Development

MIT uses photons to link quantum processors directly

MIT researchers have created a new device that could transform the way quantum computers communicate.

By enabling quantum processors to send data directly using microwave photons, the system eliminates the need for complex, error-prone point-to-point connections.

Two modules, each containing four qubits, were linked via a superconducting waveguide, allowing them to exchange information without a physical link.

Key to the breakthrough was the creation of remote entanglement — a quantum effect that synchronises two particles across a distance. Instead of firing full photons, the researchers halted photon emission halfway, placing the system in a strange quantum state.

The receiving module then absorbed the ‘half-photon,’ successfully entangling the processors. To improve photon capture, an algorithm reshaped the photons, achieving a 60-percent success rate.

Unlike current quantum computing setups, the MIT system supports ‘all-to-all’ connectivity, allowing any number of processors to communicate.

The architecture is potentially expandable to different types of quantum computers and future quantum internet systems. The research was funded by several United States agencies and published in Nature Physics.

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Osney Capital invests in the UK’s cybersecurity innovation

Osney Capital has launched the UK’s first specialist cybersecurity seed fund, focused on investing in promising cybersecurity startups at the Pre-Seed and Seed stages.

The fund, which raised more than its initial £50 million target, will write cheques between £250k and £2.5 million and has the capacity for follow-on investments in Series A rounds.

Led by Adam Cragg, Josh Walter, and Paul Wilkes, the Osney Capital team brings decades of experience in cybersecurity and early-stage investing. Instead of relying on generalist investors, the fund will offer tailored support to early-stage companies, addressing the unique challenges in the cybersecurity sector.

The UK cybersecurity industry has grown to £13.2 billion in 2025, driven by complex cyber threats, regulatory pressures, and the rapid adoption of AI. The fund aims to capitalise on this growth, tapping into the strong talent pipeline boosted by UK universities and specialised cybersecurity programs.

Supported by cornerstone investments from the British Business Bank and accredited by the UK’s National Security Strategic Investment Fund, Osney Capital’s mission is to back the next generation of cybersecurity founders and help them scale globally competitive businesses.

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Thailand strengthens cybersecurity with Google Cloud

Thailand’s National Cyber Security Agency (NCSA) has joined forces with Google Cloud to strengthen the country’s cyber resilience, using AI-based tools and shared threat intelligence instead of relying solely on traditional defences.

The collaboration aims to better protect public agencies and citizens against increasingly sophisticated cyber threats.

A key part of the initiative involves deploying Google Cloud Cybershield for centralised monitoring of security events across government bodies. Instead of having fragmented monitoring systems, this unified approach will help streamline incident detection and response.

The partnership also brings advanced training for cybersecurity personnel in the public sector, alongside regular threat intelligence sharing.

Google Cloud Web Risk will be integrated into government operations to automatically block websites hosting malware and phishing content, instead of relying on manual checks.

Google further noted the impact of its anti-scam technology in Google Play Protect, which has prevented over 6.6 million high-risk app installation attempts in Thailand since its 2024 launch—enhancing mobile safety for millions of users.

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Meta unveils Llama 4 models to boost AI across platforms

Meta has launched Llama 4, its latest and most advanced family of open-weight AI models, aiming to enhance the intelligence of Meta AI across services like WhatsApp, Instagram, and Messenger.

Instead of keeping these models cloud-restricted, Meta has made them available for download through its official Llama website and Hugging Face, encouraging wider developer access.

Two models, Llama 4 Scout and Maverick, are now publicly available. Scout, the lighter model with 17 billion active parameters, supports a 10 million-token context window and can run on a single Nvidia H100 GPU.

It outperforms rivals like Google’s Gemma 3 and Mistral 3.1 in benchmark tests. Maverick, the more capable model, uses the same number of active parameters but with 128 experts, offering competitive performance against GPT-4o and DeepSeek v3 while being more efficient.

Meta also revealed the Llama 4 Behemoth model, still in training, which serves as a teacher for the rest of the Llama 4 line. Instead of targeting lightweight use, Behemoth focuses on heavy multimodal tasks with 288 billion active parameters and nearly two trillion in total.

Meta claims it outpaces GPT-4.5, Claude Sonnet 3.7, and Gemini 2.0 Pro in key STEM-related evaluations.

These open-weight AI models allow local deployment instead of relying on cloud APIs, though some licensing limits may apply. With Scout and Maverick already accessible, Meta is gradually integrating Llama 4 capabilities into its messaging and social platforms worldwide.

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Google’s Wiz acquisition propels Israel’s tech sector to new heights

Israel’s high-tech sector surged into 2025 with remarkable momentum, instead of continuing the two-year slump in funding.

According to new figures from Startup Nation Central, private Israeli tech firms raised $3.2 billion through 185 deals in the first quarter, rather than declining as in previous periods. This marked a 12% rise from the previous quarter and a 14% increase year on year.

The most striking figure came from mergers and acquisitions, which reached a record-breaking $35.9 billion across 38 deals.

It was driven by Google’s $32 billion acquisition of cybersecurity firm Wiz—the biggest tech exit in Israeli history and one of the largest globally, instead of a more modest transaction typical of previous years.

Even excluding the Wiz acquisition, the M&A volume still hit $3.9 billion—its highest since the third quarter of 2023. Instead of reflecting a single outlier, the strong figures suggest a broader resurgence in investor confidence and corporate activity.

It signals that global interest in Israel’s innovation sector is gaining strength again, instead of continuing to wane as seen over the past two years.

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Aetherflux raises $50 million for space solar power project

Aetherflux, the space solar startup founded by Baiju Bhatt, the billionaire co-founder of Robinhood, has secured $50 million in Series A funding to advance its first low Earth orbit demonstration scheduled for 2026.

The California-based startup, which emerged from stealth in October, plans to deploy a constellation of satellites capable of collecting solar energy and transmitting it to Earth.

The concept, inspired by Isaac Asimov’s 1941 short story ‘Reason,’ is set to change the way power is sourced globally. Bhatt is dedicated to transforming this science fiction-inspired idea into reality.

With the newly raised capital, Aetherflux aims to hire more engineers and build the technology needed for its missions. The company will use the funds to develop its satellite payload and improve infrastructure.

The satellites will send power back to Earth via lasers, with energy captured by ground stations featuring photovoltaic arrays. These stations will store energy for future use and may one day deliver electricity to remote areas.

Bhatt’s team, consisting of experts from NASA, SpaceX, and the US Navy, is also focused on building the first ground station. While a location hasn’t been chosen, military sites are being considered for their controlled airspace.

If successful, Aetherflux will pave the way for scalable space-based solar power systems.

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AI-powered search expands with Microsoft’s Copilot Search

Microsoft has unveiled Copilot Search, a new AI-powered feature designed to enhance the Bing search experience.

Available at bing.com/copilotsearch, it generates responses using AI, providing users with summarised answers, related links, and reasoning behind the results. The feature follows Google‘s introduction of AI Mode in Search, which similarly offers AI-generated overviews for complex queries.

Copilot Search enables users to explore their queries more interactively. Responses include two key options: ‘See all links,’ which displays sources used in the summary, and ‘See reasoning,’ which explains how the response was generated.

Users can also submit follow-up questions within the same interface, keeping the entire conversation on a single page for easier navigation. Additional options for images and videos are available, though they redirect to Bing’s standard media search.

The latest search enhancement introduced by Microsoft reflects the increasing role of AI in online search, blending AI-generated insights with traditional web links.

Bing users who prefer the classic search experience will still have access to traditional results, while AI-generated answers will appear at the top of natural language queries.

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Midjourney’s V7 debuts with personalization and improved image quality

Midjourney has launched V7, its first new AI image model in nearly a year, introducing major improvements in image quality and text prompt accuracy.

The model, which rolled out in alpha on Thursday, features enhanced textures, better coherence in generating bodies and objects, and a new personalization system that tailors results to individual users.

To access V7, users must first rate around 200 images to create a personalised profile, a feature enabled by default for the first time.

The new model is available in two versions: Turbo, which generates images at a higher cost, and Relax, a more budget-friendly option. A new Draft Mode also allows users to create lower-quality images at ten times the speed and half the cost of standard mode, with the option to enhance them later.

Some existing Midjourney features, such as image upscaling and retexturing, are not yet available in V7 but are expected within two months.

Midjourney remains an independent company, having raised no external funding since its launch in 2022. The San Francisco-based firm is reportedly generating around $200 million in revenue and is expanding into hardware, video, and 3D object generation.

However, the company faces ongoing legal challenges, with multiple lawsuits accusing it of using copyrighted images without permission to train its AI models.

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Deutsche Telekom expands partnership with Google Cloud

Deutsche Telekom has strengthened its collaboration with Google, moving more of its services to the Google Cloud platform as part of its transformation into an ‘AI-first company.’ The expanded partnership aims to improve the agility and efficiency of Deutsche Telekom’s operations through AI-driven solutions.

Stefan Schloter, Chief Infrastructure Officer for Europe at Deutsche Telekom, highlighted how leveraging data and AI will enhance digital solutions across business entities, software engineering, and customer interfaces.

The MyMagenta app, for example, will integrate Google’s AI-powered Gemini assistant, further improving customer experience.

Google Cloud will also serve as the technical foundation of Deutsche Telekom’s new AI platform, the ‘One Data Ecosystem.’ However, this platform consolidates data systems and enhances data processing speed while ensuring compliance with privacy and data-sharing regulations.

Marianne Janik, Vice President of Google Cloud for Northern Europe, expressed excitement about the partnership, noting how cloud technology is pivotal for communications providers in driving innovation, flexibility, and growth for enhanced user experiences.

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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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