Capacity development

Google gives students free access to AI tools

Google has launched a 12-month free AI Pro Plan for university students aged 18 and above across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. The plan gives access to Google’s top AI tools, including Gemini 2.5 Pro, Deep Research, NotebookLM, Veo 3, Nano Banana, and 2 TB of cloud storage.

Students can use these tools for homework, research, content creation, and creative projects, all designed to enhance learning and skill development.

Guided Learning in Gemini helps students with step-by-step support for math, essays, and test preparation. AI tools let students explore creativity by generating images, editing visuals, and making short cinematic clips with Veo 3 and Nano Banana.

Educators gain over 30 new tools with Gemini for Education and Classroom to plan lessons, create resources, and foster AI literacy. Google is partnering with universities to integrate AI into teaching, helping students gain practical skills for the future workforce.

The initiative reflects Google’s commitment to equipping students with AI skills, boosting critical thinking, creativity, and problem-solving while expanding access to knowledge through innovative technologies.

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Bhutan moves national ID system to Ethereum

Bhutan has moved its national ID system to the Ethereum blockchain, aiming to enhance security, transparency, and citizen control. Nearly 800,000 residents will use Ethereum to verify identities, replacing the Polygon system.

The migration of all credentials is expected to be completed by the first quarter of 2026. Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin and Ethereum Foundation President Aya Miyaguchi joined Bhutan’s Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay and Crown Prince Jigme Namgyel Wangchuk at the launch ceremony.

Miyaguchi described the project as a ‘world-first’ achievement in self-sovereign digital identity.

Bhutan previously used Hyperledger Indy and then Polygon for its national ID solution, making Ethereum its third blockchain platform. The nation’s National Digital Identity and GovTech teams played key roles, supported by the local crypto community.

Other countries, including Brazil and Vietnam, have partially adopted blockchain-based identity systems.

In addition to digital IDs, Bhutan has become a significant crypto adopter. It holds 11,286 Bitcoin, worth $1.31 billion, largely mined via renewable Himalayan hydropower. The country has also met with former Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao, suggesting potential future crypto initiatives.

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Vodafone and Samsung expand Open RAN deployment across Europe

Samsung Electronics has been chosen by Vodafone as a primary partner to deploy virtualised RAN and Open RAN networks in Germany and several European countries. The agreement builds on previous collaborations and represents one of the largest Open RAN projects in Europe.

Germany will serve as the first and main market, with thousands of sites planned, including a full deployment in Wismar by early 2026. The rollout will expand across Europe over five years, beginning with a live site already operating in Hannover.

Samsung will provide its virtualised RAN solutions supporting 2G, 4G and 5G, as well as O-RAN compliant radios, Massive MIMO equipment and AI-powered management tools. The company will also integrate its CognitiV Network Operations Suite to improve performance, efficiency and automation.

Partners such as Dell Technologies, Intel and Wind River will contribute hardware and cloud platforms to ensure interoperability and large-scale integration.

Vodafone’s Chief Network Officer Alberto Ripepi said Open RAN is essential for building flexible, future-ready networks and expanding connectivity across Europe.

Samsung’s Networks Business President Woojune Kim highlighted the project as a major step in developing software-based and autonomous networks designed for the AI era. Both companies view the partnership as a means to advance digital transformation and enhance network efficiency.

The collaboration also promotes energy efficiency and shared infrastructure. Samsung’s AI Energy Saving Manager will monitor traffic to reduce power consumption during low-use periods. The company’s radio systems will support RAN sharing, helping operators cut costs and deliver consistent coverage.

Analysts consider Vodafone’s decision a validation of Samsung’s leadership in open and virtualised network technology.

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Nvidia DGX Spark launches as the world’s smallest AI supercomputer

Nvidia has launched the DGX Spark, described as the world’s smallest AI supercomputer.

Designed for developers and smaller enterprises, the Spark offers data centre-level performance without the need for costly AI server infrastructure or cloud rentals. It features Nvidia’s GB10 Grace Blackwell superchip, ConnectX-7 networking, and the company’s complete AI software stack.

The system, co-developed with ASUS and Dell, can support up to 128GB of memory, enabling users to train and run substantial AI models locally.

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang compared Spark’s mission to the 2016 DGX-1, which he delivered to Elon Musk’s OpenAI, marking the start of the AI revolution. The new Spark, he said, aims to place supercomputing power directly in the hands of every developer.

Running on Nvidia’s Linux-based DGX OS, the Spark is built for AI model creation rather than general computing or gaming. Two units can be connected to handle models with up to 405 billion parameters.

The device complements Nvidia’s DGX Station, powered by the more advanced GB300 Grace Blackwell Ultra chip.

Nvidia continues to dominate the AI chip industry through its powerful hardware and CUDA platform, securing multi-billion-dollar deals with companies such as OpenAI, Google, Meta, Microsoft, and Amazon. The DGX Spark reinforces its position by expanding access to AI computing at the desktop level.

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Smartphone AI estimates avocado ripeness with high accuracy

Researchers at Oregon State University and Florida State University have unveiled a smartphone-based AI system that accurately predicts the ripeness and internal quality of avocados.

They trained models using more than 1,400 iPhone images of Hass avocados, achieving around 92% accuracy for firmness (a proxy for ripeness) and over 84% accuracy in distinguishing fresh from rotten fruit.

Avocado waste is a major issue because they spoil quickly, and many are discarded before reaching consumers. The AI tool is intended to guide both shoppers and businesses on when fruit is best consumed or sold.

Beyond consumer use, the system could be deployed in processing and retail facilities to sort avocados more precisely. For example, more ripe batches might be sent to nearby stores instead of longer transit routes.

The researchers used deep learning (rather than older, manual feature extraction) to capture shape, texture and spatial cues better. As the model dataset grows, its performance is expected to improve further.

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Spider-style robot ‘Charlotte’ can 3D print a house in 24 hours

Australian robotics firm Crest Robotics, in collaboration with Earthbuilt Technology, has developed a semi-autonomous robot named Charlotte that blends robotic motion and 3D printing to build structures directly from raw materials.

Unveiled at the 76th International Astronautical Congress in Sydney, Charlotte is still in prototype stage but already shows potential. The developers aim for it to print a 200 m² house in about 24 hours. The project has backing from the New South Wales Government’s Space+ programme.

Charlotte’s design is inspired by spider movement. It drives over different parts of a construction site and prints structural layers as it moves, eliminating the need for fixed scaffolding or separate manufacturing stages.

The robot aims to reduce energy use, waste, and labour costs by combining printing, transport and assembly into a continuous automated workflow. The developers estimate Charlotte’s printing rate rivals that of over 100 bricklayers.

The team sees applications beyond Earth. They are exploring versions of Charlotte that could help build infrastructure on the Moon under NASA’s Artemis programme.

In Australia, housing markets face stress from population growth, low productivity and supply bottlenecks. Charlotte could be a scalable response to these challenges, particularly in remote or constrained areas.

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Kenya passes bill to regulate cryptocurrency

Kenyan lawmakers have approved the Virtual Asset Service Providers Bill, establishing a formal regulatory framework for cryptocurrency and digital assets. The Central Bank of Kenya will licence digital assets, while the capital markets regulator oversees exchanges.

The bill now awaits President William Ruto’s signature to become law.

The country has experienced rapid cryptocurrency growth despite limited prior regulations. A 1.5% digital assets tax was introduced in 2023, and Kenya ranked fourth in Africa for crypto adoption in 2024, behind Nigeria, Ethiopia, and Morocco.

The IMF has urged Kenya to align crypto rules with global standards to reduce risks like money laundering and terrorism financing. Lawmakers appear to have heeded these warnings as the nation moves toward its first formal crypto legislation.

Kenya’s adoption reflects a broader trend across eastern Africa, where cryptocurrencies are increasingly used for cross-border remittances and international transactions.

Stablecoins represented roughly 43% of Sub-Saharan Africa’s crypto transactions in 2024, while South Africa saw its first publicly listed company adopt Bitcoin as a treasury asset earlier this year.

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EU expands network of AI Factories

The European Commission has announced the addition of six new AI Factories, increasing the total to 19 facilities across 16 Member States.

The new centres in the Czech Republic, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Romania, Spain, and Poland will give startups, SMEs, and industry access to AI-optimised supercomputers and support.

The expansion is backed by over €500 million in joint investment from the EU and Member States, bringing the total funding for the AI Factories and Antennas initiative to more than €2.6 billion. The investments aim to boost Europe’s supercomputing capacity and speed up AI adoption in key sectors.

AI Factory Antennas will provide national AI communities with secure remote access to supercomputing resources alongside the factories. The initiative backs the EU’s AI Continent Action Plan and complements AI Gigafactories for developing and training advanced AI models.

By expanding infrastructure and expertise, the EU aims to position itself as a global leader in AI, fostering innovation, competitiveness, and adoption of AI across both industry and the public sector.

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AI remakes the future of music

Asia’s creative future takes centre stage at Singapore’s All That Matters, a September forum for sports, tech, marketing, gaming, and music. AI dominated the music track, spanning creation, distribution, and copyright. Session notes signal rapid structural change across the industry.

The web is shifting again as AI reshapes search and discovery. AI-first browsers and assistants challenge incumbents, while Google’s Gemini and Microsoft’s Copilot race on integration. Early builds feel rough, yet momentum points to a new media discovery order.

Consumption defined the last 25 years, moving from CDs to MP3s, piracy, streaming, and even vinyl’s comeback. Creation looks set to define the next decade as generative tools become ubiquitous. Betting against that shift may be comfortable, yet market forces indicate it is inevitable.

Music generators like Suno are advancing fast amid lawsuits and talks with rights holders. Expected label licensing will widen training data and scale models. Outputs should grow more realistic and, crucially, more emotionally engaging.

Simpler interfaces will accelerate adoption. The prevailing design thesis is ‘less UI’: creators state intent and the system orchestrates cloud tools. Some services already turn a hummed idea into an arranged track, foreshadowing release-ready music from plain descriptions.

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‘AI City Vizag’ moves ahead with ₹80,000-crore Google hyperscale campus in India

Andhra Pradesh will sign an agreement with Google on Tuesday for a 1-gigawatt hyperscale data centre in Visakhapatnam. Officials describe the ₹80,000-crore investment as a centrepiece of ‘AI City Vizag’. Plans include clean-energy integration and resilient subsea and terrestrial connectivity.

The campus will deploy Google’s full AI stack to accelerate AI-driven transformation across India. Infrastructure, data-centre capacity, large-scale energy, and expanded fibre converge in one hub. Design targets reliability, scalability, and seamless links into Google’s global network.

State approval came via the State Investment Promotion Board led by Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu. Government estimates forecast average annual GSDP gains of ₹10,518 crore in 2028–2032. About 1,88,220 jobs a year, plus ₹9,553 crore in Google Cloud-enabled productivity spillovers, are expected.

The agreement will be signed at Hotel Taj Mansingh in New Delhi. Union ministers Nirmala Sitharaman and Ashwini Vaishnaw will attend with Chief Minister Naidu. Google executives Thomas Kurian, Bikash Koley, and Karan Bajwa will represent the company.

Delivery will rely on single-window clearances, reliable utilities, and plug-and-play, renewable-ready infrastructure, led by the Economic Development Board and ITE&C. Naidu will invite the Prime Minister to ‘Super GST – Super Savings’ in Kurnool and the CII Partnership Summit in Vizag on 14–15 November.

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