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Friday is here, there is a long weekend ahead in the Netherlands, and it’s time for your weekly round-up of news from the Dutch tech ecosystem.  This week saw Booking.com become a DMA “gatekeeper,” a new European Investment Fund (EIF) office opened in Amsterdam, TSMC questioned whether or not ASML’s new machines might be too expensive, neobank bunq entered the insurance market and there were fresh rounds of funding for Magic Lane and Refreshworks.ai, and more.  Our highlights have you covered, but... Читать дальше...

You’ve probably already seen the dazzling pics of the aurora that flooded social media over the weekend. Lucky onlookers were treated to streaks of green, pink, and purple dancing across the night sky from the UK to New Zealand. ???????????????????????????? ???????????????????????????????? ???????? ???????????????????????? – Comme si vous y étiez en accéléré ! Timelapse d’une heure – Mont Saint-Michel – Nuit du 10 au 11 Mai 2024 ????????????ℎ???????????? ???????????????????????? / Tous Droits Réservés#aurore... Читать дальше...

Many noteworthy things happened in the realm of European tech yesterday. However, not all involved the King of Sweden — and quantum. To see the representative of such a traditional office in conjunction with the most out-there groundbreaking tech almost causes a bit of a cognitive dissonance. Nonetheless, H.M. King Carl XVI Gustaf attended the inauguration of the second House of Quantum building in Delft, the Netherlands, on Wednesday.  The mission of House of Quantum is to create a national campus for the Dutch quantum ecosystem. Читать дальше...

Business execs and politicians gathered at a helicopter base in France yesterday for the first public unveiling of Airbus’ new Racer aircraft. At first glance, Racer looks like a regular helicopter. Look closer, however, and you’ll notice it has both wings and two forward-facing rotors. This means it can take-off vertically like a helicopter, and fly fast like a plane — real fast. Racer can reach speeds in excess of 400 km/h. That eclipses civilian helicopters, which cruise at around 200 km/h. It’s... Читать дальше...

The modern startup founder will tell you work never stops. What they’re far less likely to tell you is that stress, anxiety, panic, and feelings of failure never stop either.  From worrying about funding and filling skills gaps in an uber-competitive environment, to simply running out of available working time to clear to-do lists — leaders contend with countless unique and interchangeable stresses on a daily basis.  Whether it’s a lack of time, money or talent, these stresses contribute to a culture of overworking... Читать дальше...

The artificial intelligence scene in Great Britain feels a little bit like your weekly tv drama at the moment. Major funding rounds compete for attention with controversial CEO departures and outlandish government campaigns (“Unicorn Kingdom” and 3D statue holograms, anyone?).   London-based PolyAI today announced it had secured a valuation of $500mn following a successful fund raise for its call centre voice assistant tech. It might not be the sexiest of AI applications, but then again not all business bets need to be. Читать дальше...

Have you ever been trapped in a bad relationship? I’m stuck in one right now with Google Chrome. The browser’s good looks can no longer hide the ugliness that lurks inside. Chrome devours my laptop’s memory, sucks away its battery, and harvests my data. All the while, the software expands Google’s almighty empire. Chrome, you treat me terribly. Why can’t I quit you?  One reason for my undeserved loyalty is that rival browsers have rarely caught my eye. But that’s started to change.  A raft of pro-competition... Читать дальше...

Amazon Web Services (AWS) today confirmed plans to launch its European “sovereign cloud”, aiming to enhance data residency and security across the EU. The city of Bradenburg in Germany will be the first region to host the cloud servers, which are set to power up by the end of 2025. AWS will invest €7.8bn through 2040. According to the tech giant, the European sovereign cloud will have its entire infrastructure within the EU and will operate independently from existing cloud regions. Only EU-resident... Читать дальше...

While Intel is betting big on ASML’s latest High NA EUV chipmaking machines, Taiwanese semiconductor giant TSMC is considering opting out. Speaking at a conference in Amsterdam on Tuesday, TSMC’s Senior VP Kevin Zhang told reporters that ASML’s new equipment comes with too hefty a price tag. The Dutch chipmaker’s High NA EUV machines represent the next generation in extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography technology, which uses light to draw chip designs on the silicon wafer. According to ASML, these... Читать дальше...

A Finnish startup today launched a multilingual AI model that’s a “significant milestone” on the path to LLMs for every EU language, the company says. Helsinki-based Silo AI calls the new large language model Viking 7B. It covers  Danish, Finnish, Icelandic, Norwegian, and Swedish, as well as English and programming languages. Evaluations indicate best-in-class performance in all the Nordic languages — without compromising the English outputs. Peter Sarlin, Silo AI’s CEO, told TNW that his company... Читать дальше...