China opens its first photonic computing lab as it bets on light to outrun US chip curbs
China opens its first photonic computing lab as it bets on light to outrun US chip curbs

China has launched its first dedicated photonic computing laboratory in Shanghai, signalling that Beijing sees light-based chips as a strategic route around Washington’s tightening grip on conventional semiconductor exports. The Shanghai Key Laboratory…

London Tech Week 2026: the AI billions, the US build-out, and a royal first
London Tech Week 2026: the AI billions, the US build-out, and a royal first

London Tech Week wrapped its 12th edition this week, after three days of main-stage programming at Olympia from 8 to 10 June, with fringe events running across the city through Friday. The festival drew more than 30,000 people from over 130 countries, …

IMF chief warns advanced AI models like Mythos “can be used to destroy the financial system”
IMF chief warns advanced AI models like Mythos “can be used to destroy the financial system”

The head of the International Monetary Fund warned on Wednesday that advanced AI models like Anthropic’s Mythos “can be used to destroy the financial system” if they fall into the wrong hands. IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva made the comment…

The UK is about to ban under-16s from social media. Its own child-safety charities are worried.
The UK is about to ban under-16s from social media. Its own child-safety charities are worried.

A UK under-16 social media ban, for years a fringe idea, is now days from becoming government policy. Ministers are expected to outline the plan to Parliament on Monday, ahead of the 18 June Makerfield by-election, according to POLITICO, which cited pe…

SpaceX IPO makes Elon Musk the world’s first trillionaire, but your retirement fund is picking up the tab
SpaceX IPO makes Elon Musk the world’s first trillionaire, but your retirement fund is picking up the tab

Elon Musk is now worth more than $1 trillion. The SpaceX IPO, which priced 555.6 million shares at $135 each on 12 June, valued the company at roughly $1.77 trillion and pushed Musk past a threshold no individual has ever crossed. His SpaceX stake alon…

UK tech secretary vows to push pension funds into British AI startups
UK tech secretary vows to push pension funds into British AI startups

Britain’s Technology Secretary Liz Kendall has pledged to strengthen efforts to channel institutional investment into UK tech companies. Speaking to Bloomberg TV during London Tech Week, Kendall said the government would pursue legal reforms to how pen…

Anthropic’s Claude Fable 5 curbs target China. The backlash came from its own side.
Anthropic’s Claude Fable 5 curbs target China. The backlash came from its own side.

Anthropic built the Claude Fable 5 curbs to keep China’s AI labs out of its most powerful public model. The loudest complaints came from its own side of the firewall. On 9 June, Anthropic released Claude Fable 5, a tamed, public-facing version of Mytho…

Infineon is opening a €5 billion chip factory in Dresden. It is the EU Chips Act’s first major success.
Infineon is opening a €5 billion chip factory in Dresden. It is the EU Chips Act’s first major success.

Infineon Technologies is preparing to open its largest single investment, a €5 billion semiconductor factory on its Dresden campus, on 2 July. The Smart Power Fab, which received approximately €1 billion in EU Chips Act subsidies, will produce power se…

Canada wants to ban under-16s from social media, and rein in AI chatbots too
Canada wants to ban under-16s from social media, and rein in AI chatbots too

Canada has introduced a bill that would bar under-16s from social media and, in a twist that sets it apart from other countries, regulate AI chatbots in the same sweep. The Digital Safety Act, tabled on Wednesday, is the latest move in a global wave of…

The US-Philippines AI hub now has a price tag, $10bn, and a 99-year lease on the table
The US-Philippines AI hub now has a price tag, $10bn, and a 99-year lease on the table

The US-backed plan to build an AI and supply-chain hub in the Philippines now has a number attached: about $10bn in initial investment, with more to follow, according to the official leading the Philippine side. It also has a striking term on the table…