Softbank leads $525m round in British drug developer Exscientia April 27, 2021 British pharmaceutical company Exscientia has received funding from Softbank Vision Fund just a month after closing its last investment round. Exscientia uses artificial intelligence to discover new drug molecules and has now designed two drugs that are in Phase 1 of clinical trials. The Oxford-based company today announced it had completed a $225m Series D [...]
Mike Lynch: Cass Business School’s new name is fitting tribute to information forefather Thomas Bayes April 23, 2021 It was encouraging to read the news Cass Business School has been renamed after the statistician Reverend Thomas Bayes who, unbeknownst to many of us, plays an important part in all our lives – including my own. Bayes deserves far more historical credit for the place he occupies among the forefathers of information theory. If [...]
AI-Powered Ubiquitous Investing April 22, 2021 Have you noticed that your bank statements are now a succession of Netflix, Uber, Spotify, Deliveroo, Apple and Amazon payments? All of them offer us all types of services at our fingertips. No more wasting time sourcing or waiting to access the best way to get an amazing selection of food, music, films, transport or [...]
EU sets out plans to curb facial recognition in Big Brother crackdown April 21, 2021 The EU has set out plans to regulate the use of “risky” artificial intelligence (AI) such as facial recognition with hefty fines for companies that breach the rules. The draft rules, published by the European Commission today, mark the first international efforts to curb the use of technology that critics warn could be used by [...]
AI on the edge April 20, 2021 Artificial intelligence (AI) has already been attracting the attention of deep tech investors for some years. The reasons why are clear. In its ‘Sizing The Prize’ analysis of artificial intelligence (AI), PwC forecast that AI will contribute $15.7 trillion to the global economy by 2030, with the ‘AI boost’ available to most national economies being [...]
Explainer: Why has the UK intervened in Nvidia’s $40bn Arm merger? April 20, 2021 Ever since it was announced in September last year, Nvidia’s proposed $40bn (£30bn) takeover of British chipmaker Arm has proved controversial. Critics including rival tech firms and former Arm executives were quick to hit out at the deal, warning of a negative impact for Britain and the semiconductor industry more widely. Yesterday the government made [...]
Suits you, sir: can bespoke tailoring survive the pandemic? April 20, 2021 One of the dominant themes to emerge as we fight our way out of the Covid pandemic is what the future of the workplace might look like. Will employees still feel safe congregating together to share that quicksilver creative spark? Will businesses reduce their footprint and have teams at home two or three days a [...]
Regulatory and legal challenges faced by Heathtech start-ups April 19, 2021 Healthtech – the digitisation of healthcare – aims to provide patients with easier and more accessible care with improved health outcomes. Acceptance and demand for digital health products, such as telemedicine, wearables, and patient apps, has been given a massive boost by the COVID-19 pandemic. Other factors driving growth, as well as investment and consolidation, [...]
UK launches national security review into Nvidia’s $40bn Arm takeover April 19, 2021 The UK has launched a review into Nvidia’s planned $40bn (£30bn) takeover of British chipmaker Arm amid concerns it could harm national security. Digital secretary Oliver Dowden today issued a public interest intervention notice (PIIN) relating to the proposed deal. Cambridge-based Arm is one of the world’s leading semiconductor companies. Chips are key to technologies [...]
Kantar ‘closes in’ on $1.5bn deal for US data rival Numerator April 19, 2021 Kantar is said to be nearing a $1.5bn (£1bn) deal to buy US rival Numerator from buyout fund Vista Equity Partners. The deal, which is expected to be announced imminently, will see Kantar take full control over the Chicago-based market intelligence provider, Reuters reported. Numerator, which was taken over by Vista in 2017, provides market [...]