Cutting-Edge TEC
U.S. FAA: No Plans to Sign Communication Contract with Starlink for Now
On July 16 local time, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) stated it has not considered replacing its existing contracts with L3 Harris Technologies and Verizon with SpaceX’s Starlink for aviation control systems. The FAA clarified it will not use Starlink or any satellite service as the sole communication technology for safety-critical air traffic services, nor will it abandon previous partners for SpaceX.
U.S. Department of Defense Secures $200M AI Contracts with OpenAI, Google, Anthropic, xAI for National Security
The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) announced on July 14 it has awarded up to $200 million in AI contracts to OpenAI, Google parent company Alphabet, Anthropic, and xAI, aiming to accelerate the deployment of advanced AI capabilities across national security systems. The contracts, managed by the DoD’s Chief Digital and AI Office (CDAO), will fund the development of "agentic AI workflows" to address critical defense challenges, including cybersecurity, intelligence analysis, and operational decision-making .
Europe Aims to Cut U.S. Reliance with Nordic Spaceport Projects
As reported by Reuters on July 10, Europe is pushing forward with building domestic launch facilities in Sweden’s Esrange and Norway’s Andøya to reduce dependence on the U.S. and strengthen its independent space capabilities. The goal is to send satellites into orbit from the European continent for the first time. Previously, Europe’s only launch site was in French Guiana, South America—its remote location and high costs made it hard to meet rising commercial and military needs.
Hydrogen Plasma - based Extraction of High - Purity Iron from Red Mud Drives Green Metallurgy
European scientists have developed a new method that uses hydrogen plasma to reduce iron oxide in red mud, capable of producing liquid iron with a purity of over 95% in just a few minutes. This process contains almost no harmful elements and is suitable for steel - making. Meanwhile, it can consume red mud, an industrial solid waste, and is expected to solve the environmental problem of 180 million tons of red mud produced annually.
Scientists Discover Potentially the Oldest Rocks on Earth in Canada
Scientists have identified what could be the world's oldest rocks in the Nuvvuagittuq greenstone belt along the coast of Hudson Bay in northeastern Canada. These rocks are at least 4.16 billion years old, about 160 million years earlier than the previously recognized oldest rocks, and are the only known surviving fragments of the Earth's Hadean - eon crust, providing a precious window into the early evolution of the Earth.
Quantum Computing: Poised to Transform Technology in Coming Decades
Quantum computing encodes and manipulates data using subatomic properties like superposition and quantum entanglement. Long confined to theory over past decades, recent research has yielded meaningful progress, with a practical quantum computer likely to emerge within 5–15 years.
IQM Achieves Quantum Computing Profitability by Emulating SpaceX's Early Revenue Model
Finnish quantum computing firm IQM has achieved early-stage profitability by leveraging a SpaceX-inspired strategy of selling pre-commercial quantum systems to government-backed research institutions and supercomputing centers, CEO Jan Goetz announced at The Next Web (TNW) conference. This approach has generated over €90 million ($100 million) in orders since its 2018 founding,
Anthropic Data Shows Minimal Demand for AI Emotional Support via Claude
Anthropic’s latest report reveals only 2.9% of users turn to its AI model Claude for emotional companionship, with conversations involving companionship or role-playing accounting for less than 0.5%. This contrasts sharply with perceptions of surging demand for AI companionship.