SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet service experienced a rare and widespread outage on Thursday, leaving tens of thousands of users offline across the US and Europe.
The disruption began around 3 p.m. EDT and was attributed to a failure in Starlink’s core internal software services. The issue affected one of the most resilient satellite systems globally, sparking speculation over whether a botched update or a cyberattack may have been responsible.
Starlink, which serves more than six million users across 140 countries, saw service gradually return after two and a half hours.
Executives from SpaceX, including CEO Elon Musk and Vice President of Starlink Engineering Michael Nicolls, apologised publicly and promised to address the root cause to avoid further interruptions. Experts described it as Starlink’s most extended and severe outage since becoming a major provider.
As SpaceX continues upgrading the network to support greater speed and bandwidth, some experts warned that such technical failures may become more visible. Starlink has rapidly expanded with over 8,000 satellites in orbit and new services like direct-to-cell text messaging in partnership with T-Mobile.
Questions remain over whether Thursday’s failure affected military services like Starshield, which supports high-value US defence contracts.
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Google’s AI Overviews, the generative summaries placed above traditional search results, now serve over 2 billion users monthly, a sharp rise from 1.5 billion just last quarter.
First launched in May 2023 and widely available in the US by mid-2024, the feature has rapidly expanded across more than 200 countries and 40 languages.
The widespread use of AI Overviews transforms how people search and who benefits. Google reports that the feature boosts engagement by over 10% for queries where it appears.
However, a study by Pew Research shows clicks on search results drop significantly when AI Overviews are shown, with just 8% of users clicking any link, and only 1% clicking within the overview itself.
While Google claims AI Overviews monetise at the same rate as regular search, publishers are left out unless users click through, which they rarely do.
Google has started testing ads within the summaries and is reportedly negotiating licensing deals with select publishers, hinting at a possible revenue-sharing shift. Meanwhile, regulators in the US and EU are scrutinising whether the feature violates antitrust laws or misuses content.
Industry experts warn of a looming ‘Google Zero’ future — a web where search traffic dries up and AI-generated answers dominate.
As visibility in search becomes more about entity recognition than page ranking, publishers and marketers must rethink how they maintain relevance in an increasingly post-click environment.
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Amazon’s quiet wind-down of its Shanghai AI lab underscores a broader shift in global research dynamics, as escalating tensions between the US and China reshape how tech giants operate across borders.
Instead of expanding innovation hubs in China, major American firms are increasingly dismantling them.
The AWS lab, once central to Amazon’s AI research, produced tools said to have generated nearly $1bn in revenue and over 100 academic papers.
Yet its dissolution reflects a growing push from Washington to curb China’s access to cutting-edge technology, including restrictions on advanced chips and cloud services.
As IBM and Microsoft have also scaled back operations or relocated talent away from mainland China, a pattern is emerging: strategic retreat. Rather than risking compliance issues or regulatory scrutiny, US tech companies are choosing to restructure globally and reduce local presence in China altogether.
With Amazon already having exited its Chinese ebook and ecommerce markets, the shuttering of its AI lab signals more than a single closure — it reflects a retreat from joint innovation and a widening technological divide that may shape the future of AI competition.
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The XRP community is abuzz after crypto influencer Amelie claimed Europe is trialling the digital euro on the XRP Ledger. Citing the Frankfurter Stock Exchange, she suggested institutional interest is growing rapidly, potentially leading to a sharp price increase.
In her tweet, Amelie included a video featuring analyst Oliver, who predicted XRP could reach $18 within weeks.
Oliver pointed to XRP Ledger’s speed and scalability as key factors that could meet the European Central Bank’s needs for a digital euro. He claimed successful testing would spark broader adoption and a surge in market value.
XRP was trading at $3.04 at the time of the post, meaning a rise to $18 would mark a 492% increase.
Such a leap would require strong capital inflows and confirmation of real-world adoption. Although no official statement has been released by the Frankfurter Stock Exchange, the speculation has fuelled excitement in the XRP community.
Amelie concluded that 2025 could be pivotal for XRP. Analysts believe the asset’s growing role in tokenisation and cross-border payments could soon extend into central bank digital currencies, potentially solidifying its institutional appeal.
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Quantum computing holds vast promise for sectors from climate modelling to drug discovery and AI, but it remains far from mainstream due to significant barriers. The fragility of qubits, the shortage of scalable quantum software, and the immense number of qubits required continue to limit progress.
Keeping qubits stable is one of the most significant technical obstacles, with most only lasting microseconds before disruption. Current solutions rely on extreme cooling and specialised equipment, which remain expensive and impractical for widespread use.
Even the most advanced systems today operate with a fraction of the qubits needed for practical applications, while software options remain scarce and highly tailored. Businesses exploring quantum solutions must often build their tools from scratch, adding to the cost and complexity.
Beyond technology, the field faces social and structural challenges. A lack of skilled professionals and fears around unequal access could see quantum benefits restricted to big tech firms and governments.
Security is another looming concern, as future quantum machines may be capable of breaking current encryption standards. Policymakers and businesses must develop defences before such systems become widely available.
AI may accelerate progress in both directions. Quantum computing can supercharge model training and simulation, while AI is already helping to improve qubit stability and propose new hardware designs.
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The Trump administration has revealed a sweeping new AI strategy to cement US dominance in the global AI race, particularly against China.
The 25-page ‘America’s AI Action Plan’ proposes 90 policy initiatives, including building new data centres nationwide, easing regulations, and expanding exports of AI tools to international allies.
White House officials stated the plan will boost AI development by scrapping federal rules seen as restrictive and speeding up construction permits for data infrastructure.
A key element involves monitoring Chinese AI models for alignment with Communist Party narratives, while promoting ‘ideologically neutral’ systems within the US. Critics argue the approach undermines efforts to reduce bias and favours politically motivated AI regulation.
The action plan also supports increased access to federal land for AI-related construction and seeks to reverse key environmental protections. Analysts have raised concerns over energy consumption and rising emissions linked to AI data centres.
While the White House claims AI will complement jobs rather than replace them, recent mass layoffs at Indeed and Salesforce suggest otherwise.
Despite the controversy, the announcement drew optimism from investors. AI stocks saw mixed trading, with NVIDIA, Palantir and Oracle gaining, while Alphabet slipped slightly. Analysts described the move as a ‘watershed moment’ for US tech, signalling an aggressive stance in the global AI arms race.
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US President Donald Trump revealed a new trade agreement with Japan, described as ‘perhaps the largest deal ever made,’ involving $550 billion of Japanese investment in the United States.
The deal aims to boost trade in automobiles and agricultural goods, and is expected to create hundreds of thousands of jobs.
Following the announcement, major US stock indices saw modest gains, with the S&P 500, Nasdaq, and Dow rising by 0.26%, 0.09%, and 0.42% respectively. In contrast, Bitcoin fell by 0.55%.
Despite the positive stock market response, the wider cryptocurrency market declined, with the Coinmarketcap Altcoin Season Index dropping from 56 to 46. Expectations for an ‘altcoin season’—when most top tokens outperform Bitcoin over three months—may have been premature.
Bitcoin itself showed little movement, remaining below $120,000 and losing just under 1% over the past week.
Market metrics reveal that Bitcoin’s 24-hour trading volume dropped 11.5% to $67.28 billion, while its market cap declined by 0.78% to $2.35 trillion. Bitcoin dominance increased slightly to 61.57%.
Futures open interest decreased marginally, and total liquidations over 24 hours amounted to $51.23 million, with long positions accounting for the majority of liquidations.
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Amazon is shutting down its AI research lab in Shanghai, marking another step in its gradual withdrawal from China. The move comes amid continuing US–China trade tensions and a broader trend of American tech companies reassessing their presence in the country.
The company said the decision was part of a global streamlining effort rather than a response to AI concerns.
A spokesperson for AWS said the company had reviewed its organisational priorities and decided to cut some roles across certain teams. The exact number of job losses has not been confirmed.
Before Amazon’s confirmation, one of the lab’s senior researchers noted on WeChat that the Shanghai site was the final overseas AWS AI research lab and attributed its closure to shifts in US–China strategy.
The team had built a successful open-source graph neural network framework known as DGL, which reportedly brought in nearly $1 billion in revenue for Amazon’s e-commerce arm.
Amazon has been reducing its footprint in China for several years. It closed its domestic online marketplace in 2019, halted Kindle sales in 2022, and recently laid off AWS staff in the US.
Other tech giants including IBM and Microsoft have also shut down China-based research units this year, while some Chinese AI firms are now relocating operations abroad instead of remaining in a volatile domestic environment.
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An Indian teenager has created a low-cost AI device that translates slurred speech into clear Hindi, helping patients with paralysis and neurological conditions communicate more easily.
Pranet Khetan’s innovation, Paraspeak, uses a custom Hindi speech recognition model to address a long-ignored area of assistive tech.
The device was inspired by Khetan’s visit to a paralysis care centre, where he saw patients struggling to express themselves. Unlike existing English models, Paraspeak is trained on the first Hindi dysarthic speech dataset in India, created by Khetan himself through recordings and data augmentation.
Using transformer architecture, Paraspeak converts unclear speech into understandable output using cloud processing and a neck-worn compact device. It is designed to be scalable across different speakers, unlike current solutions that only work for individual patients.
The AI device is affordable, costing around ₹2,000 to build, and is already undergoing real-world testing. With no existing market-ready alternative for Hindi speakers, Paraspeak represents a significant step forward in inclusive health technology.
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The global 5G automotive market is expected to grow sharply from $2.58 billion in 2024 to $31.18 billion by 2034, fuelled by the rapid adoption of connected and self-driving vehicles.
A compound annual growth rate of over 28% reflects the strong momentum behind the transition to smarter mobility and safer road networks.
Vehicle-to-everything communication is predicted to lead adoption, as it allows vehicles to exchange real-time data with other cars, infrastructure and even pedestrians.
In-car entertainment systems are also growing fast, with consumers demanding smoother connectivity and on-the-go access to apps and media.
Autonomous driving, advanced driver-assistance features and real-time navigation all benefit from 5G’s low latency and high-speed capabilities. Automakers such as BMW have already begun integrating 5G into electric models to support automated functions.
Meanwhile, the US government has pledged $1.5 billion to build smart transport networks that rely on 5G-powered communication.
North America remains ahead due to early 5G rollouts and strong manufacturing bases, but Asia Pacific is catching up fast through smart city investment and infrastructure development.
Regulatory barriers and patchy rural coverage continue to pose challenges, particularly in regions with strict data privacy laws or limited 5G networks.
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