Google DeepMind to Launch AI-Powered Automated Science Lab in UK for Superconductor Research
Google DeepMind will establish its first automated research laboratory in the UK in 2026, expanding its partnership with the UK government. The lab will utilize AI and robotics to accelerate scientific discovery, with an initial focus on developing new superconductor materials. This advanced facility will be fully integrated with Google’s Gemini AI. The partnership aims to reinforce the UK’s position as a global leader in science and technology. As part of the collaboration, UK scientists will receive priority access to some of DeepMind’s cutting-edge AI models, including AlphaGenome for DNA sequencing. The initiative will also explore using AI for cleaner fusion energy, developing safer AI educational tools, and enhancing public service efficiency.
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Thomson Reuters & Imperial College London Partner on Frontier AI Research Lab
Thomson Reuters and Imperial College London have announced a five-year partnership to create a joint Frontier AI Research Lab in London. The lab will concentrate on foundational AI challenges, including safety, reliability, and the societal and economic impacts of the technology. A key objective is to train large-scale foundation models, a task previously limited to a few large industrial institutions. The research will explore areas such as agentic systems, data-centric machine learning, and reasoning and planning. Researchers will have access to Imperial College’s high-performance computing infrastructure and Thomson Reuters’ proprietary data to support their work. The collaboration will feature joint seminars, co-supervised research projects, and the open publication of all findings.
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Rivian Unveils Universal Hands-Free Driving and New AI Assistant
Electric vehicle manufacturer Rivian announced a major software update introducing ‘universal hands-free’ driving at its first-ever Autonomy and AI Day. The company claims this technology will enable its vehicles to autonomously navigate over 3.5 million miles of marked roads in North America. During the event, Rivian also revealed its new custom processor, RAP1, and a new AI assistant. This AI assistant will integrate with applications like Google Maps and Calendar and can control vehicle functions such as drive modes and seat warmers. These new autonomous driving capabilities and AI-powered features are slated for availability in the R2 model.
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Guident Targets NASDAQ Listing as an Infrastructure Provider for Autonomous Vehicles
Guident, a company specializing in autonomous vehicle safety and robot monitoring solutions, is preparing for a NASDAQ listing amid growing interest in the robotics sector. The company offers a Remote Monitor and Control Center (RMCC) platform, positioned as a critical infrastructure layer for the safe operation of autonomous vehicles and robots. This technology enables human-in-the-loop intervention for edge cases and complex scenarios that autonomous systems cannot yet handle independently. Guident’s system has been demonstrated by remotely controlling a full-size automated bus over a long distance and is currently managing a driverless shuttle route in Boca Raton. The company’s recurring revenue model is based on charges per robot, mile, or operating hour.
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Autonomous Off-Highway Machinery Summit Spotlights AI and Automation Advances
The 5th Autonomous Off-highway Machinery Technology Summit in Louisville, Kentucky, is focusing on the latest developments in autonomous machines, AI, and deep learning. The event gathers experts to discuss advanced sensor solutions, software, and data management for the off-highway industry. A key theme is how automation can enhance operational efficiency, improve safety by removing humans from high-risk tasks, and address challenges like labor shortages. Presentations and case studies will explore real-world applications and benefits of these technologies in sectors such as construction and forestry.
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Harness Secures $240M in Series E Funding to Advance AI in DevOps
Harness Inc., a startup integrating artificial intelligence into DevOps workflows, has secured $240 million in a Series E funding round. The investment, led by Goldman Sachs, values the company at $5.5 billion. Harness aims to bridge the gap between AI-driven code production and the operational side of the software development lifecycle, including testing, deployment, and security. The company provides AI-powered automation for software delivery, testing, verification, security, and governance. With this new capital, Harness plans to further enhance its AI capabilities to improve the efficiency and precision of DevOps processes. The company is on track to exceed $250 million in annual recurring revenue in 2025.
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Oracle Expands Database@Google Cloud to Canada, Reports Strong Cloud Revenue Growth
Oracle has expanded its multicloud offerings by making Oracle Database@Google Cloud available to customers in Canada. This allows them to run Oracle database services on Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) within Google Cloud regions in Montreal and Toronto, helping Canadian customers meet data residency and compliance requirements. In its latest earnings report, Oracle announced a 13% year-over-year revenue increase for Q2 fiscal year 2026, reaching $16.1 billion. The company’s cloud revenue surged by 34% to $8 billion, now comprising half of its total revenue. Oracle also anticipates a 30-40% margin increase for its AI workloads on OCI, driven by a significant deal with OpenAI that has led to a 438% increase in remaining performance obligations.
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CFOs Take Control of Rising Cloud and AI Costs to Protect Profitability
According to a new study by Cloud Capital, cloud infrastructure costs are a major financial concern for early-stage SaaS and tech companies, averaging 10% of revenue and ranking as the second-largest expense after salaries. For some AI-focused businesses, this figure can reach as high as 30% to 40%. As a result, Chief Financial Officers are increasingly taking direct control over cloud spending and governance. The study found that 89% of surveyed CFOs state that rising cloud costs have eroded company profits, marking a shift from engineering-led cloud optimization to a more finance-led approach to cost control.
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Breakthrough Research Extends Quantum Computer Connection Distance to 2,000km
Recent research from the University of Chicago’s Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering could dramatically increase the connection distance for quantum computers to a potential 2,000 kilometers (1,243 miles). This breakthrough shatters previous records, which limited connections to just a few kilometers. The research, published in Nature Communications, involves extending the quantum coherence times of individual erbium atoms from 0.1 milliseconds to over 10 milliseconds. This advancement is a significant step toward creating a global-scale quantum internet. The team’s next step is to test if the increased coherence time enables quantum computers to connect over these greater distances in a lab setting.
Alice & Bob Partners with TERATEC to Integrate Quantum and High-Performance Computing
Alice & Bob has entered into a partnership with TERATEC to advance the integration of quantum computing with high-performance computing (HPC). This collaboration aims to bridge the gap between these two powerful computing paradigms. Specific details of the joint projects have not yet been publicly disclosed.
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Mistral AI Launches Devstral 2, an Open-Source Code Generation Model
Mistral AI has introduced Devstral 2, a new open-source language model focused on code generation. The model is available with fully open weights under a permissive license, offering a powerful alternative to proprietary coding models. Devstral 2 is available in two sizes: a 123 billion parameter model for complex tasks and a smaller 24 billion parameter version designed for consumer-grade hardware. Both versions feature a 256,000-token context window and can accept image inputs for vision-and-code use cases. This release is part of Mistral’s strategy to provide open and adaptable AI models for developers and enterprises.
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KDE Project Releases Plasma 6.5.4 Bugfix Update for Desktop Environment
The KDE project has released a bugfix update for its Plasma 6 desktop environment, version 6.5.4. This release follows the initial launch of Plasma 6.5 in October 2025 and includes three weeks of translation updates and fixes from contributors. The bugfixes are described as small but important for improving the overall user experience. KDE is an international technology team that develops free and open-source software for both desktop and portable computing.
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