The Next Web

Microsoft used agentic AI to make its quantum chip 1,000 times more reliable, then cut its timeline to a scalable quantum computer in half

Microsoft's Majorana 2 qubits last 20 seconds vs microseconds for rivals, built with agentic AI. The company now targets a scalable quantum computer by 2029.
The Next Web

Microsoft just announced a new operating system for devices that don’t run apps, only AI agents

Microsoft's Project Solara is a new platform for devices that run AI agents instead of apps. Two concept designs, a badge and desk device, are piloting with Best Buy, CVS, Levi's, and Target.
The Next Web

Hackers brute-forced Dashlane’s two-factor authentication and downloaded encrypted password vaults

Attackers bypassed Dashlane's 2FA on fewer than 20 accounts by brute-forcing numeric codes, downloading encrypted password vaults. Zero-knowledge encryption protects data if master passwords are ...
The Next Web

Poland will introduce a “sovereignty test” for government tech purchases as Tusk warns AI dependency has reached dangerous proportions

Polish PM Tusk announces a sovereignty test for state tech procurement and annual IT independence reports, warning foreign AI dependency threatens security and economy.
The Next Web

Perplexity built an “air-traffic controller” that decides in real time whether your AI query runs on your PC or in the cloud

Perplexity AI built a real-time routing system that splits AI workloads between PCs and cloud servers, announced at Computex alongside Intel as revenue hits $500M.
The Next Web

A North Dakota startup raised $10 million from ranchers and neighbours to build the operating system for beef cattle

Fargo-based 701x closed an oversubscribed $10M+ Series B with zero VC, funded by ranchers and locals. Its satellite GPS ear tags monitor cattle health, fertility, and location.
The Next Web

Palo Alto Networks shareholders have rejected executive pay seven times, and the CEO still earns nearly $100 million

Palo Alto Networks' $100M CEO pay package has been rejected by shareholders 7 times, the most in the S&P 500, despite the stock gaining 800% under Nikesh Arora.
The Next Web

SpaceX’s first employee just raised $500 million for the company that moves satellites once rockets put them in the wrong orbit

SpaceX's first employee Tom Mueller raised $500M for Impulse Space at a $4.26B valuation, building space tugs for commercial and Golden Dome defence customers.
The Next Web

Blue Origin says fuel tanks and key pad components survived the New Glenn explosion, pledges to fly again this year

Blue Origin says fuel tanks and the support tower survived the New Glenn explosion, pledging to fly again this year as NASA depends on the rocket for Artemis moon missions.
The Next Web

A German startup raised $240 million to commercialise the only fusion experiment that has ever produced net energy

German fusion startup Focused Energy raised $240M Series A led by utility RWE to build a laser-powered reactor based on the NIF's net energy gain breakthrough.
The Next Web

OpenAI is turning Codex from a coding tool into an enterprise work platform, and non-developers are adopting it 3x faster than engineers

OpenAI expanded Codex from a coding tool into an enterprise work platform with Sites (hosted web apps), Annotations, and role-specific plugins connecting 62 business apps. Non-developers now make up ...
The Next Web

Australia’s biggest bank says corporate AI is racking up bigger bills and producing ‘work slop’

CBA chief executive Matt Comyn flagged surging AI costs and “work slop” as production-stage complexity inverts the favourable per-token AI economics that defined 2024-2025.