Action Plan” embraces many of the ideas voiced by tech industry lobbyists and the Silicon Valley investors who backed Trump’s election campaign last year. “America must once again be a country where innovators are rewarded with a green light, not strangled with red tape,” Trump said at an unveiling event that was co-hosted by the bipartisan Hill and Valley Forum and the “All-In” podcast, a business and technology show hosted by four tech investors and entrepreneurs, which includes Trump’s AI czar, David Sacks. The plan includes some familiar tech lobby pitches. That includes accelerating the sale of AI technology abroad and making it easier to construct the energy-hungry data center buildings that are needed to form and run AI products. It also includes some AI culture war preoccupations of the circle of venture capitalists who endorsed Trump last year. – https://www.securityweek.com/from-tech-podcasts-to-policy-trumps-new-ai-plan-leans-heavily-on-silicon-valley-industry-ideas/

Mistral AI environmental report confirms AI is a hungry, thirsty beast

(The Register – 24 July 2025) While it’s widely known that the computers powering generative AI use a ton of water and power, its actual impact on the environment is often harder to pin down. In a push toward greater transparency, French model builder Mistral AI this week published a peer-reviewed report in collaboration with consulting firm Carbone 4 and France’s ecological transition agency (ADEME) which attempted to quantify the impact of its Mistral Large 2 LLM on the environment across three key metrics: greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, water consumption, and materials use. In the 18 months since Mistral started work on the model, training and running it, a process known as inference, accounted for the lion’s share of GHG emissions (85.5 percent) and water consumption (91 percent). By Mistral’s estimate, training the 123 billion parameter model produced approximately 20 kilotons of CO2 equivalents (CO2e) and consumed 281,000 cubic meters of water – the equivalent of roughly 112 Olympic-sized swimming pools. – https://www.theregister.com/2025/07/24/mistral_environmental_report_ai_cost/

Experts react: What Trump’s new AI Action Plan means for tech, energy, the economy, and more

(Atlantic Council – 23 July 2025) “An industrial revolution, an information revolution, and a renaissance—all at once.” That’s how the Trump administration describes artificial intelligence (AI) in its new “AI Action Plan.” Released on Wednesday, the plan calls for cutting regulations to spur AI innovation and adoption, speeding up the buildout of AI data centers, exporting AI “full technology stacks” to US allies and partners, and ridding AI systems of what the White House calls “ideological bias.” How does the plan’s approach to AI policy differ from past US policy? What impacts will it have on the US AI industry and global AI governance? What are the implications for energy and the glo bal economy?  –  https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/new-atlanticist/experts-react-what-trumps-new-ai-action-plan-means-for-tech-energy-the-economy-and-more/

UN World Court declares countries must curb emissions or be held responsible

(The Register – 23 July 2025) In a sweeping and unprecedented legal opinion, the United Nations’ highest court has decreed that “The consequences of climate change are severe and far-reaching” and constitute an “urgent and existential threat.” What’s more, it stated that action must be taken to not only ameliorate that threat but also to determine the legal consequences for those states whose actions harm others. The opinion comes down as tech companies race to build big new datacenters to power the AI revolution. Those datacenters are going to require a lot of energy, most of which will likely be generated by burning fossil fuels, thereby belching more CO2 into the atmosphere. While Wednesday’s opinion has no immediate and binding jurisdictional power, its international authority and legal arguments may well have the power to sway more specific international litigation in the areas of damage compensation, regulations, insurance availability, mitigation funding, and the like. Possibly … Maybe … This blockbuster finding was released by the United Nations International Court of Justice (ICJ), known more colloquially as the World Court, in a 133-page Advisory Opinion [PDF] entitled Obligations of States in Respect of Climate Change — or, in proper ICJese, Obligations des États en Matière de Changement Climatique. – https://www.theregister.com/2025/07/23/un_world_court_curb_emissions/

Geostrategies

Big Tech in Taiwan. Beyond Semiconductors

(Sam Bresnick – CSET – July 2025) Several U.S. technology companies have embedded themselves in Taiwan’s economy by building data centers, opening R&D facilities, and contracting with Taiwanese manufacturing partners, even as China’s pressure on the island has intensified. Their footprints in Taiwan raise the question of how corporate assets and personnel might shape U.S. technology companies’ decision-making in a potential contingency. This study traces the economic and operational linkages of 17 U.S. technology companies—firms that supported Ukraine after Russia’s 2022 invasion—to Taiwan, and examines how their entanglements with the island might impact their behavior in a future crisis.* Business calculations are only one factor in board‑room decision‑making, as reputation, public pressure, and corporate values also matter. That said, mapping the assets at stake helps illuminate the incentives and risks these companies would have to weigh if conflict erupts in the Taiwan Strait. While many, if not all, of the companies rely to some extent on Taiwan-made semiconductors, mapping their vulnerabilities to chip supply chain disruptions is beyond the scope of this report. Drawing on data on greenfield foreign direct investment (FDI), research and development (R&D) centers, data centers, supply chains, revenue, and job postings, this report finds that, of the companies that do business in China and Taiwan, the majority maintain more robust ties to the former. – https://cset.georgetown.edu/publication/big-tech-in-taiwan/

Sustaining the U.S. Edge in Remote Sensing, Launch, and Advanced Technologies for National Security

(Kathleen Curlee – CSET – July 2025) The U.S. space economy has evolved significantly over the past 70 years. What began in the 1950s as a fully government-supported sector has transformed into a dynamic ecosystem increasingly driven by private sector actors. In the 1960s, the first hints of corporate involvement emerged alongside government-led missions, as post-war political forces and technological advancements launched Sputnik and paved the way for U.S. remote-sensing satellites. Since then, a combination of Cold War necessity, public investment, and groundbreaking research has shaped the trajectory of the space economy, culminating in a modern industry in which innovation and competition among private firms play a central role. Today’s space economy is experiencing unprecedented growth, generating technological advancements, economic opportunity, and geopolitical influence. Valued at $630 billion in 2023 and projected to exceed $1.8 trillion by 2035, the global space industry is increasingly valuable to modern economies.1 From groundbreaking satellites to reusable launch systems, these advancements are as important to state economic interests as they are to global influence, security, and exploration. The United States has invested in this transformation more than any other country, allocating $73.2 billion to space programs in 2023 alone.2 This number is likely higher when combined with NASA’s budget. Historically, government investments and strategic policies have driven widespread innovation and enabled private companies to scale operations and develop transformative technologies.3 NASA’s early contracts with SpaceX, for instance, helped support the company’s development, and SpaceX’s technological breakthroughs, in turn, lowered barriers for new entrants in multiple sectors of the space industry, but only those not in direct competition with SpaceX.4 Payload providers can take advantage of SpaceX’s lower launch costs, but new launch companies have a harder time breaking into the market. Payload and satellite bus manufacturers are also facing a more challenging environment as SpaceX markets its Starlink bus for other purposes. – https://cset.georgetown.edu/publication/sustaining-the-u-s-edge-in-remote-sensing-launch-and-advanced-technologies-for-national-security/

Security

The U.S. Cannot Prevent Every AI Biothreat—But It Can Outpace Them

(Tal Feldman, Jonathan Feldman – Lawfare – 24 July 2025) The next biothreat might start as a line of code. A new class of artificial intelligence (AI) systems—known as protein language models (PLMs)—can design novel proteins with the potential to be used as bioweapons at astonishing speed. Originally developed to accelerate drug discovery, these systems can also propose mutations that make viruses more infectious, harder to detect, and resistant to treatment. The Trump administration’s newly released AI Action Plan includes a biosecurity section focused on access controls and nucleic acid synthesis screening. That emphasis is understandable but insufficient. Screening systems rely on matching against known pathogens, yet the threat from PLMs is precisely that they generate unknown proteins. Synthesis providers can’t evaluate whether a novel gene encodes a harmful function. And the growing availability of benchtop synthesis machines allows well-resourced actors to bypass providers entirely. In short, the danger has shifted upstream, to the model output itself. At first glance, PLMs resemble large language models (LLMs) such as ChatGPT: Both generate sequences using the same structure—words for LLMs, amino acids for PLMs. But that’s where the similarity ends. Harmful text from LLMs can be detected with filters and keywords. Dangerous proteins cannot be. Whether a protein is safe or harmful depends on complex biological properties—how it folds, what it interacts with, and how it behaves in the body—none of which can be reliably predicted from sequence alone. Today, scientists still need to test these proteins in the lab, using real human biological material, to understand their effects. – https://www.lawfaremedia.org/article/the-u.s.-cannot-prevent-every-ai-biothreat-but-it-can-outpace-them

Major hack hits Dutch Public Prosecution Service

(DigWatch – 24 July 2025) The Dutch Public Prosecution Service (OM) had confirmed a significant cyberattack that forced it to disconnect from the internet, following warnings of a potential vulnerability. Internal systems were cut off after the National Cybersecurity Centre alerted OM to the risk, with officials saying the disconnection could last for weeks. OM’s IT director, Hans Moonen, described the breach as massive and dramatic. He stated that reconnection is impossible until it’s confirmed that the intruder has been completely removed from the network. – https://dig.watch/updates/major-hack-hits-dutch-public-prosecution-service

European healthcare group AMEOS suffers a major hack

(DigWatch – 24 July 2025) Millions of patients, employees, and partners linked to AMEOS Group, one of Europe’s largest private healthcare providers, may have compromised their personal data following a major cyberattack. The company admitted that hackers briefly accessed its IT systems, stealing sensitive data including contact information and records tied to patients and corporate partners. Despite existing security measures, AMEOS was unable to prevent the breach. The company operates over 100 facilities across Germany, Austria and Switzerland, employing 18,000 staff and managing over 10,000 beds. – https://dig.watch/updates/european-healthcare-group-ameos-suffers-a-major-hack

ToolShell Attacks Hit 400+ SharePoint Servers, US Government Victims Named

(Security Week – 24 July 2025) News of the ToolShell attacks emerged over the weekend, when Microsoft and security firms warned that SharePoint zero-day vulnerabilities had been exploited to hack servers. The tech giant rushed to release patches for impacted SharePoint versions that are still supported, but initially only mitigations were available and those have since been bypassed. The first public reports of attacks were triggered by exploitation attempts seen on July 18, but Microsoft revealed on July 22 that it had found evidence of ToolShell exploitation commencing on July 7, roughly one week before researchers warned of the potential impact of the vulnerabilities. Microsoft has seen attacks conducted by two Chinese state-sponsored cyberespionage groups, named Linen Typhoon and Violet Typhoon. The company has also seen attack attempts by a threat actor it tracks as Storm-2603. This group, which Microsoft has linked to China with moderate confidence, has been observed deploying ransomware in ToolShell attacks conducted since July 18. “Although Microsoft has observed this threat actor deploying Warlock and Lockbit ransomware in the past, Microsoft is currently unable to confidently assess the threat actor’s objectives,” the company said on Wednesday. – https://www.securityweek.com/toolshell-attacks-hit-400-sharepoint-servers-us-government-victims-named/

US agencies warn of rising Interlock ransomware threat targeting healthcare sector

(DigWatch – 24 July 2025) US federal authorities have issued a joint warning over a spike in ransomware attacks by the Interlock group, which has been targeting healthcare and public services across North America and Europe. The alert was released by the FBI, CISA, HHS and MS-ISAC, following a surge in activity throughout June. Interlock operates as a ransomware-as-a-service scheme and first emerged in September 2024. The group uses double extortion techniques, not only encrypting files but also stealing sensitive data and threatening to leak it unless a ransom is paid. – https://dig.watch/updates/us-agencies-warn-of-rising-interlock-ransomware-threat-targeting-healthcare-sector

Cisco ISE vulnerabilities actively targeted by attackers

(DigWatch – 24 July 2025) Attackers have begun actively targeting critical vulnerabilities in Cisco’s Identity Services Engine (ISE) and ISE Passive Identity Connector (ISE‑PIC), less than a month after patches were made available. The flaws, CVE‑2025‑20281 and CVE‑2025‑20337, allow unauthenticated users to execute arbitrary commands at the root level via manipulated API inputs. A third issue, CVE‑2025‑20282, enables arbitrary file uploads to privileged directories. – https://dig.watch/updates/cisco-ise-vulnerabilities-actively-targeted-by-attackers

Hong Kong Post cyberattack exposes EC‑Ship user data

(DigWatch – 24 July 2025) A cyberattack on the Hong Kong Post has been confirmed. Targeting its EC‑Ship online shipping portal, the attack compromised personal address‑book information for approximately 60,000 to 70,000 users. The data breach included names, physical addresses, phone and fax numbers, and email addresses of both senders and recipients. The incident, detected late Sunday into Monday, involved an attacker using a legitimate EC‑Ship account to exploit a code vulnerability. Though the system’s security protocols identified unusual activity and suspended the account, the hacker persisted until  the flaw was fully patched. – https://dig.watch/updates/hong-kong-post-cyberattack-exposes-ec%e2% – 80%91ship-user-data

China warns citizens to beware backdoored devices, on land and under the sea

(The Register – 23 July 2025) China’s Ministry of State Security has spent the week warning of backdoored devices on land and at sea. On Monday, the Ministry used its WeChat channel to publish a lengthy warning about backdoors in devices and supply chain attacks on software. The post explains that some developers and manufacturers install backdoors as innocent tools to allow maintenance, but that criminals later use them for nefarious purposes. The Ministry is less kind about supply chain attacks on software, which it says criminals carry out specifically to implement backdoors. – https://www.theregister.com/2025/07/23/china_backdoor_alerts/?td=rt-3a

Defence, Intelligence, Warfare

China claims to fix fatal design flaw that killed US Navy’s stealth drone dreams

(Interesting Engineering – 24 July 2025) Chinese engineers say they have cracked a fundamental bottleneck in stealth aircraft design with a new software platform that lets designers juggle hundreds of variables without piling on computing costs. The team, led by Huang Jiangtao at the China Aerodynamics Research and Development Centre, demonstrated the method on the US Navy’s X‑47B stealth drone, long cited as a case study in design trade-offs, and reported “dramatic improvements” when optimising 740 variables at once, from drag and radar signature to engine thrust and airflow stability. – https://interestingengineering.com/military/china-design-hurdle-stealth-drone

Frontiers

OpenAI Cloud Agreement with Google Confirmed Despite Rivalry in AI Market

(AI Insider – 24 July 2025) Google has confirmed a new cloud computing partnership with OpenAI, its chief competitor in the generative AI space, marking a significant twist in the escalating AI landscape. CEO Sundar Pichai acknowledge  d the deal during Alphabet’s Q2 earnings call, expressing enthusiasm for supporting OpenAI’s AI model training and deployment on Google Cloud infrastructure. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2025/07/24/openai-cloud-agreement-with-google-confirmed-despite-rivalry-in-ai-market/

OmniOps Launches Bunyan, Saudi Arabia’s First Inference as a Service Platform

(AI Insider – 24 July 2025) OmniOps has officially launched Bunyan بنيان, Saudi Arabia’s first sovereign Inference-as-a-Service platform, signaling a major milestone in national AI infrastructure. Designed for full data sovereignty and compliance, Bunyan delivers support for text, vision, and speech applications with performance gains including 2x faster inference, 50% lower energy use, and 40% reduced latency. Built on a GPU-agnostic, end-to-end AI stack, Bunyan enables rapid deployment of custom or catalog-based AI models across public or private cloud, giving enterprises the ability to accelerate AI workloads while maintaining control over sensitive data. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2025/07/24/omniops-launches-bunyan-saudi-arabias-first-inference-as-a-service-platform/

Bonsai Robotics Acquires farm-ng to Advance Autonomous Farming

(AI Insider – 24 July 2025) Bonsai Robotics has acquired farm-ng, combining vision-based AI autonomy with modular robotic platforms to accelerate the deployment of smart machines for agriculture. The merged company will offer AI-first, cost-effective machines that improve efficiency, reduce operational costs, and work across a variety of crops, geographies, and tasks. The combined team includes former John Deere technology director John Teeple as COO and OpenCV founder Gary Bradski as Chief Science Officer, positioning Bonsai as a leader in next-gen agtech integration. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2025/07/24/bonsai-robotics-acquires-farm-ng-to-lead-the-future-of-autonomous-farming/

Leibniz Supercomputing Centre Computes With Light: World’s First Photonic AI Processor From Q.ANT Goes Into Operation

(Quantum Insider – 24 July 2025) Q.ANT has installed its Native Processing Server (NPS) at the Leibniz Supercomputing Centre (LRZ), marking the world’s first deployment of an analog photonic co-processor in an operational high-performance computing (HPC) environment. The photonic system promises up to 90x lower energy consumption and 100x greater data center capacity, enabling real-time AI and simulation workloads without the need for conventional cooling. Supported by German federal and Bavarian funding, the project aims to evaluate hybrid digital-analog architectures and sets the stage for broader adoption of photonic computing in HPC and scientific research. – https://thequantuminsider.com/2025/07/24/leibniz-supercomputing-centre-computes-with-light-worlds-first-photonic-ai-processor-from-q-ant-goes-into-operation/

Universal Quantum Joins Open Quantum Institute to Advance Endometriosis Drug Discovery with Quantum Computing

(Quantum Insider – 24 July 2025) Universal Quantum has joined the Open Quantum Institute to explore real-world quantum applications, starting with a drug discovery project for endometriosis. The collaboration will use quantum simulations to investigate non-hormonal treatments for a condition affecting 10% of women globally, with a focus on underserved populations. Universal Quantum’s participation reflects its broader mission to develop scalable ion-trap quantum hardware while ensuring ethical and socially beneficial applications aligned with global goals. – https://thequantuminsider.com/2025/07/24/universal-quantum-joins-open-quantum-institute-to-advance-endometriosis-drug-discovery-with-quantum-computing/

Infleqtion to Build Neutral Atom Quantum Computer in Illinois, Backed by $50 Million Partnership

(Quantum Insider – 24 July 2025) Infleqtion will build the first utility-scale neutral atom quantum computer in Illinois, backed by a $50 million public-private partnership with the Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park and the National Quantum Algorithms Center. The system will use Infleqtion’s Sqale platform to target 100 logical qubits using thousands of neutral atom qubits, offering scalability, reconfigurability, and integration with AI and error correction technologies. The project establishes Illinois as Infleqtion’s quantum computing headquarters, with commitments to job creation, capital investment, and expanded quantum R&D infrastructure. – https://thequantuminsider.com/2025/07/24/infleqtion-to-build-neutral-atom-quantum-computer-in-illinois-backed-by-50-million-partnership/

Going For The Gold: Researchers Say Gold Clusters Show Promise as Scalable Options For Quantum Computers, Sensors

(Quantum Insider – 24 July 2025) Researchers from Penn State and Colorado State have demonstrated that gold nanoclusters can replicate the spin properties of gas-phase atoms used in high-precision quantum systems, offering a scalable alternative for quantum applications. The study shows that these clusters exhibit long-lived, tunable spin polarization and support multiple Rydberg-like spin-polarized states essential for quantum information processing. By modifying the surrounding ligands, scientists were able to enhance spin polarization up to 40%, suggesting a new chemically tunable platform for spin-based quantum technologies. – https://thequantuminsider.com/2025/07/24/going-for-the-gold-researchers-say-gold-clusters-show-promise-as-scalable-options-for-quantum-computers-sensors/

Could a Network of Quantum Computers Probe General Relativity on Earth?

(Quantum Insider – 24 July 2025) A study published in PRX Quantum proposes using a network of optical clock-equipped quantum computers at different elevations to test how gravity affects quantum systems. The experiment relies on gravitational time dilation and precise quantum interference patterns to probe potential violations of the Born rule, a core principle of standard quantum theory. Researchers say the protocol is feasible with current quantum network technology and could be implemented using existing infrastructure in the Chicago area. – https://thequantuminsider.com/2025/07/24/could-a-network-of-quantum-computers-probe-general-relativity-on-earth/

India Opens Rolling Call for Quantum Startups Under National Mission

(Quantum Insider – 24 July 2025) India’s Department of Science and Technology has launched a rolling call for startup proposals under its National Quantum Mission to accelerate domestic innovation in quantum technologies. Eligible startups must focus on one of four areas—computing, communication, sensing and metrology, or materials and devices—and apply through a corresponding Thematic Hub at a top academic institution. The program offers more than funding, providing scientific mentorship, infrastructure access, and academic partnerships to help startups move toward commercialization. – https://thequantuminsider.com/2025/07/24/india-opens-rolling-call-for-quantum-startups-under-national-mission/

China’s Pudu Robotics Launches New Series of Heavy-Payload Industrial Robots

(AI Insider – 24 July 2025) Pudu Robotics has launched the T600 Series, a new line of heavy-payload autonomous delivery robots aimed at streamlining goods handling in complex industrial environments. The series includes two models: the PUDU T600 with touchscreen and manual controls for hybrid tasks, and the T600 Underride, a low-profile AMR that lifts and transports shelves for fully automated shelf-to-line logistics. Key features include a 600kg payload capacity, adaptive navigation in narrow aisles, elevator prioritization for multi-floor operations, VDA5050 protocol compatibility, IoT integration, and on-premises deployment options for data security in sensitive manufacturing settings. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2025/07/24/chinas-pudu-robotics-launches-new-series-of-heavy-payload-industrial-robots/

Yaskawa America Announces New Industrial Robotics Manufacturing Facility in U.S.

(AI Insider – 24 July 2025) Yaskawa America will begin manufacturing high-volume industrial robots in the U.S. for the first time, announcing a new advanced manufacturing facility on its forthcoming Franklin, Wisconsin campus. The new site will consolidate multiple Drives and Motion Division facilities into an 800,000-square-foot hub for robotics, AC drives, solar inverters, and motion control systems, while the Motoman Robotics Division will remain headquartered in Miamisburg, Ohio. The investment supports Yaskawa’s North American growth strategy and commitment to localizing production to reduce lead times, strengthen supply chains, and better serve customers across the Americas. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2025/07/24/yaskawa-america-announces-new-industrial-robotics-manufacturing-facility-in-u-s/

Delve Announces $32M Series A to Automate Compliance with AI Agents at $300M Valuation

(AI Insider – 24 July 2025) Delve, the AI compliance startup founded by MIT classmates Karun Kaushik and Selin Kocalar, has closed a $32 million Series A round at a $300 million valuation. The round, led by Insight Partners with participation from Fortune 500 CISOs, follows a rapid expansion since Delve’s $3 million seed raise earlier this year. Delve uses domain-specific AI agents to automate regulatory frameworks like HIPAA, SOC 2, PCI, and GDPR — replacing hundreds of hours of manual audit preparation with intelligent, real-time workflows. The platform integrates with company systems to gather evidence, track changes, and manage compliance documentation autonomously. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2025/07/24/delve-announces-32m-series-a-to-automate-compliance-with-ai-agents-at-300m-valuation/

ValGenesis Secures $16M Strategic Financing to Accelerate Global Expansion and AI-Driven Innovation

(AI Insider – 24 July 2025) ValGenesis has secured up to $16M in strategic financing from Bridge Bank’s Innovation Banking Group to accelerate global expansion and AI-powered product innovation in digital validation for life sciences. The funding supports growth of the ValGenesis Smart GxP™ platform, strategic hiring, and partner expansion across North America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific amid rising demand for compliance automation. Backed by Morgan Stanley Expansion Capital, ValGenesis is trusted by 30 of the top 50 global life sciences firms and continues to lead the market in digitizing validation lifecycle management. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2025/07/24/valgenesis-secures-16m-strategic-financing-to-accelerate-global-expansion-and-ai-driven-innovation/

Slingshot Launches Ash, the First AI Designed for Therapy

(AI Insider – 24 July 2025) Slingshot AI has launched Ash, the first AI built specifically for therapy, after 18 months of development and $93M in funding from investors including Radical Ventures, Forerunner, and a16z. Ash uses a custom psychology foundation model trained on diverse therapeutic approaches and continuously adapts to users through reinforcement learning for deeply personalized support. Backed by a clinical advisory board including former NIMH head Dr. Thomas Insel, Ash aims to broaden access to evidence-based mental health care, especially for underserved populations. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2025/07/24/slingshot-launches-ash-the-first-ai-designed-for-therapy/

US ditches steel in first nuclear reactor parts, turning to cutting-edge 3D printing

(Interesting Engineering – 24 July 2025) A novel construction method is taking shape in East Tennessee, where massive, custom-printed molds are being used to pour concrete for the nation’s first new advanced reactor in decades. At Kairos Power’s campus in Oak Ridge, these 3D-printed polymer forms are being used to build components for the Hermes Low-Power Demonstration Reactor. Notably, Hermes is the first advanced reactor to receive a construction permit from the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission. – https://interestingengineering.com/energy/3d-printing-for-nuclear-reactor-parts

Quantum chip brings collider-scale power to palm, advancing physics, medicine

(Interesting Engineering – 24 July 2025) Researchers at the University of Colorado (CU) Denver have found a novel way to create extreme electromagnetic fields, much like those at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN, on a thumb-sized chip in the laboratory. The breakthrough promises a revolution in science, allowing quantum scientists to probe ideas that are straight out of science fiction and improve our understanding of medicine and physics, a press release said. Electromagnetic fields are created when electrons inside materials vibrate and bounce at very high speeds. These fields are important since they power most modern technology, from electronic chips to large scientific equipment used in modern medicine. – https://interestingengineering.com/science/lhc-on-a-chip-gamma-ray-laser

Teen builds Hindi AI tool to help paralysis patients speak

(DigWatch – 24 July 2025) An Indian teenager has created a low-cost AI device that translates slurred speech into clear Hindi, helping patients with paralysis and neurological conditions communicate more easily. Pranet Khetan’s innovation, Paraspeak, uses a custom Hindi speech recognition model to address a long-ignored area of assistive tech. – https://dig.watch/updates/teen-builds-hindi-ai-tool-to-help-paralysis-patients-speak

Should We Trust AI? Three Approaches to AI Fallibility

(Security Week – 23 July 2025) Agentic AI is a class of large language model (LLM) AI that can respond to inputs, set its own goals, and interact with other tools to achieve those goals – without necessarily requiring human intervention. Such tools are generally built on top of major generative AI (gen-AI) models typified by ChatGPT; so, before asking if we can trust agentic AI, we should ask if we can trust gen-AI. And here’s our first problem: nobody really understands how gen-AI works, not even the scientists and engineers who developed it. – https://www.securityweek.com/should-we-trust-ai-three-approaches-to-ai-fallibility/