Tag: Design

The Netherlands has ranked 10th in a global index of tech competitiveness, ahead of the entire G7 group of the world’s largest so-called “advanced” economies. The country was praised for its thriving digital economy, mature biotech and semiconductor industries, and strong digital skills underpinned by “engineering excellence.” London-based Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR) and consultancy SThree produced the index, which ranks 35 countries based on economic indicators such as level of high-tech exports, number of software developers, and patent filings related to AI.  Several European countries joined the Netherlands near the top of the rankings. Ireland placed second…

Last week, Elon Musk’s Starlink internet service was installed at the White House. A week before that, Donald Trump promoted Tesla on the White House front lawn, after rallying people to buy the company’s cars and stock.  The Trump administration’s endorsements of Musk’s companies are attracting growing scrutiny. Critics argue that they’re breaking laws and threatening democracy. For the world’s richest man, the relationship is also causing business problems. One involves Italy’s plans for Starlink. The country has halted talks for a proposed €1.5bn contract with the service, defence minister Guido Crosetto said in an interview Saturday.   “Everything has come…

Just five months after surpassing ASML, German software giant SAP has overtaken Novo Nordisk to become Europe’s most valuable listed company. SAP’s shares rose 1.6% on Monday, bringing its market cap to €313bn. That was just enough to nudge Danish weight loss drugmaker Novo off the top spot.  SAP’s stock has risen more than 40% in the past year, amid booming demand for its AI-driven enterprise resource planning software (ERP). The cloud-based software centralises business data, allowing multiple departments to access and share information in one place. In contrast, Novo is having a tougher time on the stock market. Novo’s…

Fuelled by $15bn in financing, Northvolt was supposed to be Europe’s great battery success story — a homegrown champion capable of competing with Asian and American giants.   So when Northvolt filed for bankruptcy last week, after months of job cuts, restructuring, and multiple failed attempts to raise more money, it dealt a massive blow to Europe’s ambitions to ramp up domestic production of lithium-ion batteries, which power everything from EVs to smartphones.  In the wake of Northvolt’s precipitous fall from grace, everyone from politicians and investors to the company’s own employees has voiced their opinions on what went wrong. Among…

The United States has long understood a simple truth: war is won not by size alone, but by speed and creativity. Indeed, innovation has always been crucial in conflict. Armour made knights safe until the crossbow came along. High walls protected cities until cannons emerged. Trenches were made obsolete by fast-moving mechanised forces. The lesson: a military that cannot innovate is one that falls behind. Yet Europe remains stuck with an outdated model of defence procurement – one that favours a handful of bloated contractors doing the same old thing over the fresh ideas of startups and entrepreneurs. Against a…

Finnish startup Distance Technologies emerged from stealth last year with a technology it claims can turn any transparent surface into a mixed reality (MR) display. Now, it has teamed up with Patria to trial the tech on the defence firm’s armoured vehicles. The partners will jointly develop a heads-up display for Patria’s six-wheel drive armoured personnel carrier. The system will display 3D tactical data, terrain mapping, and AI-driven military insights directly onto the windshield, allowing military personnel to see in low-visibility environments like darkness and smoke.  The MR technology promises to eliminate the need for additional screens or clunky headsets.…

With the compliance deadline for the European Accessibility Act (EAA) fast approaching, companies are urgently trying to ensure their websites meet the requirements of the EU directive.  One appealing solution is accessibility widgets — small add-ons with features like text resizing, contrast adjustments, and text-to-speech functions. However, while these widgets promise fast and inexpensive compliance, they often fail to address the real issues of accessibility. In fact, they can even make websites harder for people with disabilities to navigate.  Here’s why relying on widgets is a short-sighted solution and what web developers should focus on instead to create truly accessible…

The European Space Agency has released the first major batch of data from its “dark universe” telescope Euclid. What’s inside could change our understanding of dark matter and the expansion of the universe. The data comprises just one week’s worth of deep field images from three points in space. They make up just 0.4% of the vast area Euclid will capture, which scientists say will be the largest 3D map of the sky ever created. With one scan of each region so far, Euclid has already spotted 26 million galaxies, each potentially containing millions of stars and billions of planets.…

Aerospike rocket engines are the stuff of legend in the space industry. Conceived in the 1960s, their unique spiked-nozzle design promises better efficiency, reusability, and performance at all altitudes. But their complexity — and the shutdown of major space programmes towards the end of the 20th century — meant they never entered the mainstream.  But now, startups are dusting off old designs and using new technologies to revive aerospike engines for modern spaceflight. One of these ventures is Spain’s Pangea Aerospace. Founded in 2018, Pangea has been operating under the radar for most of its seven-year history. But today, the…

Oslo-based startup Visoid has raised €700,000 in seed funding for its AI software, which helps architects turn their 3D models into striking renders within seconds.  For architects and designers, a good render can mean the difference between winning or losing a client. However, rendering typically requires a lot of time, effort, expertise — and money. Tools like Visoid look to disrupt the status quo. “What started as a simple tool for architects to generate beautiful visualisations has led us on a journey to simplify and democratise the visualisation process itself,” said co-founder Joachim Holwech. Here’s how the software works:  You…