Unveils

• The European Union has introduced a comprehensive tech sovereignty plan designed to strengthen domestic supply chains for semiconductors, artificial intelligence, and cloud computing. • The initiative aims to reduce the EU's strategic reliance on technology imports and infrastructure from the United States and Asia. • This move matters as it seeks to protect European digital autonomy and ensure economic security amidst global geopolitical tensions and supply chain vulnerabilities.

• The Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (KVIFF) has unveiled its 2026 competition titles for the Crystal Globe and Proxima categories. • The selection features 24 world premieres from filmmakers spanning five continents, including works from Mexico, Japan, Croatia, Italy, and the United Kingdom. • This lineup reinforces the festival's commitment to showcasing new cinematic voices and promoting unconventional storytelling approaches.

• SoftBank has announced a massive investment plan of €75 billion ($87 billion) to develop AI infrastructure in France. • The initiative aims to build 5 GW of AI data center capacity, representing Japan's largest artificial intelligence investment to date. • This move signals a strategic shift in the tech industry, moving focus from software and algorithm development toward the physical hardware and power capacity required for AI.

• The 28th Shanghai International Film Festival will take place from June 12-21, featuring a main competition lineup for the Golden Goblet Awards. • Actor Tony Leung Chiu-wai has been appointed to lead the main competition jury for this edition of the event. • In a historic first for the festival, all 12 titles selected for the main competition section will be debuting as world premieres.

• The 28th Shanghai International Film Festival has announced the official selection for its prestigious Golden Goblet competition. • The lineup features a diverse array of international titles, including "Hunter’s Moon" (India-Germany), "9 Temples to Heaven" (Thailand), and "No Good in Sight: A Story" (Kazakhstan). • The competition highlights several world premieres, such as "The Blind Girl and an Elephant" from Bangladesh-Germany and "About the Mother" from Turkey, alongside four Chinese entries.

• Nvidia has unveiled a new PC "superchip" designed to challenge the market dominance of Apple and Intel in the personal computing sector. • The semiconductor is specifically paired with Microsoft Windows to enable computers to run advanced AI applications locally on the device. • This move signals a strategic shift for Nvidia to integrate its AI hardware directly into consumer PCs, potentially disrupting the traditional CPU landscape.

• Nexus Luxembourg 2026 announced a speaker lineup of **150+ leaders** across AI, tech, finance, and governance. • The event is scheduled for **June 10-11** at **LuxExpo The Box**. • While not a product launch or funding event, the lineup shows continued global momentum around AI policy and enterprise technology gatherings.

• Warner Bros. Discovery has announced its most extensive Roland-Garros coverage to date, broadcasting approximately 900 matches across HBO Max, TNT Sports, and Eurosport. • Live coverage of the main draw begins on Sunday, May 24, featuring 215 hours of linear programming in the UK, Ireland, and Europe, alongside live qualifiers on HBO Max. • To increase accessibility, selected matches will be aired on local free-to-air channels in Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, and Turkey.

• Forbes China released its "2026 AI TOP 50" list on May 17, highlighting the companies driving a global productivity revolution through artificial intelligence. • Minto Technology was recognized for its WorkBrain large model and product matrix, which currently serves over 6,000 enterprise and government clients across Australia, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia. • Deepexi Technology, which listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in 2025, was featured for integrating its enterprise LLM with the FastAGI platform to create an "AI-grade enterprise operating system."

The Kusuma Neolithic Hall, based on Durrington 68 site, will allow visitors to ‘step back in time’ into the lives of those who built the stone circleIt may have been a place for ceremony or a barn for pack animals. It could have been a place for weary labourers to rest their heads. Or perhaps there was no building at all.English Heritage has unveiled a 7-metre-high reconstruction of what a 4,500-year-old Neolithic hall may have looked like at Stonehenge, offering visitors a glimpse into the lives of the prehistoric builders who raised the world’s most famous stone circle. Continue reading...

• Google announced a new family of AI advances led by Gemini 3.5, which it said is rolling out first through Gemini 3.5 Flash to billions of users. • The company said Flash is its strongest agentic and coding model yet and that it is now the default model in the Gemini app and Google Search AI mode. • Google also introduced Gemini Omni for video generation from text, images, video, and audio, plus Gemini Spark, a cloud-based agent that can organize notes, emails, and chats.

• On May 7, 2026, South Korea’s Ministry of Science and ICT announced the formation of a national AI supercomputing grid, integrating 16 existing data centers into a unified platform with total processing capacity of more than 40 exaFLOPS. • The grid, funded with ₩12 trillion (about $9 billion), will provide subsidized compute access to domestic startups, universities, and automakers, with particular emphasis on training Korean‑language LLMs and autonomous‑driving models. • Seoul positions the grid as a counterweight to China’s state‑backed AI clusters and U.S. hyperscalers, while also tightening export controls on high‑end GPUs integrated into the network.

• On May 7, 2026, NEC Corporation unveiled its first quantum‑inspired AI accelerator chip, the “Q‑Neuron B1,” designed for edge‑computing devices such as industrial robots, drones, and smart‑city sensors. • The chip reportedly delivers a 3.2x improvement in inference latency over prior NEC ASICs while consuming 38% less power, enabling real‑time video analytics at up to 7680×4320 resolution on low‑bandwidth edge nodes. • NEC aims to ship the first commercial batches to Japanese manufacturers and municipal networks by Q3 2026, with plans to license the architecture to South Korean and Taiwanese partners.

• Kazakhstan launched a comprehensive national AI strategy aimed at building a competitive technology ecosystem and digital infrastructure for regional leadership. • The plan focuses on Central Asia dominance through AI research hubs, talent development, and partnerships with global tech firms. • This initiative matters as it positions Kazakhstan as an emerging AI powerhouse bridging Europe and Asia amid global tech rivalries.

• Anthropic announced Claude Mythos, a new AI model able to detect zero-day vulnerabilities in code that developers have not identified. • The company deemed Mythos too dangerous for public release, sparking debates on its potential to cause 'bugmageddon' or internet collapse. • Through Project Glasswing, Anthropic shares Mythos Preview with 48 organizations including big tech firms and banks to patch critical flaws preemptively.

• Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian declared on May 6, 2026, that 'no one can make us surrender' to US pressure during talks with Iraq's Prime Minister. • He urged Washington to remove military threats from the Middle East, reinforcing Iran's resolve amid ongoing conflict. • The IRGC introduced a new 'Hormuz security plan' to block weapons and supplies to US bases in the Strait of Hormuz, escalating strategic tensions.

Proposal from Ron DeSantis would net Republicans up to four additional US House seats ahead of midterm electionsRon DeSantis, Florida’s Republican governor, on Monday unveiled his proposal for redistricting his state’s congressional maps, a move he hopes will net his party up to four additional House seats in November’s midterm elections.The long-awaited reveal, which will be debated during a special session of Florida’s legislature called by DeSantis beginning Tuesday, is the latest, and possibly final, act of a nationwide “gerrymandering” battle for control of Congress sparked by Donald Trump that looks increasingly to be moving back in Republicans’ favor. Continue reading...

• OpenAI announced a new AI model specifically engineered to enhance the performance and capabilities of other AI systems. • The development positions OpenAI as a leader in meta-AI tools that optimize existing models for better efficiency and functionality. • This breakthrough could accelerate AI advancement cycles, enabling faster iterations and broader applications across industries.

Federal health minister Mark Butler announces major changes and says scheme is costing ‘too much and is growing too fast’Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAt least 160,000 people are expected to be removed from the National Disability Insurance Scheme by 2030, as the Albanese government looks to claw back savings by changing who can access the scheme.The health minister, Mark Butler, also announced on Wednesday the $50bn scheme’s growth rate will be brought down to just 2% every year until 2030 in an effort to curb annual plan inflation and produce billions in savings before the 12 May federal budget. Continue reading...

• Anthropic launched Claude Mythos Preview on April 7, 2026, an advanced AI model designed for defensive cybersecurity that uncovered thousands of major vulnerabilities in every major operating system and web browser. • Through Project Glasswing, access granted to tech giants including Amazon, Microsoft, Nvidia, Apple, and over 40 organizations maintaining critical software infrastructure. • Rising concerns from experts and governments about misuse risks to economies, public safety, and national security; US software stocks tumbled on April 9 amid fears of AI disruption to traditional security firms.

• Nvidia launched the Blackwell Ultra B300 GPU series on April 19, 2026, claiming 50% faster AI training speeds compared to the prior B200 model. • The new chips feature 208 billion transistors and support FP4 precision, targeting data centers for large language model workloads. • This positions Nvidia to maintain dominance amid intensifying competition from AMD and custom silicon by hyperscalers like Amazon and Google.

• Salesforce announced Headless 360 on Wednesday, enabling AI agents to access its platform capabilities via APIs, MCP tools, or CLI commands. • The initiative marks the company's most ambitious architectural transformation in 27 years, aiming to enhance AI integration across its ecosystem. • This development matters as it positions Salesforce as a leader in AI-driven enterprise software, potentially accelerating agentic AI adoption in business operations.

• IBM launched IBM Autonomous Security on April 17, 2026, a multi-agent AI service automating detection, policy enforcement, and remediation against frontier AI-driven attacks in hybrid environments. • The solution addresses emerging 'agentic attacks' where adversaries use advanced AI models, with nearly 80% of global IT leaders citing AI as a major security risk. • IBM also released an enterprise cybersecurity assessment tool focused on threats from large language models and generative AI.

• Anthropic announced a new frontier AI model on April 16, 2026, capable of advanced performance that sent shockwaves through the tech industry. • Investors reacted negatively, resuming an AI-driven slump in software stocks as the model's capabilities raised concerns over market dynamics. • The release highlights ongoing US AI breakthroughs and their immediate impact on Wall Street valuations.

• NTT Research in Sunnyvale, California, launched Scale Academy on April 15, 2026, an incubator led by SVP Bennett Indart to commercialize lab technologies from NTT divisions. • The first product, SaltGrain, is a zero-trust data security suite using attribute-based encryption (ABE) developed by NTT's Cryptography lab director Dr. Amit Sahai and Dr. Brent Waters. • Scale Academy aims to accelerate breakthrough products for market, focusing on quantum-safe security amid rising threats.

• Data I/O announced a new company vision, products, services, and branding on April 13, 2026, targeting advancements in semiconductor programming technology. • Key launches include AI-driven tech support, an AI-powered chatbot for customer assistance, and AI-expanded device search capabilities to enhance user experience. • The updates position Data I/O to leverage AI in streamlining support and search functions amid growing demand for efficient semiconductor solutions.

• OpenAI released its Child Safety Blueprint on April 8, 2026, to address rising AI-generated child sexual abuse material in the US. • The blueprint focuses on faster detection, improved reporting, and efficient investigations, responding to over 8,000 IWF reports in early 2025, up 14% year-over-year. • It targets criminals using AI for fake explicit images and grooming messages amid policymaker scrutiny.

Australian treasurer says Iran war having ‘extreme impact on global economy’ as Albanese to address nation about fuel crisis Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastJim Chalmers has unveiled a suite of Covid-era support measures including tax deferrals for businesses struggling with soaring fuel prices, in the latest sign the government is preparing for a more severe economic downturn from the US-Israel war on Iran.Addressing the media on Wednesday morning, the treasurer said “the war in the Middle East is having an extreme impact on the global economy, [and[ Australians and Australian small businesses are paying the price for that”. Continue reading...