Toyota to roll out next-generation hybrid batteries in 2027 as it targets 5 million hybrid sales
Toyota will deploy next-generation hybrid batteries in 2027 using converted Japanese production lines with capacity for approximately 600,000 vehicles. The new battery packs will offer improved performance at reduced cost.
SEC Commissioner Hester ‘Crypto Mom’ Peirce Optimistic About Clarity Act
SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce expressed optimism that the Clarity Act, a long-awaited crypto market structure bill, will pass. Peirce is hopeful the legislation will provide regulatory framework for the cryptocurrency sector.
SpaceX posts strong revenue in first earnings report since IPO
SpaceX reported a $541 million quarterly loss, which was less than half analyst expectations, while revenue reached $7.8 billion, up more than 90% year-over-year. The company's stock has fallen roughly half since its June IPO peak as investors worry about oversold promises on space travel and colonization.
Asset Manager 3iQ to Manage Bhutan’s Bitcoin Reserves
Canadian digital asset manager 3iQ will manage 10,000 Bitcoins pledged for Bhutan's Gelephu Mindfulness City project. 3iQ will manage the reserves while also investing in local talent and establishing a physical presence in the region.
Android app developers may be unwittingly sharing their users’ location data with advertisers
Third-party code embedded in Android apps can collect users' location data even when developers are unaware this functionality exists. The Electronic Frontier Foundation conducted research revealing that some advertising libraries access location information after users grant location permissions to the app.
SpaceX revenue surges to $7.8 billion, blowing past Wall Street expectations by nearly $1 billion
SpaceX generated $7.8 billion in quarterly revenue, exceeding Wall Street expectations of $6.9 billion by roughly $900 million. Starlink subscribers reached 12 million while the company secured $14.1 billion in new AI contracts.
Waymo Drops the Dallas Waitlist as Freeway and Airport Testing Looms
Waymo eliminated its Dallas waitlist on August 4, 2026, allowing anyone to download the app and request autonomous rides without invitation. The company had served nearly 150,000 riders during its previous invitation-only phase that began in February.
Open-weight AI models are catching up to the frontier. The safety gap remains.
Z.ai's open-weight GLM-5.2 model approaches frontier AI capabilities but lacks key safety mitigations according to a SaferAI report. The gap between open-weight model performance and safety protections has renewed concerns about governance of powerful publicly available AI systems.
NASA Will Attempt to Observe Rocket Part’s Lunar Impact
A used Falcon 9 upper stage is expected to impact the Moon on August 5 near the Einstein and Bell craters. NASA and SpaceX are tracking the rocket part using ground-based telescopes and space-based assets to collect lunar data from the impact.
The data center boom’s climate blind spot
Data center capacity is expanding faster than any other asset class, driven by artificial intelligence and cloud computing. Most data centers operate for 20 to 30 years, but current expansion prioritizes speed and capacity over resilience and climate considerations.
US, UK reaffirm support for stablecoins, tokenization in joint financial regulation talks
US and UK regulators met on July 8 to discuss stablecoins and tokenization as part of their joint financial regulation framework. The meeting emphasized implementation of the GENIUS Act, payment modernization efforts, and cross-border cooperation between the two countries.
Cracken opens self-serve access to its AI-powered offensive cybersecurity platform
Cracken launched a self-serve version of its AI-powered offensive cybersecurity platform, allowing enterprise security teams and individuals to test their organizations against real attack paths without sales involvement. Users can now create accounts and begin testing immediately without going through procurement cycles.
Mistral’s Shieldstral Packs Policy-Adaptive Safety Screening Into 3B Parameters
A 3-billion-parameter safety classifier called Shieldstral evaluates text and images against moderation policies specified at inference time rather than fixed categories. The model supports 12 languages, runs on a single 16GB GPU, and matches the performance of larger open guard models on text evaluation.
Amazon Bedrock Gets Built-In Web Search for Grounded Model Responses
A built-in web search feature launched on Amazon Bedrock on August 4, 2026, allowing foundation models to ground responses in current web information through a single API parameter. Responses include structured citations to source materials without requiring third-party search providers.
Scientists discover that giant octopuses were top predators of ancient oceans
Ancient octopus relatives were gigantic predators during the late Cretaceous period, unlike modern finned octopuses which are small deep-sea creatures. Researchers in Japan made this discovery in April 2026 by studying fossil evidence of these extinct marine animals.
Deel acquires deepfake-detection startup Clarity as fake hire problem grows
Deel acquired Israeli deepfake-detection startup Clarity for between 45 million and 50 million dollars in cash and shares. The acquisition represents Deel's 15th deal overall and its first in Israel, marking the company's entry into real-time identity verification technology.
Amsterdam startup Ore Energy raises $43 million to build iron-air batteries that store power for days
Ore Energy raised $43 million in Series A funding to scale iron-air batteries capable of storing renewable electricity for up to 100 hours. The round was led by Plural and HV, bringing the Amsterdam startup's total funding to $61 million.
NASA’s PUNCH Sharpens Solar Storm Forecasting in First Test
NASA's PUNCH mission used continuous imagery to predict a solar eruption's arrival within 30 minutes in an initial test. The capability could improve forecasting accuracy for near-Earth solar storms through real-time continuous observation data.
Western Union and Rain Launch Stablecoin Card in 37 Markets
Western Union and Rain launched a stablecoin card accepting USDPT, an Anchorage-issued Solana token, across 37 markets. The card holds remittances in USDPT and enables spending at Visa merchants, with the stablecoin currently having $7.4 million in circulation.
AI coding agents are blowing through budgets — Replit, Kilo Code, and Symbotic explain how they're managing it
At Kilo Code, AI agents now handle approximately 99% of code reading and writing tasks, while engineers focus on other responsibilities. Engineers are addressing challenges including determining which systems are safe for AI agents, managing cleanup after model errors, and controlling escalating token costs.
Chugai Deploys Phylo’s Biomni Lab AI Agents Across Drug Discovery
Chugai Pharmaceutical deployed Biomni Lab, an agentic AI platform for biomedical research, across four drug discovery areas: single-cell analysis, human genetics, disease biology, and target evaluation. The Tokyo-based company joins Phylo's founding customer group for the platform announced August 4, 2026.
NSF Puts $100 Million Into Regional AI Infrastructure Hubs
The National Science Foundation allocated $100 million to establish up to 10 regional AI infrastructure hubs across the country. NVIDIA, AMD, Intel, and Dell Technologies are among the private-sector partners supporting the initiative announced August 4, 2026.
USMNT to face Mexico and Canada in friendlies to kick off 2030 World Cup cycle
The US men's national team will play four friendlies between September 26 and October 6 against Peru, Chile, Mexico, and Canada to begin the 2030 World Cup cycle. These matches will be held in US cities that did not host games during the 2026 World Cup.
NVIDIA Joins NSF State and Regional AI Hubs Program to Expand AI Research and Education Across the US
NVIDIA is participating in the NSF State and Regional AI Hubs program, which provides advanced computing resources, data, software and expertise to expand AI research and education across the United States. The program supports state and multistate groups in accessing infrastructure needed for AI-enabled research initiatives.
Spotify expands AI remix and covers project with Merlin partnership
Spotify's AI remix and covers tool gained support from Merlin, representing over 30,000 independent labels and distributors, alongside Universal Music Group. The paid product will allow fans to generate AI covers and remixes of participating artists' music while providing artist credit and compensation to opted-in creators.
Texas halts new data centers as governor calls for audits
Texas halted new data center permits to assess power grid impacts and environmental concerns. Governor Greg Abbott ordered audits of existing facilities and their effects on electricity demand and water resources.
NVIDIA Alpamayo 2 Super, the Frontier Open Model for Robotaxis and Autonomous Vehicles, Now Available for Commercial Use
NVIDIA released Alpamayo 2 Super, an open model designed for autonomous vehicles and robotaxis that handles complex, rare driving scenarios beyond standard object detection. The model addresses long-tail events requiring situation understanding and cause-and-effect reasoning for autonomous decision-making.
As AI Increases Demands on Memory, Storage Steps Up
AI workloads are requiring larger datasets and longer context windows that exceed traditional system memory limits. Storage infrastructure must evolve beyond simple capacity increases to provide efficient, secure architectures that deliver actionable insights from AI operations.
Commerce AI has a measurement problem no one is talking about
Digital commerce starting on brand websites dropped from 82% in 2014 to 38% in 2024, with consumers now increasingly relying on AI platforms to decide what to buy. Four in five consumers use zero-click AI results at least 40% of the time, meaning AI-generated shortlists often become the only product options consumers consider.
Cancer-fighting chewing gum cuts HPV levels by up to 93%
A specially engineered chewing gum reduced HPV levels by up to 93% percent and nearly eliminated two bacteria linked to head and neck cancer. The treatment preserved beneficial mouth bacteria while targeting harmful pathogens.