Europe’s $3.1B satellite merger won’t rival Musk’s Starlink

Jun05
by on June 5, 2025 at 2:49 pm
Posted In: Space


Two satellite heavyweights are about to form a European rival to Starlink. But they’ll face an uphill battle to compete with Elon Musk’s firm. Luxembourg-based SES’ proposed $3.1bn takeover of Intelsat is set to get the green light from EU officials, Reuters reports. A final verdict is expected by June 10.   SES first announced plans to acquire Luxembourgish-American rival Intelsat in April 2024, calling it a “transformational merger” that could reshape the satellite internet market. The merged company would have a fleet of more than 100 geostationary and 26 medium Earth orbit satellites. Intelsat would contribute 75 of those probes,…

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Exclusive: New autonomous tractor can shift from farming to warfare

Jun05
by on June 5, 2025 at 11:34 am
Posted In: Uncategorized


Spanish startup Voltrac has emerged from stealth with an autonomous tractor that lives a double life.  In peacetime, the 3.5-tonne electric vehicle zips around farms, hauling heavy goods and using cameras to gather data on crop health. But when enlisted, the tractor is equally capable of navigating enemy assaults to deliver critical supplies to frontline soldiers. “In Ukraine, for instance, many lives are lost in non-combat situations, including frontline resupply missions,” Voltrac’s cofounder and CTO, Francisco Infante Aguirre, told TNW in an interview. “That’s where we see a machine like ours making a difference: it’s built for tough terrain, and…

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‘World’s first’ autofocus glasses could spell the end of reading specs

Jun05
by on June 5, 2025 at 7:00 am
Posted In: Uncategorized


While Mark Zuckerberg was hyping Meta’s latest Ray-Ban smartglasses and Apple was promoting its Vision Pro mixed reality headset in 2023, Finnish startup IXI was quietly crafting high-tech specs for more practical purposes.  Founded in 2021, the company emerged from stealth in April with $36mn in funding to commercialise what it claims are the world’s first autofocus glasses. The prescription specs promise to change the way visually-impaired people see the world around them.  “None of the tech giants are fixing eyesight,” Niko Eiden, IXI’s cofounder and CEO, told TNW in an interview. “They’re looking at smart eyewear as a new…

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Klarna CEO: Engineers risk losing out to business people who can code

Jun04
by on June 4, 2025 at 6:28 pm
Posted In: Future of Work


Klarna’s CEO has warned that software engineers risk being left behind in the AI era — unless they’re also business-savvy. Speaking at SXSW London, Sebastian Siemiatkowski said the talent “who have really accelerated their careers at Klarna” are “business people who have learned to code.” The reason? “They can take their business understanding and turn it into deterministic or probabilistic statements with AI.” This shift, he warned, poses a threat to engineers. “A lot of them have allowed themselves to be isolated with technical challenges only, and not been that interested in what the business actually does,” he said. His message…

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Startups need ‘clear pathway’ into UK’s new defence plan, experts warn

Jun03
by on June 3, 2025 at 1:54 pm
Posted In: artificial intelligence


Britain’s new military tech strategy will fail unless startups are given clear pathways to adoption, experts have warned. Their concerns follow the government’s announcement that defence spending will increase to its highest level since the Cold War. Prime Minister Keir Starmer set out the aims in the new Strategic Defence Review (SDR), which includes plans to boost investment in technologies such as AI, drones, robots, laser weapons, and submarines.  The review outlines ambitious goals for military innovation, but defence tech insiders say the real challenge lies in translating funding into front-line deployment.  Tanya Suarez, who leads the dual-use accelerator Janus…

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