Chancellor’s R&D tax relief cut for startups jeopardises UK innovation funding November 22, 2022 Most of the UK’s spending on research and development (R&D) hangs on the shoulders of businesses, leaving a sour taste in the mouths of startups following the Chancellor’s latest budget. The business sector contributed £44bn – the equivalent of 71 per cent – of R&D funding in 2020, followed by universities, which pumped in £13.9bn, [...]
UK set to become next AI superpower says new report November 22, 2022 The UK could be the next big global artificial intelligence superpower as the government leads the way with public sector investment. According to a new independent report carried out by WPI Economics, on behalf of software firm Splunk, the UK is forging ahead of its European rivals in many aspects of how it embeds data and [...]
Facebook owner Meta sued for selling personal data for ads November 21, 2022 Facebook owner Meta has been sued in the high court after claims that it disregarded the right to object against the collection of personal data to sell to advertisers. Human rights advocate Tanya O’Carroll alleges that the Silicon Valley giant has breached UK data laws by failing to respect her right to demand that it [...]
Merck inks £1.1bn deal for cancer drug developer Imago November 21, 2022 American pharmaceutical giant Merck has today inked a $1.35bn (£1.14bn) deal for cancer drug developer Imago BioSciences. The offer of $36 (£30.4bn) a share represents a nearly 107 per cent premium on the company’s last closing price. The deal is intended to bolster Merck’s portfolio of blood disorder treatments, with onlookers expecting the company’s blockbuster [...]
Arm delays IPO plans as recession shakes markets November 20, 2022 British chipmaker Arm has pushed back its plans for an initial public offering this year as markets are rocked by recessionary fears and soaring inflation.
Nvidia stock dips after share earnings miss expectations November 18, 2022 Shares in Nvidia have slipped today after the chipmaker’s earnings per share scraped the bottom of analyst forecasts. The US tech giant snagged $0.58 a share versus the $0.70 that was expected by onlookers. Nvidia did however sail past revenue expectations, securing $5.93bn in the third quarter, above estimates of $5.79bn. The company, which specialises [...]
Hunt pushes to make UK ‘the world’s next Silicon Valley’ November 17, 2022 The Chancellor has vowed to turn Britain into “the world’s next Silicon Valley,” stating that the key to global success was “not tax subsidies but competition”. In his Autumn statement, Jeremy Hunt restated the government’s commitment to pushing through legislation that would activate the Digital Markets Unit (DMU). Under the current draft Digital Markets Bill, [...]
Starry-eyed investors: Seraphim Space more than doubles portfolio value 12-months November 17, 2022 Seraphim Space Investment Trust (SSIT) has more than doubled its portfolio value over the past year, as space tech continues to lure in investors. The Trust’s portfolio valuation swelled more than 11 per cent to £207m in the three months to the end of September – more than double what it was 12-months ago. Seraphim’s [...]
Tencent vows to ‘distribute’ $20.3bn Meituan shares to investors November 16, 2022 Tencent has vowed to give its shareholders $20.3bn (£17.4bn) worth of shares in Chinese food delivery firm Meituan as it seeks to reduce its holdings in China’s tech sector. The Shenzhen conglomerate’s “special dividend” comes as its sales dropped two per cent year-on-year, to £16.6bn, on the back of a five per cent drop in [...]
A little birdwatching: Are tech firms like Musk’s Twitter ready for regulation? November 16, 2022 ELON MUSK’s dramatic takeover of Twitter – complete with firing the entire management team and half the staff – has been the talk of, ahem, Twitter for the past week, as well as much of the rest of the world. It has also divided opinion amongst the most strongly politically engaged. Many on the right [...]