Development

PREVAIL to offer advanced Edge AI chip design tools across Europe

The European Union’s PREVAIL project is preparing to open its Edge AI services to external users in June 2025.

Coordinated by Europe’s top research and technology organisations, the initiative offers a shared, multi-hub infrastructure designed to speed up the development and commercialisation of next-generation Edge AI technologies.

Through its platform, European designers will gain access to advanced chip prototyping capabilities and full design support using standard commercial tools.

PREVAIL combines commercial foundry processes with advanced technology modules developed in partner clean rooms. These include embedded non-volatile memories (eNVM), silicon photonics, and 3D integration technologies such as silicon interposers and packaging innovations.

Initial demonstrators, already in development with industry partners, will serve as test cases to ensure compatibility with a broad range of applications and future scalability.

From July 2025, a €20 million EU-funded call under the ‘Low Power Edge AI’ initiative will help selected customers co-finance their access to the platform. Whether supported by EU funds or independently financed, users will be able to design chips using one of four shared platforms.

The consortium has also set up a user interface team to manage technical support and provide access to Process Design Kits and Design Rule Manuals.

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New AI food waste project aims to deliver 1.5 million meals

A major new initiative backed by Innovate UK is bringing together leading businesses and organisations to develop an AI-powered food redistribution platform designed to reduce edible food waste and support communities facing food insecurity.

The project is supported by a £1.9 million grant from the BridgeAI programme and is match-funded by participating partners.

Led by Sustainable Ventures, the collaboration includes Bristol Superlight, FareShare, FuturePlus, Google Cloud, Howard Tenens Logistics, Nestlé UK & Ireland, and Zest (formerly The Wonki Collective).

Together, they aim to pilot a platform capable of redistributing up to 700 tonnes of quality surplus food—equivalent to 1.5 million meals—while preventing an estimated 1,400 tonnes of CO₂ emissions and delivering up to £14 million in cost savings.

The system integrates Google Cloud’s BigQuery and Vertex AI platforms to match surplus food from manufacturers with logistics providers and charities.

Bristol Superlight’s logistics solution incorporates AI to track food quality during delivery, and early trials have shown promising results—an 87% reduction in food waste at a Nestlé factory over just two weeks.

The pilot marks a significant step forward in applying AI to address sustainability challenges. The consortium believes the technology could eventually scale across the food supply chain, helping to create a more efficient, transparent, and environmentally responsible system.

Leaders from Nestlé, FareShare, and Zest all emphasised the importance of cross-sector collaboration in tackling rising food waste and food poverty.

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Agema and Heinen resolve funding clash over healthcare technology

Dutch ministers Eelco Heinen (Finance) and Fleur Agema (Public Health) have reached a long-awaited agreement on investing in new technologies and AI in healthcare.

If healthcare costs remain below projections, Agema will be permitted to allocate €400 million annually over the next ten years towards AI, sources close to the government confirmed to NOS.

The funding will be drawn from the €2.3 billion reserve earmarked to absorb the expected rise in healthcare expenditure following the planned reduction of the healthcare deductible to €165 in 2027.

However, Finance Minister Heinen has insisted on a review after two years to determine whether the continued investment remains financially responsible. Agema is confident that the actual costs will be lower than forecast, leaving room for innovation investments.

The agreement follows months of political tension in the Netherlands between the two ministers, which reportedly culminated in Agema threatening to resign last week.

While Heinen originally wanted to commit the funding only for 2027 and 2028, Agema pushed for a structural commitment, arguing that the reserve fund is overly cautious.

Intensive negotiations took place on Monday and Tuesday, with Prime Minister Dick Schoof stepping in to help mediate. The breakthrough came late Tuesday evening, clearing the way for Agema to proceed with broader talks on a new healthcare agreement with hospitals and care institutions.

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Opera unveils AI-first Neon browser

Opera has unveiled a new AI-powered web browser called Neon, describing it as an ‘agentic browser’ designed to carry out internet tasks on the user’s behalf.

Unlike traditional browsers, Neon offers contextual awareness and cloud-based AI agents that can research, design, and build content automatically.

Although Opera introduced a browser called Neon in 2017 that failed to gain traction, the company is giving the name a second chance, now with a more ambitious AI focus. According to Opera’s Henrik Lexow, the rise of AI marks a fundamental shift in how users interact with the web.

Among its early features, Neon includes an AI engine capable of interpreting user requests and generating games, code, reports, and websites—even when users are offline.

It also includes tools like a chatbot for web searches, contextual page insights, and automation for online tasks such as form-filling and booking services.

The browser is being positioned as a premium subscription product, though Opera has yet to reveal pricing or launch dates. Neon will become the fifth browser in Opera’s line-up, following the mindfulness-focused Air browser announced in February.

Interested users can join the waitlist, but for now, full capabilities remain unverified.

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ABCI-Q goes live as Japan ramps up quantum tech investment

Japan has officially launched the world’s most powerful supercomputer dedicated to quantum computing research. Known as ABCI-Q, the system is housed within the newly opened G-QuAT research centre in Tsukuba, operated by the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST).

G-QuAT (Global Research and Development Centre for Business by Quantum-AI Technology) opened earlier this month with a mission to advance hybrid computing technologies that combine classical computing, such as AI, with quantum systems.

Its work is structured around three main goals: developing use cases for hybrid computing, supporting the quantum technology supply chain, and enabling large-scale qubit integration.

ABCI-Q runs on 2,020 Nvidia H100 GPUs, connected using Nvidia’s Quantum-2 InfiniBand architecture, and integrated with CUDA-Q, Nvidia’s hybrid orchestration platform.

It supports multiple quantum processors, including superconducting qubits from Fujitsu, a neutral atom system by QuEra, and a photonic processor by OptQC—enabling diverse hybrid workloads across different qubit technologies.

The machine’s infrastructure includes 18 cryogenic systems supplied by Bluefors, built to support quantum computers with 1,000+ qubits and thousands of signal paths. G-QuAT has also partnered with IonQ to access its quantum systems via the cloud, bolstering research access and global collaboration.

The launch of ABCI-Q underscores Japan’s ambition to lead in next-generation computing. The government of Japan has committed over ¥330 billion (£1.7 billion) to quantum initiatives between 2020 and 2024.

AIST says the project aims to boost national industrial competitiveness, expand scientific capabilities, and foster a skilled quantum workforce.

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AI Mode reshapes Google’s search results

One year after launching AI-generated search results via AI Overviews, Google has unveiled AI Mode—a new feature it claims will redefine online search.

Functioning as an integrated chatbot, AI Mode allows users to ask complex questions, receive detailed responses, and continue with follow-up queries, eliminating the need to click through traditional links.

Google’s CEO Sundar Pichai described it as a ‘total reimagining of search,’ noting significant changes in user behaviour during early trials.

Analysts suggest the company is attempting to disrupt its own search business before rivals do, following internal concerns sparked by the rise of tools like ChatGPT.

With AI Mode, Google is increasingly shifting from directing users to websites toward delivering instant answers itself. Critics fear it could dramatically reduce web traffic for publishers who depend on Google for visibility and revenue.

While Google insists the open web will continue to grow, many publishers remain unconvinced. The News/Media Alliance condemned the move, calling it theft of content without fair return.

Links were the last mechanism providing meaningful traffic, said CEO Danielle Coffey, who urged the US Department of Justice to take action against what she described as monopolistic behaviour.

Meanwhile, Google is rapidly integrating AI across its ecosystem. Alongside AI Mode, it introduced developments in its Gemini model, with the aim of building a ‘world model’ capable of simulating and planning like the human brain.

Google DeepMind’s Demis Hassabis said the goal is to lay the foundations for an AI-native operating system.

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EMSA given broader powers for digital maritime threats

The European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) is set to take on an expanded role in maritime security, following a provisional agreement between the European Parliament and the Council.

Instead of focusing solely on traditional safety tasks, EMSA will now help tackle modern challenges, including cyber attacks and hybrid threats that increasingly target critical maritime infrastructure across Europe.

The updated mandate enables EMSA to support EU member states and the European Commission with technical, operational and scientific assistance in areas such as cybersecurity, pollution response, maritime surveillance and decarbonisation.

Rather than remaining confined to its original scope, the agency may also adopt new responsibilities as risks evolve, provided such tasks are requested by the Commission or individual countries.

The move forms part of a broader EU legislative package aimed at reinforcing maritime safety rules, improving environmental protections and updating inspection procedures.

The reforms ensure EMSA is equipped with adequate human and financial resources to handle its wider remit and contribute to strategic resilience in an increasingly digital and geopolitically unstable world.

Created in 2002 and based in Lisbon, EMSA plays a central role in safeguarding maritime transport, which remains vital for Europe’s economy and trade.

With more than 2,000 marine incidents reported annually, the agency’s modernised mandate is expected to strengthen the EU’s ability to prevent disruptions at sea and support its broader green and security goals.

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Mistral AI unveils powerful API for autonomous agents

French AI startup Mistral AI has stepped into the agentic AI arena by launching a new Agents API.

The move puts it in direct competition with leading players like OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google, all of whom are racing to develop autonomous AI agents capable of handling multistep tasks with minimal oversight.

The API provides developers with tools to build intelligent agents powered by Mistral’s language models. These agents can perform advanced tasks such as interpreting Python code, conducting web searches, generating images, and retrieving information from uploaded documents.

Support for orchestrating multiple agents and maintaining stateful conversations enables agents to collaborate and retain context during user interactions.

Among its standout features is compatibility with the Model Context Protocol (MCP), an emerging open standard created by Anthropic that simplifies how agents connect with third-party apps and data sources.

With major tech firms already on board, Mistral’s adoption suggests MCP is quickly becoming the foundation for seamless agent integration.

The company demonstrated several real-world use cases, including a financial analyst, a coding assistant for GitHub, a travel planner, and a personalised nutritionist.

These applications showcase how Mistral’s technology could support business automation and daily tasks alike, potentially reshaping how users interact with software altogether.

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Taiwan rebuffs China’s hacking claims as disinformation

Taiwan has rejected accusations from Beijing that its ruling party orchestrated cyberattacks against Chinese infrastructure. Authorities in Taipei instead accused China of spreading false claims in an effort to manipulate public perception and escalate tensions.

On Tuesday, Chinese officials alleged that a Taiwan-backed hacker group linked to the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) had targeted a technology firm in Guangzhou.

They claimed more than 1,000 networks, including systems tied to the military, energy, and government sectors, had been compromised across ten provinces in recent years.

Taiwan’s National Security Bureau responded on Wednesday, stating that the Chinese Communist Party is manipulating false information to mislead the international community.

Rather than acknowledging its own cyber activities, Beijing is attempting to shift blame while undermining Taiwan’s credibility, the agency said.

Taipei further accused China of long-running cyberattacks aimed at stealing funds and destabilising critical infrastructure. Officials described such campaigns as part of cognitive warfare designed to widen social divides and erode public trust within Taiwan.

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Clegg says artist permission rule could harm UK AI sector

Former UK Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg has warned that requiring tech companies to seek artists’ permission before using their work to train AI could harm the country’s AI industry.

Speaking at the Charleston Festival in East Sussex, he called the idea ‘implausible’ given the vast data requirements of AI systems and claimed such a rule could ‘kill the AI industry in this country overnight’ if applied only in the UK.

His comments have drawn criticism from key figures in the creative industries, including Sir Elton John and Sir Paul McCartney, who argue that current proposals favour big tech at the expense of artists.

John and McCartney say changes to copyright law risk undermining the livelihoods of more than 2.5 million workers in the UK’s creative sector.

At the heart of the debate is the UK’s Data (Use and Access) Bill. It currently allows AI developers to train their models on copyrighted content unless creators actively opt out.

A proposed amendment that would have required companies to obtain consent was recently rejected by Parliament. Supporters of that amendment believe transparency and consent would offer greater protection for human-created works.

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