Capacity development

Anthropic grows its presence in Europe

Anthropic is expanding its operations across Europe, with plans to add over 100 new roles in sales, engineering, research, and business operations. Most of these positions will be based in Dublin and London.

The company has also appointed Guillaume Princen, a former Stripe executive, as its head for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. This move signals Anthropic’s ambition to strengthen its global presence, particularly in Europe where the demand for enterprise-ready AI tools is rising.

The company’s hiring strategy also reflects a wider trend within the AI industry, with firms like Anthropic competing for global market share after securing significant funding.

The recent $3.5 billion funding round bolsters Anthropic’s position as it seeks to lead the AI race across multiple regions, including the Americas, Europe, and Asia.

Instead of focusing solely on the US, Anthropic’s European push is designed to comply with local AI governance and regulatory standards, which are increasingly important to businesses operating in the region.

Anthropic’s expansion comes at a time when AI firms are facing growing competition from companies like Cohere, which has been positioning itself as a European-compliant alternative.

As the EU continues to shape global AI regulations, Anthropic’s focus on safety and localisation could position it favourably in these highly regulated markets. Analysts suggest that while the US may remain a less regulated environment for AI, the EU is likely to lead global AI policy development in the near future.

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Meta faces backlash over Llama 4 release

Over the weekend, Meta unveiled two new Llama 4 models—Scout, a smaller version, and Maverick, a mid-sized variant it claims outperforms OpenAI’s GPT-4o and Google’s Gemini 2.0 Flash across multiple benchmarks.

Maverick quickly climbed to second place on LMArena, an AI benchmarking platform where human evaluators compare and vote on model outputs. Meta proudly pointed to Maverick’s ELO score of 1417, placing it just beneath Gemini 2.5 Pro, instead of trailing behind the usual leaders.

However, AI researchers noticed a critical detail buried in Meta’s documentation: the version of Maverick that ranked so highly wasn’t the one released to the public. Instead of using the standard model, Meta had submitted an ‘experimental’ version specifically optimised for conversations.

LMArena later criticised this move, saying Meta failed to clearly indicate the model was customised, prompting the platform to update its policies to ensure future evaluations remain fair and reproducible.

Meta’s spokesperson acknowledged the use of experimental variants, insisting the company frequently tests different configurations.

While this wasn’t a violation of LMArena’s existing rules, the episode raised concerns about the credibility of benchmark rankings when companies submit fine-tuned models instead of the ones accessible to the wider community.

Independent AI researcher Simon Willison expressed frustration, saying the impressive ranking lost all meaning once it became clear the public couldn’t even use the same version.

The controversy unfolded against a backdrop of mounting competition in open-weight AI, with Meta under pressure following high-profile releases like China’s DeepSeek model.

Instead of offering a smooth rollout, Meta released Llama 4 on a Saturday—an unusual move—which CEO Mark Zuckerberg explained simply as ‘that’s when it was ready.’ But for many in the AI space, the launch has only deepened confusion around what these models can genuinely deliver.

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Scientists achieve breakthrough in quantum computing stability

A new study by researchers from the University of Oxford, Delft University of Technology, Eindhoven University of Technology, and Quantum Machines has made a major step forward in quantum computing.

The team has found a way to make Majorana zero modes (MZMs)—special particles crucial for quantum computers—far more stable, bringing us closer to building error-free, scalable machines.

Quantum computers are incredibly powerful but face a key challenge: their basic units, qubits, are highly fragile and easily disrupted by environmental noise.

MZMs have long been seen as a potential solution because they are predicted to resist such disturbances, but stabilising them for practical use has been difficult until now.

The researchers created a structure called a three-site Kitaev chain, which is a simplified version of a topological superconductor.

By using quantum dots to trap electrons and connecting them with superconducting wires, they created a stable ‘sweet spot’ where MZMs could be farther apart, reducing interference and enhancing their stability.

Lead author Dr. Greg Mazur believes this breakthrough shows that it is possible to keep MZMs stable as quantum systems grow. With further research, the team aims to build longer chains to improve stability even more, potentially opening the door to reliable, next-generation quantum materials and devices.

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Microsoft rethinks AI data centre strategy amid market shifts

Microsoft has reportedly scaled back or delayed several major data centre projects, just three months after announcing plans to invest $80 billion in AI infrastructure through the current fiscal year.

According to Bloomberg, the company has paused developments in multiple locations, including Australia, Indonesia, the United Kingdom, and US states such as Illinois, North Dakota, and Wisconsin.

Instead of denying the report, Microsoft confirmed adjustments to its plans, citing the need for long-term flexibility. A spokesperson said the company continuously reviews future infrastructure needs to ensure alignment with growing AI demand, adding that the changes reflect Microsoft’s adaptable strategy.

The halted projects include negotiations for high-performance AI chip facilities in the UK and a site near Chicago, along with construction delays in Jakarta and Wisconsin.

These moves come amid growing scrutiny over whether the AI sector is entering a bubble, especially as emerging models challenge the assumption that vast computing power is always necessary for innovation.

Instead of sticking to high-cost development, Microsoft may be responding to a new trend: efficient, lower-cost AI models from Chinese firms that rival those of Western tech giants.

With AI development costs dropping and access expanding, Microsoft’s strategic pause could reflect a shift towards a more sustainable and agile future in AI infrastructure.

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India among few developing nations with strong AI investment

India and China were the only developing nations to attract notable private investment in AI in 2023, according to the UN’s Technology and Innovation Report 2025. Instead of the US simply leading the field, it dominated with $67 billion in AI investment, accounting for 70 per cent of the global total.

China followed with $7.8 billion, while India ranked tenth worldwide with $1.4 billion. Instead of being evenly distributed, access to AI infrastructure and research remains heavily concentrated in a handful of countries, mainly the US and China.

India’s rise in the AI space stems from policy-driven innovation and education rather than organic growth alone. It climbed to 36th place out of 170 on the UNCTAD Frontier Technologies Readiness Index in 2024, improving from 48th in 2022.

Instead of only focusing on economic size, the index measures readiness through ICT availability, skills, R&D, industrial capacity, and financing. India performed well in R&D and industrial capacity but fell behind in ICT access and skill development.

India has supported its AI ecosystem through collaboration between the government, academia, and the private sector. The country hosts a large developer base, around 13 million, and contributes actively to generative AI projects on platforms like GitHub.

Programmes such as the India AI Mission aim to boost AI education and innovation in smaller cities, instead of keeping progress limited to major urban centres. Institutes like IIT Hyderabad and IIT Kharagpur were named among the country’s key centres of AI excellence.

Still, India faces challenges in expanding its AI capabilities across all sectors. Instead of allowing AI to widen inequalities, the report urges investment in workforce reskilling and inclusion. While AI can boost productivity, it may also displace jobs unless paired with supportive policies.

The technology, if harnessed wisely, could create new industries and strengthen employment rather than replace it.

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Siemens buys Dotmatics to boost AI drug research

Siemens announced on Wednesday its acquisition of US software firm Dotmatics for $5.1 billion, aiming to enhance its AI capabilities for drug discovery.

The German company described the deal as complementary to its expansion into Life Sciences, positioning itself in a market increasingly reliant on digital transformation to meet growing medical needs.

Siemens expects Dotmatics to generate $100 million annually in the mid-term, rising to $500 million in the long run, and said the acquisition would be immediately profitable. The transaction is set to be completed in the first half of next year.

Founded in 2005, Dotmatics employs 800 people and specialises in AI-driven R&D software designed to accelerate drug research. This move follows Siemens’ recent $10 billion purchase of another AI-powered US software firm, Altair Engineering.

As Siemens’ industrial software faces slowing demand, its digital division has been driving revenue growth instead of its traditional factory automation products. The company, Germany’s second-largest by market value, continues expanding its software portfolio to capitalise on AI-driven innovations.

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Nokia expands 5G partnership with Airtel

Nokia has signed a multi-year deal with Bharti Airtel to expand their core network collaboration instead of maintaining a limited partnership, aiming to enhance 5G service delivery.

The move will integrate 5G and 4G technologies into a unified server setup instead of running them separately, while also helping Airtel grow its 4G/5G customer base.

Nokia’s Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) will provide additional solutions for home broadband and enterprise-critical applications instead of relying solely on traditional infrastructure.

The rollout will cover network automation across most Airtel service regions in India, helping the telecom giant optimise its hardware footprint and reduce costs per bit by using appliance-based Packet Core gateways.

Airtel CTO Randeep Sekhon highlighted that Nokia’s Packet Core deployment will improve network quality and reliability instead of allowing congestion to impact customers.

Nokia’s president of cloud and network services, Raghav Sahgal, emphasised that this collaboration strengthens Airtel’s 5G standalone (SA) readiness, reinforcing Nokia’s leadership in core network solutions in India and globally.

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AI-powered brain implant turns thoughts into words in real-time

A brain implant powered by AI has enabled a paralysed woman to speak almost instantly, offering new hope for those who have lost their ability to communicate. Developed by researchers in California, the experimental system translates brain signals into speech in real-time.

Ann, a 47-year-old who lost her voice after a stroke 18 years ago, previously used a brain-computer interface (BCI) with an eight-second delay.

The latest model, published in Nature Neuroscience, reduces that time to just 80 milliseconds, allowing more natural conversations. Scientists trained the system using deep learning and reconstructed Ann’s voice from past recordings.

Although the vocabulary remains limited, the breakthrough marks a major step towards real-world applications. Researchers believe with proper funding, the technology could become widely available within a decade, helping many regain their voice.

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EU to invest €1.3 billion in AI and digital skills

The European Commission has announced plans to invest €1.3 billion in artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and digital skills development under the Digital Europe Programme for the period 2025 to 2027.

The funding aims to strengthen Europe’s position in advanced technologies and ensure that citizens and businesses can benefit from secure and cutting-edge digital tools.

Henna Virkkunen, the European Commission’s digital chief, emphasised the importance of the initiative, stating that European tech sovereignty depends on both technological innovation and the ability of people to improve their digital competences.

The investment reflects a strategic commitment to ensuring Europe remains competitive in the global digital landscape.

The Digital Europe Programme has been central to the EU’s digital transformation agenda. Through this latest funding round, the EU seeks to further enhance its technological resilience, support innovation, and prepare the workforce for the demands of a fast-evolving digital economy.

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Google’s popular search feature gets a rival from Perplexity

AI search company Perplexity is developing a feature similar to Google’s popular Circle to Search, according to CEO Aravind Srinivas. He announced on X that the functionality would be ‘coming soon’ to all Android users, though specific details remain unclear.

A demo video shared by Srinivas showed how users can highlight text in conversations with Perplexity and request further information.

In the demo, a user circled a mention of Roger Federer and asked about his net worth, prompting Perplexity to fetch details from the web. However, since Google has trademarked ‘Circle to Search’, Perplexity may need a different name for its version.

Perplexity has been gaining popularity as an AI-powered search assistant, with some users preferring it over Google’s Gemini. The company recently introduced an AI-driven web browser called Comet, though it remains uncertain whether it will expand beyond smartphones to platforms like Windows and macOS.

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