Top tech firms have formed a virtual reality supergroup December 8, 2016 Several of the biggest names in technology are joining forces to push forward innovation in the burgeoning world of virtual reality. Facebook, Google and Samsung are among the top tech companies to form the Global Virtual Reality Association (GVRA), tasked with promoting the global growth of the industry, which is expected to be worth $162bn by [...]
Google’s DeepMind is using “blockchain related” technology to increase data transparency December 5, 2016 DeepMind is using technology "related to blockchain" in an effort to become more transparent in the way it handles patient data in a tie-up with NHS health trusts which has caused concerns over privacy. Co-founder Mustafa Suleyman said the British artificial intelligence company owned by Google is working on a "general transparency architecture" for monitoring [...]
Uber’s created its very own lab for researching artificial intelligence December 5, 2016 Uber is getting deeper into the artificial intelligence game, creating a dedicated lab staffed with top researchers by acquiring a startup with expertise in the technology. The 15 staff of Geometric Intelligence will form the basis for the billion dollar startup’s San Francisco Lab, which will research the growing area of AI and machine learning [...]
How can you monitor data in 810 billion photos? November 30, 2016 Have you been watching the epic Planet Earth 2 from the BBC? If so, you'll have been amazed at the roving drone that filmed billions of locusts in Madagascar. How about the jaw-dropping footage of a starving lioness trying to take down a giraffe at full chat? You were there. Almost. The images were simply stunning. Combine them with some 810 billion [...]
London will reinvent itself again post-Brexit if it remains flexible and open to the world November 29, 2016 "We don't plan London very much. Nobody planned to have the euro-dollar market, for example. It rose because clever people were very quick at responding to market signals.” Speaking at a debate at the Museum of London on the future of the capital, hosted by Eversheds, The Independent’s Hamish McRae set out the optimistic case for the [...]
The London mayor’s ploughed £2.5m into startups since Brexit November 28, 2016 The Mayor of London has ploughed more than £2.5m into the capital's soon-to-be star startups since the vote for Brexit in a bid to show the world the city's "open for business", as he unveiled a new line up of advisors drawn from the UK's ranks of top entrepreneurs and business leaders. Sadiq Khan hailed the London Co-investment [...]
Google’s DeepMind wants to make doctor’s paperwork obsolete in new NHS deal November 22, 2016 DeepMind, the UK company leading the way in artificial intelligence research, is doubling down on applying its technology to healthcare which could save the NHS millions of pounds as well as time spent on paperwork. It has signed a five-year deal with a London NHS Trust to put into practice a prototype app designed to [...]
That’s far out: UK investment firm launches £80m space tech fund November 21, 2016 A UK investment firm has today launched an £80m space-tech venture fund. Seraphim Capital said the fund, which will focus on early-stage, space-related technology businesses, is the largest of its kind. The company expects to have raised the £80m over the next two quarters, and today announced a £30m investment from the British Business Bank alongside [...]
Facebook to create 500 jobs in the UK November 21, 2016 Facebook has said that it will be hiring an additional 500 employees next year when it opens its new base in London. The tech giant will be creating jobs in engineering, marketing, and sales at its new Fitzrovia headquarters. Nicola Mendelson, Facebook's European boss, said: "The UK remains one of the best places to be a tech [...]
Tech-tastic: May pledges billions to support tech champions as she fleshes out industrial strategy November 21, 2016 Prime Minister Theresa May will reveal details of her government’s flagship industrial strategy at a conference of business leaders today, promising billions in extra funding and potential tax breaks for a range of sectors. While insisting her plan is “not about picking winners”, she will identify several technology-related areas in the UK that the government [...]