Lakera launches to protect large language models from malicious prompts

October 12, 2023
Large language models (LLMs) are the driving force behind the burgeoning generative AI movement, capable of interpreting and creating human-language texts from simple prompts — this could be anything from summarizing a document to writing poem to answering a question using data from myriad sources. However, these prompts can also be manipulated by bad actors […]

Didi’s autonomous vehicle arm raises $149M from state investors

October 12, 2023
When Didi created an autonomous vehicle subsidiary in 2020, the venture was seen as a Chinese counterpart to Uber’s AV unit. The tides of change have since swept across China’s tech landscape, where internet firms went through a wave of regulatory crackdown and foreign investments dwindled amid worsening U.S.-China relations. Didi’s AV unit remained in […]

EyeEm, the photo marketplace, changes hands as Freepik picks it up out of bankruptcy

October 12, 2023
EyeEm, the Berlin-based photo marketplace that once was loftily thought of as a possible challenger to Instagram in Europe but more recently has fallen on much harder times, has a new owner. Freepik — a Spain-based platform partly owned by EQT that provides images, graphics, and other media for designers and other online creatives — […]

The quest for equitable climate solutions

October 12, 2023
Sweeping legislation in the US, including the Inflation Reduction Act, is infusing hundreds of billions of dollars into new climate and energy technologies, funding research, development, and implementation. But as the money begins to flow, there are open questions regarding who will benefit most, and who might bear the brunt of unexpected consequences.  Shalanda Baker,…

India’s CtrlS says it will invest $2B to expand datacenter business

October 12, 2023
CtrlS Datacenters, the India-headquartered data center giant, said Thursday it plans to invest $2 billion over the next six years to scale its operations and expand business, as the demand for data processing and cloud storage surges across major markets.  The Hyderabad-based company said it will invest in technologies and strategies in areas such as […]

Microsoft faces $28.9 billion tax bill in ongoing audit dispute

October 12, 2023
Microsoft says that it’s facing a hefty tax bill over historical accounting practices dating back nearly twenty years. In a filing yesterday with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the company confirmed that the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has arrived at a figure of $28.9 billion — plus penalties and interest — that Microsoft allegedly […]