IonQ is making its biggest move yet, buying semiconductor foundry SkyWater Technology for roughly $1.8 billion. The deal aims to create a “vertically integrated quantum platform” and speed up manufacturing. But it’s a huge bet on a technology still in its infancy.
The corporate training AI platform just raised $200 million, nearly doubling its valuation to $4 billion. In a notable move, it’s facilitating a structured secondary sale so employees can get liquidity without an IPO.
A new report from the World Economic Forum’s Cybercrime Atlas project reveals that commercially available deepfake tools are successfully bypassing Know Your Customer (KYC) protections. The analysis of 25 tools, done with partners like Banco Santander and Group-IB, shows the barrier to real-time ide
Therapists report a surge in clients anxious about AI making their jobs obsolete. A recent survey found 38% of workers share this fear, which is fueled by real-world layoffs linked to automation. Experts are now offering coping strategies for this modern workplace stress.
The founder of Chinese AI model developer MiniMax, Yan Junjie, is now a billionaire after his company’s blockbuster market debut. The IPO raised $618 million and saw shares more than double, highlighting intense investor appetite for China’s AI sector.
Facing fierce competition and losses, Chinese EV maker Xpeng is rebranding as a “physical AI” company. It plans robotaxi trials and to mass-produce humanoid robots by late 2026, betting that software and robotics will be its salvation.
Elon Musk’s xAI is burning through cash at a staggering rate, with losses widening as it invests heavily in data centers and talent. The company’s goal is to develop AI that will eventually power humanoid robots like Tesla’s Optimus, but profitability remains a distant target.
Microsoft is testing a new Copilot Checkout feature for US users, allowing purchases directly within its AI chat. The test involves major brands like Urban Outfitters and Anthropologie, and is powered by the open Agentic Commerce Protocol from OpenAI and Stripe.
Databricks just dropped research showing a 70% improvement over traditional RAG for complex enterprise questions. The secret? Teaching the retriever to actually understand instructions and metadata. This could be a game-changer for anyone using AI on messy, real-world data.
Microsoft is launching Copilot Checkout, an AI agent that can purchase items directly within a chat. Starting with partners like Etsy, PayPal, and Shopify, it aims to make shopping seamless. But it also makes Microsoft’s AI assistant more inescapable than ever.
