Gritt raises $32M for AI robots that bolt onto existing construction equipment to build solar farms faster
AI-powered robotic systems that attach to existing construction equipment have been developed to accelerate solar farm building. Gritt raised $32 million across pre-seed and Series A funding rounds, with the $26 million Series A led by Obvious Ventures.
Off-duty North Texas Firefighter Saves 3 Children Trapped Under Boat on 4th of July
An off-duty North Texas firefighter named Jason Horne rescued three children who were trapped under a pontoon boat on Alvarado Lake in Midlothian on July 4th. Horne was in his family boat when he discovered and saved the three drowning children from underneath the vessel.
Evals are the new PRD, Expedia’s AI chief tells VB Transform 2026
Evaluation frameworks are replacing traditional product requirement documents by encoding desired product behavior through tests including red teaming and security checks before coding begins. Sixty-six percent of surveyed enterprises allow production deployment without human review or plan to within 12 months, yet only 5% fully trust their automated evaluations.
Sila raises $300M to fast-track gigascale anode production and shore up US battery supply chains
Sila raised $300 million in funding to expand its silicon anode manufacturing plant in Moses Lake, Washington. The round was led by Atreides Management and Sutter Hill Ventures, with participation from 8VC, Bessemer Venture Partners, Matrix Partners, and T Rowe Price.
US-India Satellite Delivers Data, Reveals ‘Hummingbird’ in Antarctica
The NISAR satellite's L-band and S-band radar data became publicly accessible as of July 20, enabling researchers to track Earth's surface movements. The joint US-India mission continues releasing processed radar files on an ongoing basis.
Chime Launches In-App Investing
Chime users can now buy stocks and ETFs commission-free directly within the app. Managed portfolio accounts are available through Atomic Invest, an SEC-registered firm.
Google Releases Gemini 3.6 Flash, 3.5 Flash-Lite, and 3.5 Flash Cyber: A Cheaper, More Token-Efficient Flash Tier Built for Agentic Workloads
Google released Gemini 3.6 Flash with 17% fewer output tokens and output pricing of $7.50 per 1M tokens on July 21, 2026. Flash-Lite operates at 350 tokens per second while gated Flash Cyber powers CodeMender for vulnerability finding.
Why AI Needs a “Genie Coefficient”
A new metric called the Genie coefficient measures the gap between what users ask AI systems to do and their unspoken assumptions about how tasks should be completed. Current benchmarks fail to capture this difference because human language always underspecifies intent, making it impossible to list every caveat and exception upfront.
Moving beyond passive RAG: How to implement active memory reconstruction for AI agents
Active memory reconstruction improves LLM reasoning by filtering noise from retrieval-augmented generation systems and reducing token consumption. MRAgent implements this approach to enable AI agents to selectively retrieve and reconstruct relevant memories during task execution.
London robotics startup Humanoid raises $152M Series A, with Bosch set to manufacture its wheeled robots at scale
Humanoid, a London robotics startup, raised $152 million in Series A funding to manufacture wheeled robots at scale through Bosch. The round valued the company above $1 billion and was led by Prime Movers Lab, with participation from Bosch, Schaeffler, and other investors.
Intel Foundry lands its first named outside customer: Fortinet
Intel Foundry secured its first named external customer, Fortinet, to manufacture the Security Processor 6 for FortiGate firewalls. Intel will handle chip design, advanced packaging, and manufacturing for the custom silicon.
Hyperscale Data Buys More Bitcoin, Bridging Holdings to Over $72 million
Hyperscale Data acquired additional Bitcoin, bringing its total holdings to over 1,000 coins valued at more than $72 million. The company's Bitcoin holdings now exceed 1,000 units in total.
New Species of Monkey Found in DR Congo Shows How Much There’s Left to Discover
A new colobus monkey species was identified in the Democratic Republic of Congo, marking only the fifth such discovery in 75 years. This represents an unusual finding since new primate species are rarely documented compared to invertebrates and deep sea creatures.
Solana News: Stablecoin Supply Hits $15Bn With New Issuers Reshaping the Mix
Solana's stablecoin market reached $15 billion in total supply, driven by emerging issuers. Non-USDC and non-USDT stablecoins on Solana reached $4.81 billion at an all-time high.
MoneyGram's CEO says blockchain works best when customers don't know it's there
MoneyGram's blockchain strategy has evolved from early experimentation into a broader modernization effort for the company's global payments infrastructure. CEO Anthony Soohoo stated that blockchain functions most effectively when customers remain unaware they are using it.
Russia Passes Landmark Crypto Law, Setting State-Run Rails for Sanctioned Trade
Russia's parliament passed its first comprehensive cryptocurrency law establishing a state-regulated framework for exchanges and investors. The legislation creates official channels for sanctioned crypto trading under government control.
British Runner ‘Calls His Shot’ and Breaks World Record in the Mile–After it Stood for 27 Years
Josh Kerr ran a mile in 3:42.66, breaking a world record that stood for 27 years. The Scottish runner's time at the London Diamond League meet was half a second faster than Hicham El Guerrouj's previous record of 3:43.13.
Galaxy (GLXY) Commits $5 Million to Prepare Bitcoin for the Quantum Threat
Galaxy Digital allocated five million dollars toward a Bitcoin Quantum Readiness Initiative to address potential threats from quantum computers. The initiative aims to help prepare the Bitcoin network for security challenges that powerful quantum computing could pose.
The AI Slot Machine Effect: Why Generative Feeds Disrupt Deep Work And How to Reclaim Focus
Generative AI tools cause users to spend extended time refining prompts repeatedly, diverting them from their original tasks. Knowledge workers in 2026 increasingly experience this distraction pattern when using these tools for quick productivity boosts.
The Download: Chinese AI divides the White House, and a record copyright payout
Chinese AI models have become a source of conflict among President Trump's advisers, with current and former officials publicly criticizing each other over how to handle the technology. The disagreement reflects division within the White House over China's artificial intelligence development and policy response.
Ethereum price forecast: ETH eyes $2,000 breakout as ETF inflows boost momentum
Ethereum gained 8.8% over one week driven by spot ETF inflows including BlackRock's ETHA. The cryptocurrency climbed above $1,900 with $2,000 identified as the next major resistance level.
Robinhood Chain Booming, Bernstein Puts Higher Target on HOOD
Bernstein raised its price target on Robinhood stock to $160, driven primarily by growth in Robinhood Chain rather than crypto trading volume. The analyst firm identified the blockchain network as a key factor supporting the higher valuation target.
Astronomers find the first atmosphere on a rocky world in the habitable zone
Astronomers detected the first confirmed atmosphere around a rocky exoplanet in the habitable zone of another star, located 48 light-years away. The planet LHS 1140 b revealed its atmosphere through helium slowly leaking into space over billions of years.
Advancing next-gen AI with materials science innovation
Advanced materials research enables next-generation AI systems to achieve higher processing power, increased memory capacity, and improved energy efficiency beyond what current semiconductors provide. New material innovations underpin the hardware foundations that support algorithmic advances and large-scale computing infrastructure required for AI development.
Revolut secures Australian banking licence
Revolut received a full Deposit-taking Institution licence from the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority. This marks Revolut's first banking entity in the Asia-Pacific region and its official launch as a licensed bank in Australia.
Bitcoin Price Back Above $65K in Low Liquidity Rally as Clarity Act Advances
Bitcoin's price rose above $65,000 during a low-liquidity rally while U.S. spot ETFs experienced inflows for a second consecutive week. The CLARITY Act progressed in the Senate amid this price movement.
Bankruptcy Court Clears $130M Ripple Share Sale Led by Galaxy Digital’s $60M Block
A U.S. bankruptcy court approved a $130 million Ripple equity sale, with Galaxy Digital purchasing $60 million of the shares. The proceeds will be directed toward customer recovery efforts.
NBA Summer League takeaways: an outstanding top four, a Warriors gem and a Cavaliers steal
The 2024 NBA draft class demonstrated strong performance during Las Vegas Summer League over approximately 10 days. The event showcased emerging talent across the league, with notable standout performances from top prospects and unexpected player acquisitions.
Meta Open-Sources Astryx: An Agent-Ready React Design System With 150+ Accessible Components, Seven Themes, and a CLI
Meta open-sourced Astryx, a React design system containing 150+ accessible components and seven themes that was used internally across 13,000+ apps for eight years. The system requires React 19 or later and includes dark mode, templates, an agent-ready CLI, and is released under the MIT license.
TSMC to Hike Chip Prices by Up to 10% in 2027, Nikkei Says
TSMC is planning to raise chipmaking prices by up to 10 percent in 2027 to address increased manufacturing costs. The company has already begun discussions with clients about these price increases.