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Technology News

  • Sakana AI raises $135M on $2.635B valuation to accelerate frontier and applied AI in Japan
    November 18, 2025, 5:14 AM EST. Japanese AI startup Sakana AI has raised ¥20 billion ($135 million) in a Series B at a $2.635 billion valuation to scale frontier research and drive applied AI in Japan. Founded in 2023 by former Google Brain researchers, the company pursues biologically inspired, efficient AI that eschews brute-force scaling. Its self-evolving and model-merging approaches aim to enable smaller models to synthesize capabilities, transfer knowledge and recombine skills with fewer large training runs, aided by automated architectural search. Sakana AI plans to tailor foundation models to Japan's linguistic, cultural, and regulatory environment for enterprises, finance, manufacturing and government. The round included MUFG, Khosla Ventures, NEA, Lux Capital and others, with MUFG stressing AI implementation across Japanese firms. The firm seeks to blend research with real-world deployment and a sustainable ecosystem.
  • Nvidia powers global supercomputing push: exaflop systems, AI, and quantum-ready GPUs
    November 18, 2025, 5:12 AM EST. Nvidia-backed efforts are expanding supercomputing worldwide. In the U.S., three Nvidia-accelerated systems-Minerva, Janus, and Tara-will support AI inference and workforce development. At LANL, the new Mission and Vision systems from HPE will run on the Nvidia Vera Rubin platform and Quantum-X800 InfiniBand networking; Mission handles classified work for the NNSA, while Vision enables open science, including foundation models. In Europe, the Jülich Supercomputing Centre's JUPITER exaflop system joins the Top500 echelon, powered by 24,000 GH200 Grace Hopper chips and interconnects. In Japan, RIKEN plans two Nvidia-powered machines: one for science with 1,600 Blackwell GPUs on the GB200 NVL4 platform, and a second quantum system with 540 GPUs, tied to Quantum-X800 InfiniBand.
  • A16z-backed super PAC targets NY AI regulator sponsor in congressional bid
    November 18, 2025, 5:08 AM EST. A pro-AI policy super PAC backed by Andreessen Horowitz and OpenAI President Greg Brockman has targeted New York Assembly member Alex Bores as he runs for Congress. Leading the Future plans a multibillion-dollar push for a light-touch - or no-touch - approach to AI regulation, aiming at policymakers who want tighter rules. Backers include Palantir co-founder Joe Lonsdale and AI firm Perplexity. Bores is the sponsor of New York's bipartisan RAISE Act, which would require safety plans from large AI labs, disclose incidents, and impose penalties for noncompliance, with a potential $30 million cap. He says he consulted OpenAI and Anthropic during drafting. He argues the bill balances safety with innovation, while Silicon Valley contends it could undermine competitiveness.
  • Ditching the Tablet for a Portable Monitor: My Gaming Sidecar Upgrade
    November 18, 2025, 5:06 AM EST. Trading an aging iPad for a portable monitor transformed my setup. Instead of juggling a tablet as a gaming sidecar to track Discord and stream chat, I switched to the HP Series 5 Pro 514pn, which plugs into my gaming tower for a seamless second screen. The Gen 4 iPad was too old to run current iPadOS, making app stability unreliable and even a Linux switch cumbersome. With a single, compact monitor, I keep chat visible without tabbing out of games, preserve desk space, and enjoy a faster workflow during raids and co-op sessions. The result: a cleaner, more productive gaming life.
  • Android November Update: New Play Store and Play Services Features Across Devices
    November 18, 2025, 5:02 AM EST. Google is rolling out the November Android updates via Play Store 48.8 and Play Services 25.44. Key changes include the ability to uninstall apps from the store across all linked devices, plus a new Manage apps and devices view to track active subscriptions and Play Points. On the user side, live video during emergency calls can be shared with dispatchers, enhancing situational awareness. A confirmation prompts before blocking apps (e.g., Gemini via parental controls) and ongoing improvements to parental controls were also announced, with earlier updates (version 25.43) expanding school mode and supervised contacts. Developers gain updated Google Maps integrations in this release; many updates roll out progressively via Play Services and Play Store without full device updates.