The morning briefing.
While you slept: India considers banning AI in courts, Huawei unveils a new 'Logic Folding' chip, and Europe pushes for tech sovereignty.
AI Policy & Frontier Models. India's Supreme Court proposes a complete ban on AI-driven adjudication, raising significant questions about AI's role in legal systems. Concurrently, leading tech figures like Sam Altman and Dario Amodei are urging Congress to mandate screening for synthetic DNA orders, citing AI's potential to assist in bioweapon development. On the innovation front, xAI has updated Grok Imagine to 1.5, enabling image-to-video generation at 720p resolution, showcasing advancements in frontier AI capabilities.
Hardware & Robotics Innovation. Huawei is set to launch its Mate 90 series, featuring the groundbreaking Kirin 9050 'Logic Folding' chip, a 3D stacked transistor design poised to redefine mobile processing. China has also achieved a significant breakthrough in data storage with the mass production of 360TB glass hard drives, offering a new solution for enterprise cold data. In robotics, BYD is reportedly developing humanoid robots, while Amazon's updated Proteus warehouse robot can now interact with workers using natural language.
AI Funding & European Digital Strategy. The AI funding landscape remains dynamic, with China's DeepSeek reportedly securing $6.9 billion in a landmark private funding round. Europe is also strengthening its AI ecosystem, as Merantix Capital closed a €103 million fund for early-stage AI startups. This aligns with the EU's broader tech sovereignty package, aiming to reduce reliance on US technology and bolster homegrown capabilities. These efforts also influence consumer tech, with Nintendo's Switch 2 featuring replaceable batteries for the EU market.
Amazon develops a warehouse robot workers can speak to
Amazon has announced a new version of its fully autonomous warehouse robot, Proteus, which can interact using language instead of code. This AI-powered upgrade allows human employees to assign tasks to the robot in the same way they would communicate with colleagues.
SC Proposes Complete Ban On AI-Driven Adjudication
India's Supreme Court has released a comprehensive draft framework proposing a complete ban on the use of artificial intelligence in the Indian judiciary. This framework aims to govern the deployment of AI in legal processes.
xAI updates Grok Imagine to 1.5 with image-to-video generation at 720p resolution
xAI has released "grok-imagine-video-1.5-preview," an image-to-video model capable of transforming still images into cinematic videos at up to 720p resolution based on text prompts. Multiple clips generated by the model can be stitched together to create longer scenes.
Huawei Unveils Mate 90 Series with Revolutionary Kirin 9050 'Logic Folding' Chip
Huawei has announced its Mate 90 series, set for a September 2026 launch, featuring the Kirin 9050 processor with "Logic Folding" technology. This industry-first 3D stacked transistor design breaks away from traditional single-layer circuit architectures.
China Achieves Mass Production Breakthrough with 360TB Glass Hard Drives
Researchers at Huazhong University of Science and Technology have achieved small-scale mass production of glass-based hard drives, which can store 360 terabytes of data across 400 stacked layers. This breakthrough could transform enterprise cold data storage using laser "carving" technology.
DeepSeek's Coming of Age: Landmark Funding Round and the Case for Consumer Monetization
Chinese AI lab DeepSeek is reportedly raising approximately 50 billion RMB (about $6.9 billion) at a valuation between $48-55 billion. This landmark funding round signals a maturation for the company, known for its cost-efficient large language models.
German VC Merantix Capital closes €103 million fund for early-stage AI startups
Berlin-based Merantix Capital has closed its €103 million AI Fund, which will invest in approximately 40 early-stage, AI-native companies across various European sectors. Strategic limited partners include Union Investment, Jungheinrich, and KPMG Germany.
London’s Airspeed raises €17.2 million Series A to build AI-powered execution layer for revenue teams
London-based Airspeed has raised €17.2 million ($20 million) in Series A funding to scale its proprietary agent-native platform for GTM execution. The capital will be used to expand its US presence and hire new global talent.
Samsung's updated Health app unsurprisingly comes with new AI-powered features
Samsung will roll out an update for its Health app before the launch of its new Galaxy Watches, incorporating new AI-powered features. These enhancements aim to provide users with more advanced health insights and tracking capabilities.
ByteDance's Doubao Introduces Paid Pro Tier as User Base Dips by 6 Million
ByteDance's AI assistant Doubao has launched a paid subscription tier, Doubao Pro, with monthly pricing ranging from $9 to $70. This move comes as third-party data indicates the platform lost 6.07 million monthly active users in May, a 1.81% decline.
AI can now coach amateur virologists, and top tech leaders want Congress to act on DNA security
Sam Altman, Dario Amodei, and Demis Hassabis are among tech leaders urging the US government to legally require screening of synthetic DNA orders. They warn that AI systems already outperform PhD-level virologists on lab procedures, raising bioweapon misuse risks.
BYD is developing humanoid robots, according to source
Chinese electric vehicle giant BYD is reportedly developing humanoid robots, a claim supported by comments from Executive Vice President Li Ke. The company's entry into humanoid robotics follows its established presence in the EV sector.
Europe unveils tech sovereignty package amid growing concerns over reliance on U.S. tech
Europe has unveiled a new tech sovereignty package, including acts to bolster advanced chip manufacturing and homegrown cloud computing. This initiative addresses growing concerns over reliance on U.S. technology, aiming to prevent any single entity from having a "kill switch" over European digital infrastructure.
Nintendo will launch a Switch 2 with replaceable batteries in the EU
Nintendo is preparing to sell a special version of the Switch 2 in the EU that will feature swappable batteries. This move aligns with European regulations promoting consumer repairability and sustainability in electronics.