Databricks rides AI boom to $100bn after new funding August 20, 2025 Analytics platform Databricks has sealed a fresh funding round that is set to catapult its valuation over $100bn. The data and AI heavyweight has signed a term sheet for Series K Funding – a type of advanced, late-stage financing – which is expected to close shortly. Whilst details of the raise have not been disclosed [...]
UK backs down on plans to force Apple to share encrypted user data August 19, 2025 The British government has backed down on plans to force Apple to share encrypted user data, according to President Trump’s intelligence chief. Tulsi Gabbard told the Financial Times that the government has agreed to abandon its demands for a “back door” for data. US vice-president JD Vance reportedly intervened to broker the exemption for the [...]
End of Windows 10 support will trigger wave of upgrades, Westcoast says August 18, 2025 A withdrawal of support for Windows 10 is likely to trigger a rush to upgrade systems before the deadline, the UK’s biggest IT supplier has said as it posted a jump in sales. The Windows 10 operating system, which was introduced by Microsoft in July 2015, will no longer be supported from October 14 2025 [...]
Is Perplexity’s $34.5bn bid for Google Chrome strictly a power move? August 17, 2025 Artificial intelligence start-up Perplexity AI has made an unsolicited $34.5bn (£25.4bn) all-cash offer for Google’s Chrome browser, in a move that some analysts say is as much about signalling intent as it is about striking a deal. The San Francisco-based company revealed the bid on Tuesday, reported Reuters, claiming it had secured backing from several [...]
Plusnet cuts jobs as sales and profit slashed August 15, 2025 Plusnet cut more than 100 jobs as its sales and profit were slashed during its latest financial year, it has been revealed. The Sheffield-headquartered broadband provider, which is owned by BT, has posted a turnover of £342.4m for the 12 months to 31 March, 2025, down from the £401.8m it achieved in the year before. Plusnet [...]
Peter Kyle defends UK free speech record after US report attacks Online Safety Act August 14, 2025 Tech secretary Peter Kyle has pushed back against a damning US government report accusing the UK of backsliding on human rights and curbing freedom of expression under Labour. The annual State Department dossier, published on Tuesday, warned that Britain’s human rights record had “worsened during the year” amid “serious restrictions on freedom of expression”, and [...]
Here are five British tech startups to look out for August 14, 2025 A new cohort of Future Fifty tech firms is demonstrating exponential growth and attracting significant investment, reinforcing London’s position as a hub for dynamic scale-ups in this space. These companies are making headlines across diverse sectors, from AI to environmental technology. The talent is emerging from UK universities, but the challenge for these firms is [...]
US giant Anthropic poaches British AI firm founders in OpenAI rivalry August 13, 2025 Anthropic has hired the three cofounders of London-based AI startup HumanLoop, along with most of its engineering and research staff, in its latest move to bolster AI talent in Europe. As Sifted reported on Tuesday, the hires include chief executive Raza Habib, chief tech officer Peter Hayes and chief product officer Jordan Burgess, all of [...]
Facial recognition vans rolled out across England in crime crackdown August 13, 2025 An additional seven police forces in England will be using ten new live facial recognition (LFR) vans to track suspects wanted for serious crimes, including sexual offences, violent assaults, and homicides. The rollout, announced by the Home Office, will see Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire, Bedfordshire, Surrey, Sussex, Thames Valley and Hampshire police share the vehicles. [...]
Musk threatens Apple with legal action in escalating feud with Altman’s OpenAI August 13, 2025 Elon Musk has threatened to sue Apple, accusing the iPhone maker of unfairly favouring ChatGPT developer OpenAI in its App Store rankings and listings. In a series of posts on X, formerly Twitter, the Tesla and SpaceX chief claimed Apple was making it “impossible” for any other AI company to reach the number one position [...]