Latest news and articles about startups
A quiet revolution is underway in how academic institutions access frontier AI capabilities. Amazon's Nova Forge program and the Stanford-AWS partnership signal a fundamental shift: universities are no longer locked out of the computational resources that define cutting-edge AI research. This democratization could reshape both academic research and industry innovation in unexpected ways.
The previous article in this series, "Rules fail at the prompt, succeed at the boundary," focused on the first AI-orchestrated espionage campaign and the failure of prompt-level control. This article...
Microsoft could launch the next-generation Xbox console sometime in 2027, AMD CEO Lisa Su has revealed during the semiconductor company's latest earnings call. Valve is on track to start shipping its...
After years of breathless AI hype and rushed pilot programs, 2026 is shaping up as the year enterprises get serious about AI accountability. From Docusign's CEO warning about contract liability to Mistral emphasizing measurable outcomes, companies are pivoting from "AI for AI's sake" to demanding results they can actually measure and trust.
Fitbit's founders have a new startup. Two years after leaving Google, James Park and Eric Friedman announced a new platform that shifts the focus from the individual to the family. They say the Luffu...
Stop me if you've heard this one before. Disney has announced a successor to outgoing CEO Bob Iger, effective in March. Josh D'Amaro, current chairman of Disney Experiences, was tapped for the role in...
Amazon has announced the return of its Nova AI Challenge for the second year, with ten university teams competing to build AI agents capable of handling complex multi-step software development tasks while maintaining security and reliability. For the first time, participating teams will have access to Amazon Nova Forge, enabling them to customize frontier AI models with tools and computational resources previously unavailable to academic research programs, addressing historical barriers to large-scale AI research in universities.
Samsung's 2025 was filled with new foldables, an ultra-thin new form factor and the launch of Google's XR platform. After making some announcements at CES 2026, the company is expected to host its fir...
NASA started making the final preparations for the Artemis 2 mission in early January, with the hopes of opening its launch window as soon as February 6. After issues showed up during the mission's we...
Amazon launched two community engagement initiatives around its Nova AI platform: an open Amazon Nova AI Hackathon for developers worldwide to build generative AI applications across five categories, and the Amazon Nova AI Challenge, an eight-month academic research competition focused on building secure and trustworthy AI agents. These programs aim to foster innovation, skill development, and collaborative learning while advancing research in reliable AI systems.
Like some sort of corporate Russian doll, SpaceX has announced its acquisition of xAI. The merger will "form the most ambitious, vertically integrated innovation engine on (and off) Earth," according...
SpaceX has acquired Elon Musk's xAI company in a merger aimed at creating a vertically-integrated innovation engine combining AI, rockets, and space-based infrastructure. The acquisition supports Musk's plan to build orbital data centers in space to handle AI's massive computational demands, with SpaceX recently filing an FCC application to launch a million new satellites for this purpose.
OpenClaw (formerly Moltbot/Clawdbot), a trending open-source AI agent that runs locally and performs tasks via messaging apps, has gained significant traction in tech circles. The project and its associated Moltbook social network for AI agents have faced security vulnerabilities exposing API keys and credentials, while also drawing attention for novel use cases like autonomous agent-to-agent interactions.
Carbon Robotics unveiled its Large Plant Model (LPM), an AI system trained on 150 million labeled plant images that enables its autonomous laser weeding robots to instantly recognize and identify new weed species without retraining. The breakthrough allows farmers to command the robots to target new plants in real-time through a simple user interface, eliminating the previous 24-hour labeling and retraining process required for each new weed variant.
OpenAI and Snowflake announced a $200M partnership to integrate frontier AI capabilities into Snowflake's data platform, enabling enterprise customers to build AI agents and derive insights directly from their data. The collaboration aims to bring advanced intelligence capabilities to enterprise data infrastructure.
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang denied reports of unhappiness with OpenAI and reaffirmed the company's commitment to a major investment in the ChatGPT maker, clarifying that while it won't be the previously announced $100 billion, it will still be 'probably the largest investment we've ever made.' Huang expressed confidence in OpenAI's work and its significance as one of the most consequential AI companies.
NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang confirmed the company will make a significant investment in OpenAI's latest funding round, though he clarified it won't reach the $100 billion scale of their previously announced data center partnership. The announcement comes after reports that the two companies were reconsidering their earlier nonbinding agreement, though Huang emphasized his confidence in OpenAI's work and vision.
OnlyFans is looking to cash out once again, but this time in a deal that would value it at several billion dollars less than a potential sale that previously fell through. As reported by TechCrunch, t...
This article is a curated roundup of the 10 most significant robotics developments from January 2026, spanning major announcements including Boston Dynamics' Atlas humanoid working with Google's DeepMind, Microsoft's Rho-alpha vision-language-action model for robots, Amazon's acquisition of Rightbot for logistics automation, and autonomous system debuts from companies like Doosan Bobcat and Neocis. The piece highlights the industry's shift from theoretical capabilities to real-world deployments across humanoids, industrial automation, AI models, and commercial applications.
Wandercraft's Atalante X self-balancing exoskeleton has enrolled its first patient in a clinical trial at Brigham and Women's Hospital to evaluate its safety and effectiveness in helping thoracic surgery patients mobilize in intensive care. The FDA-cleared, hands-free exoskeleton is being tested in a first-of-its-kind interventional pilot study designed to assess whether robotic assistance can enable earlier and safer patient mobilization compared to current clinical practices.
Moltbook, a Reddit-like social network for AI agents built by Octane AI CEO Matt Schlicht, has attracted over 30,000 AI agents and is generating viral discussion about consciousness and agent autonomy. The platform, which allows AI agents to interact via APIs, emerged from the OpenClaw open-source AI agent platform that went viral two months ago with 2 million visitors and 100,000 GitHub stars.
New York Robotics, a nonprofit organization, officially launched with over 160 robotics startups in its Tri-State ecosystem, aiming to establish New York as a global robotics hub comparable to Boston and Silicon Valley. The organization, which evolved from a 2021 meetup group, focuses on connecting startups, investors, academic institutions, and service providers to foster growth in the regional robotics industry.
ServiceNow and Anthropic have announced a partnership to expand Anthropic's presence in the enterprise AI market. The deal positions Anthropic's Claude AI models within ServiceNow's platform for business applications.
While financial details were not disclosed, the deal is being characterized as Apple's "second largest acquisition in history."
China has approved DeepSeek and other major tech companies (ByteDance, Alibaba, Tencent) to purchase NVIDIA's H200 AI chips, with ByteDance, Alibaba, and Tencent collectively approved for 400,000 units. The approvals follow new US regulations allowing NVIDIA to sell H200 processors to vetted Chinese companies and reflect China's ongoing efforts to secure advanced AI hardware despite developing domestic alternatives.
Apple has acquired Q.ai, an AI audio startup, for $2 billion in what is Apple's second-largest acquisition ever. The company specializes in using facial expressions and optical sensor technology to enable non-verbal communication with AI assistants, with potential applications in Apple Intelligence, Siri, AirPods, Vision Pro, and other devices.
Apple has acquired Israeli AI startup Q.ai for a reported $2 billion, making it Apple's second-largest acquisition ever. The deal strengthens Apple's artificial intelligence capabilities, particularly in imaging and machine learning technology that could power AI-driven wearables and potentially reduce reliance on competitors for AI features like Siri.
RobCo GmbH has raised $100 million in Series C funding to scale its physical AI-powered autonomous manufacturing platform across the U.S. and Europe. The Munich-based startup combines modular hardware with self-learning software to enable industrial robots to acquire task-specific skills through demonstration rather than manual programming, with deployments across manufacturers including BMW and various mid-size enterprises.
Mistral AI has upgraded its Vibe coding agent, advancing its capabilities in AI-assisted software development. The update positions the European company as a competitor to U.S.-dominated players in the AI coding assistant market.
DEWALT and August Robotics have partnered to develop an autonomous drilling system that mounts a DEWALT concrete drill on August Robotics' Lionel autonomous mobile robot for data center construction. The system reduces floor preparation time from 8-9 weeks to 7-9 days with four robots, achieving 99.97% placement accuracy and lowering cost per hole from $60 to $20, with commercial availability expected mid-2026.
OnRobot is hosting a "Build your Automation Roadmap" event in Dallas on February 19 to demonstrate practical automation solutions for North Texas manufacturers facing labor shortages. The event will feature live demonstrations of FANUC robots equipped with OnRobot end-of-arm tooling for applications like machine tending, material handling, and assembly, with experts on hand to help manufacturers move from considering automation to confident implementation.
OpenMind has launched a robot app store platform designed to improve software access for robot operators and facilitate broader adoption of robotics. The platform aims to streamline how robotic systems are deployed and managed across organizations.
Tesla is discontinuing production of its Model S and X vehicles next quarter to convert the Fremont factory production space into manufacturing for Optimus humanoid robots, with CEO Elon Musk announcing a long-term goal of producing 1 million Optimus units. The company plans to begin selling Optimus to the public by the end of next year as part of its strategic shift toward autonomous robotics.
Apple picked up an intriguing new member for its design team today in Sebastiaan de With, co-founder of the iPhone camera app Halide. He announced the move today on Threads, adding, "So excited to wor...
Fauna Robotics, a New York-based startup, has introduced Sprout, a humanoid development platform designed to democratize embodied AI research and applications. Standing 107 cm tall and weighing 22.7 kg, Sprout features 29 degrees of freedom, safety-focused design, and an NVIDIA Jetson AGX Orin processor to enable developers to build general-purpose robotics applications in everyday environments without specialized expertise.
Mark Zuckerberg says there's an end in sight to Reality Labs' years of multibillion-dollar losses following the company's layoffs to the metaverse division earlier this year. The CEO said he expects t...
Quantum technologies are rapidly emerging as foundational capabilities for economic competitiveness, national security and scientific leadership in the 21st century. Sustained U.S. leadership in quant...
Waabi closed a $750 million Series C funding round to accelerate commercialization of its Physical AI Platform for autonomous trucks, with additional strategic investment from Uber to expand into robotaxis. The partnership aims to deploy 25,000+ autonomous vehicles using the same AI model as a shared brain for both trucks and taxis, with Uber providing milestone-based capital for robotaxi development.
Moltbot, an open-source AI assistant project by Austrian developer Peter Steinberger, has rapidly gained popularity with 69,000 GitHub stars in a month, offering users a persistent, always-on AI agent that integrates with messaging platforms like WhatsApp, Telegram, and Slack. The tool combines LLM capabilities (typically Claude or GPT models) with local system access for task automation and long-term memory, but raises significant security concerns due to its broad permissions and attack surface expansion. Despite requiring API subscriptions, complex setup, and substantial security risks, the project has attracted substantial community interest for its vision of a personal AI assistant with real-world capabilities.
Apply for the EMEA Youth & Wellbeing Grant, a €500,000 program funding NGOs and researchers advancing youth safety and wellbeing in the age of AI.
OpenAI has launched the EU Economic Blueprint 2.0, introducing new data, partnerships, and initiatives designed to accelerate AI adoption and economic growth across Europe. The blueprint represents OpenAI's continued expansion strategy in the EU market with focus on skills development and regional AI integration.
Moltbot, an open-source AI agent that runs locally and can perform tasks like managing calendars, sending emails, and filling forms, is gaining popularity after being shared across social media. However, the tool poses significant security risks when given admin-level access to computers, as it can be vulnerable to prompt injection attacks and hijacking through social media interactions, with researchers already discovering exposed credentials and scammers launching phony tokens exploiting the tool's name change.
Fauna Robotics unveiled Sprout, a 3.5-foot tall humanoid robot designed to be approachable and friendly for homes, schools, and social spaces, marking a departure from industrial-focused humanoids like Tesla's Optimus and Boston Dynamics' Atlas. The robot functions as a software developer platform priced at $50,000 and has already attracted early customers including Disney and Boston Dynamics, positioning Fauna as the first American company actively shipping humanoid robots as a developer platform.
AI2 has released a family of open-source coding agents, offering enterprises an alternative to proprietary solutions. The release reflects a growing trend in the open-source AI model market and highlights the trade-offs between cost and performance that organizations must consider when deploying coding automation tools.
Two former Google researchers founded Ricursive Intelligence in December to use AI systems to optimize the manufacturing process of AI chips. The startup has already reached a $4 billion valuation, indicating significant investor confidence in its approach to improving chip production efficiency.
Samsung's 2025 was filled with new foldables, an ultra-thin new form factor and the launch of Google's XR platform. After making some announcements at CES 2026, the company is expected to host its fir...
Starship Technologies released survey results showing 95% approval of its autonomous delivery robots among 5,000 students across 65 U.S. college campuses, demonstrating widespread acceptance of autonomous technology in everyday environments. The company has completed over 9 million deliveries worldwide and 1.5 million miles on U.S. campuses in 2025, with students citing benefits including improved food accessibility, reduced stress, and safer late-night delivery options.
Multiply Labs announced a partnership with AstraZeneca to evaluate GMP-ready robotic systems for automating commercial-scale cell therapy manufacturing. The collaboration will leverage Multiply Labs' multi-arm robotic biomanufacturing platform to automate industry-standard instruments, aiming to increase manufacturing efficiency and scalability while maintaining regulatory standards.
Nvidia invested $2 billion in CoreWeave, a cloud infrastructure provider specializing in AI workloads, significantly expanding their existing partnership. This investment strengthens CoreWeave's position in the competitive AI infrastructure market and demonstrates Nvidia's commitment to supporting the broader AI ecosystem beyond its core chip business.
Vention has raised $110 million in Series D funding to advance its physical AI platform for manufacturing automation, which combines hardware, software, and AI to accelerate robotic workcell deployment. The Montreal-based company plans to use the funding to serve enterprise clients, commercialize physical AI applications, expand its end-to-end industrial tech stack, and grow into Europe, with a focus on defense, data center, and end-of-line automation sectors.
