NerdNews

Microsoft is accelerating its transition to post-quantum cryptography (PQC) with a new timeline, aiming to move critical products and services to PQC by 2029. The company's efforts rest on three pillars: upgrading network cryptography, building crypto-agility for data at rest, and modernizing crypto trust chains.

Gemini Spark, Google's AI agent, is now available on Mac, allowing it to compete with other desktop AI agents. It can help with tasks such as sorting files, organizing notes, and connecting to other apps like Google Tasks and Google Keep. The macOS launch also enables Spark to track topics and react to events in real time.

Meta is developing a cloud infrastructure business to sell access to AI compute power and models, following SpaceX's similar plans, in an effort to turn excess capacity into revenue and compete with major cloud providers like AWS, Google Cloud, and Microsoft Azure.

Google's Gemini Spark is a new agentic AI assistant available on macOS, exclusively for Google AI Ultra subscribers. It can perform tasks like sorting PDFs, creating spreadsheets, and running tasks on your computer. Spark will only access files with user permission and will integrate with Google Tasks, Keep, and third-party apps.

Cassie Shum discusses GraphRAG, a knowledge graph-based approach to improve retrieval workflows, addressing limitations of traditional RAG and enabling smarter decision-making with agents and decision intelligence.

Anthropic has redeployed its Fable 5 and Mythos 5 AI models with new security guardrails after addressing US government concerns. The models now include an improved safety classifier that targets and blocks potentially harmful behavior, and Anthropic is collaborating with the government and industry to accelerate AI security.

The Every team shares their use cases for Codex, including managing work and personal responsibilities, achieving inbox zero, and caring for loved ones. Codex is a versatile tool that can be used in various ways, and the team provides examples of how they use it to improve their productivity and quality of life.

Cloudflare's new policy requires AI companies to separate search and training crawlers, blocking mixed-use crawlers from ad-hosting pages. This move aims to give publishers more control over their content and encourage AI companies to pay for its use, with Cloudflare introducing 'Pay Per Use' to charge AI companies when their content creates value.

The UN's independent scientific panel on AI has published a report stating that current governance systems are unable to keep up with the rapid pace of AI development. The report highlights the benefits of AI, such as accelerating drug discovery and vaccine development, but also notes the potential harms, including the creation of deepfakes and false information. The panel recommends stronger independent evaluation, international cooperation, and common standards to ensure AI systems remain safe, transparent, and accountable.

The panelists explain the realities of running AI systems reliably at scale, discussing emerging architectural decisions and what engineering leaders must rethink today, including capacity planning, token cost, and database management.

Meta's Brain2Qwerty v2 system uses AI to decode brain activity into coherent text, potentially helping people with paralyzing conditions communicate without invasive surgery. The system achieved a word accuracy of 78% in its most successful experiment.

Myriota has launched a hybrid 5G satellite and cellular IoT network, combining low-power satellite connectivity with support for cellular networks. The network, called HyperPulse, delivers hybrid coverage across several countries and is designed for industrial IoT at scale. The company also introduced the AssetHawk battery-powered asset tracker, which is the first device purpose-built to enable deployments on the hybrid HyperPulse network.

Honda has begun producing batteries for energy storage systems, pivoting from its EV programs in the US. The company's joint venture with LG Energy Solution will supply batteries to data centers, capitalizing on the growing demand for energy storage. This shift comes as the EV market in the US remains uncertain, with sales down year-over-year.

Venice AI, a privacy-first AI platform, has raised $65 million in Series A funding at a $1 billion valuation. The company offers access to over 200 AI models while prioritizing user privacy, with features like end-to-end encryption and no data storage. With over 3 million active users and $70 million in annualized run-rate revenues, Venice AI plans to use the funding to expand its infrastructure and increase its gross margins.

The US has lifted export curbs on Anthropic's advanced Fable and Mythos models, allowing for global release. Anthropic has implemented new safety measures, including a partnership with the government and a program to work with hackers to identify potential jailbreaks.

Realta Fusion successfully powered a lightbulb using electricity harvested directly from a fusion reaction, a first for a private company. This breakthrough could make fusion reactors more efficient and profitable.

International authorities and tech companies disrupted a cybercrime 'assembly line' by targeting two widely used tools, Amadey and StealC, which were used to collect millions of login credentials and steal over $47 million. The operation, called 'Operation Endgame', was able to disrupt both tools simultaneously due to their shared underlying infrastructure, and resulted in the recovery of 27 million stolen login credentials and the seizure of $47 million in crypto assets.

Open Cosmos has launched OpenConstellation 1.0, a next-generation Earth observation satellite system designed to deliver near-real-time intelligence from space. The system combines hyperspectral and high-resolution multispectral imaging with onboard AI-powered processing and inter-satellite links to rapidly detect, analyze, and communicate actionable insights. This enables governments and enterprises to make faster, more confident decisions in response to climate disasters, security threats, and other time-critical events.

SpaceX has shown investors a prototype of a 'handset-like' AI device, reportedly sleeker and slimmer than an iPhone, with a proprietary operating system and xAI technology integration.

SpaceX is reportedly testing a handheld AI device, according to The Wall Street Journal. The device is said to be slimmer than an iPhone, powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon chip, and runs on a proprietary operating system integrated with xAI services. However, Elon Musk has denied the report, calling it 'utterly false'.