Emerging technology
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Deepfakes are eroding trust in politics and society. Elections can be swayed by lies candidates never told. From Slovakia’s 2023 ballot to paid fake ads on social platforms, synthetic media is undermining democratic processes and public confidence — a growing threat with few safeguards in place.
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Huawei has unveiled its first full roadmap for chips. The Chinese technology group outlined upgrades to its Ascend processors and Atlas supercomputers, aiming to cut reliance on foreign suppliers and challenge Nvidia’s AI dominance. The plans extend to 2028 but face significant production hurdles.
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Tech giants are converting old European power plants for data centres. Major technology companies are partnering with utilities to transform decommissioned coal and gas-fired sites into high-capacity data centres, accelerating grid connections and powering the next wave of AI infrastructure growth across the region.
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Lancashire’s Audiebant has secured seven-figure NPIF II backing. The funding will drive global growth as the business scales its multilingual mass communications platform in Europe and North America, while also investing in patent-pending technology for critical safety alerts.
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Bank of England shows openness to stablecoins in wholesale markets. Sasha Mills, Executive Director of Financial Market Infrastructure, indicated a potential role for stablecoins in wholesale markets, signalling a shift from the Bank’s cautious stance, amidst industry feedback.
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The EU has launched a five-pillar quantum plan. The Commission wants Europe to become a “quantum industrial powerhouse” by 2030 — and is drawing up a Quantum Act to boost investment, secure infrastructure, and scale start-ups. Six pilot chip lines and a new quantum academy will launch by 2026.
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Europe’s AI future hinges on grid speed. A new report warns that poor electricity grid planning could result in 13-year connection delays for data centres, pushing billions in investment away from the continent’s traditional tech hubs and towards more agile markets in southern and central Europe.
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Quantum innovation programme to power advanced connectivity in the UK.
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Bengio says AI now needs watchdogs smarter than the models themselves.
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Jensen Huang warns that restrictions have backfired, accelerating Chinese innovation and costing US firms billions.