Europe

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Berlin tech companies join forces to plant trees when you travel by train

Ecosystems, Europe, Sustainability, Tech / /

German multi-modal travel unicorn Omio has teamed up with compatriot search engine Ecosia to create a tree-planting rail travel booking tool. It means users will be able to search and book train journeys through Ecosia’s website, powered by an API-integration with Omio’s travel platform. 

The booking platform will automatically pop up via a simple query search for trains, or for destinations where train travel is possible, say London to Paris. It will be available in 15 countries: the UK, Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Nordics, North America and Canada, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and Ukraine.

The intention behind the new tool being rolled out this month is two-fold. Firstly, to make sustainable rail options more visible as an alternative to air travel. Secondly, all the commission Ecosia receives from successful bookings will go directly toward the search engine’s green initiatives. 

Note that this is not a form of offsetting, meaning that it is not intended to “cancel out” any carbon emissions produced by your journey (a popular but, let’s face it, greenwashing tool employed by airlines during the booking process).  

Providers accessible through the new tool include Amtrak in the United States, LNER, GWR, Avanti in the UK, SNCF in France, OBB in Austria and Eurostar. 

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Born from the Berlin startup scene

In the land of internet searches, where one company is so synonymous with the activity that it has become a verb, you’d be forgiven for not having heard of Ecosia. However, the platform does see 20 million users globally every month. 

Founded in 2009 by Christian Kroll, the tech company dedicates 100% of its profits to planet-friendly initiatives. These include having planted over 175 million trees all over the world, in collaboration with local communities.

The company, the first to become an accredited B Corp in Germany in 2014, has also supported regenerative agriculture projects, and invested into renewable energy. 

“Our users want choice over how they travel, and they want to travel sustainably — that’s evident in the sheer volume of searches we’re seeing each month on Ecosia,” said the company’s Chief Product Officer Michael Metcalf. 

“If a healthy proportion of the two million searches made for train journeys on Ecosia each month translate into bookings, this will allow us to invest in our other environmental initiatives pushing back against the climate emergency,” he continued.  

Fellow Berliner Omio was first introduced as GoEuro in 2013 by founder Naren Shaam. Today, the multi-modal platform issues travel tickets across 37 countries, in 21 different languages, and 26 different currencies, for 1000+ travel transportation providers. 

Following a growth of 100% up until 2019, Omio experienced a couple of incredibly tough years during the pandemic where 98% of the company’s revenue basically evaporated overnight. However, almost exactly a year ago, Omio announced a Series E funding of $80mn (approx. €72mn) to take its total funding up to $480mn (€434mn).

Berlin tech companies join forces to plant trees when you travel by train Read More »

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AI startup launches ‘fastest data processing engine’ on the market

Artificial Intelligence, Deep tech, Europe, Next Featured, Startups and technology / /

Paris-based and female-founded AI startup Pathway has announced the general launch of its data processing engine. Reportedly, it is up to 90x faster than existing streaming solutions, and promises to be the “fastest data processing engine on the market.” 

The secret? A unique ability to mix batch and streaming logic in the same workflow, which lets the system forget things that are no longer useful. Basically, this means it can learn and react to changes in real-time — like humans. 

Traditionally, the complexity of building batch and streaming architectures has resulted in a division between the two approaches, says Pathway CEO and co-founder Zuzanna Stamirowska. 

This, she adds, has slowed down the adoption of data streaming for AI systems and fixed their intelligence at a moment in time. Not to mention the added complexity of a third workflow — generative AI. 

According to Stamirowska, there’s now a “critical need” for rapid data processing and more adaptable AI. “That’s why our mission has been to enable real-time data processing, while giving developers a simple experience regardless of whether they work with batch, streaming, or LLM systems,” she states.

Photo of Zuzanna Stamirowska in garden
Stamirowska says Pathway’s aim is to give developers a simple experience, regardless of whether they work with batch, streaming, or LLM systems. Credit: Pathway

Revisions to data points without AI retraining

Machines “forgetting” incorrect or outdated information in real-time has been a near-impossible feat in the past, due to models being trained on static data uploads. Traditionally, unlearning would require retraining of the model. 

Indeed, when we put the question to ChatGPT for fun — can you unlearn things should they prove to be inaccurate — this is the response we received: 

“As an AI language model, I don’t have the ability to “unlearn” information in the same way humans do.

“However, the developers and researchers at OpenAI can update and retrain the model based on new data and improvements.”

But Pathway says it can make revisions to certain data points without requiring a full batch data upload, akin to updating the value of one cell within an Excel document. The updated cells doesn’t reprocess the whole document, but just the cells dependent on it. 

One of the startup’s existing clients, German logistics specialist DB Schenker, reduced the time-to-market of anomaly-detection analytics projects from three months to one hour. Meanwhile, French postal services company La Poste saw a fleet CAPEX reduction of 16%.

‘Lingua franca’ for developers

Polish-French duo Stamirowska and Claire Nouet, the company’s COO, founded Pathway in 2020. Thus far, the startup has raised $4.5mn (approx. €4mn) in a pre-seed round December last year, and counts 20+ employees across Europe and North America. 

The female-led deep tech startup is hoping for its system to become a “lingua franca” of all data pipelines (stream, batch, and generative AI). Beyond cutting costs for clients, it says it is looking to democratise the ability for developers to design streaming workflows, which have typically required a specialist skill set. 

AI startup launches ‘fastest data processing engine’ on the market Read More »

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Greek AI shipping startup acquired by Japanese automation giant

Artificial Intelligence, Deep tech, Europe, Startups and technology / /

Greek shipping software startup DeepSea Technologies has sold a majority share to Japan’s automation giant Nabtesco for an undisclosed amount. 

DeepSea will continue to develop the company’s fuel optimisation platforms that reduce emissions (and cut costs) of fossil-based maritime fleets, while also becoming a “centre of excellence for AI research and product development.” Furthermore, the Athens-based startup will support Nabtesco Marine Control Systems in its quest for scalable semi-autonomous shipping. 

The company will continue to function (fittingly enough) autonomously, and carry on work on its two platforms — Cassandra and Pythia — and on “the broader digital transformation of the maritime industry.” 

Cassandra is a vessel monitoring and optimisation platform that allows customers to see emissions for a specific vessel and across an entire fleet, while also understanding how each component of the ship contributes to its performance. In addition, the tool offers notifications in real-time when something requires attention, such as fuel waste and maintenance requirements. 

Meanwhile, Pythia is a world-first weather routing platform, tailored to the exact performance of a specific ship. It comes up with tailor-made routes, speed and trim policies, assessing overall cost and CO2 emissions, while providing minute-by-minute updates on conditions. 

The company claims that it is possible to unlock energy efficiency improvements of up to 10% across almost any fleet in 12 months, using its optimisation technologies. 

Best of both worlds

DeepSea was founded in 2017 and has previously raised €8mn, five of which came from Nabtesco Technology Ventures in 2021. The company has offices in Athens, London, and Rotterdam, and employs over 70 specialised engineers, most in AI and software development. The two co-founders of DeepSea, Dr. Konstantinos Kyriakopoulos and Roberto Coustas, will continue on in their roles of CEO and President, respectively. 

“The deepening of our existing partnership with Nabtesco unlocks even greater potential for our technology and approach, and will be key to unlocking the next wave of innovation for our customers,” Kyriakopoulous stated when announcing the news last week.



“It’s truly the best of both worlds: DeepSea will maintain its startup culture and focus on disruptive technology, whilst harnessing all the expertise and support of a global powerhouse.”

Staying on top of CO2  emissions will become increasingly important for shipping companies worldwide. Not only from a “the world is burning, let’s get our act together” kind of perspective, but also from a business and regulatory point of view. 

Maritime carbon emissions regulations

According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), in 2022, maritime shipping accounted for about 2% of energy-related global CO2 emissions. While there is no legally binding agreement holding the industry to emission reduction targets, the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), a specialised agency of the UN, has adopted measures to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases from international shipping. 

As stated in the latest version of the IMO’s GHG strategy from July 2023, it is now targeting net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. Member states have agreed to “indicative checkpoints.” These include reducing total emissions by 20% and striving for 30% by 2030, with targets increased to 70% and 80% by 2040.

From 2024, shipping will also be included in the EU emissions trading scheme (ETS), which means that every kilogram of CO2 will be of financial — not to mention planetary — importance.

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Meet Europe’s hydrogen trailblazers on a quest for zero-emission air travel

Europe, Next Featured, Startups and technology, Sustainability, UK / /

Hydrogen-powered planes are, essentially, nothing new. The USSR flew the alternative fuel testbed Tupolev Tu-155 on hydrogen (and liquid natural gas) more than 35 years ago. 

However, challenges associated with the technology meant that it was basically moth-balled for commercial aircraft operations (rocket fuel is another matter) — until now. With the future of the planet in peril, almost everyone in air transport wants to talk about hydrogen propulsion.

From startups to multinational original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), much of  the industry is adamant that hydrogen can make zero-emission flights a reality.

It is just a matter of actually building the engines and the planes, ensuring adequate and economically viable fuel supply and infrastructure, scaling the technology — and, of course, convincing regulators that it is safe enough for commercial flights carrying passengers. 

“Most technologies required for a hydrogen-powered aircraft are emerging already in other industries and we have been working on this for some time already,” aerospace giant and hydrogen-propulsion proponent Airbus shared with TNW. “We’re not starting from scratch. The main challenge will be to certify them to airworthiness standards.”

Researchers have indeed been hard at work for years studying both direct combustion and the conversion of hydrogen into electrical energy through fuel cells. (Both are applicable to aviation and we will look more closely at them further on.)

The technology has, on the whole, been proven to work. But what will it take to make air travel “guilt-free” in earnest? 

Past few years have seen ‘dramatic’ validation of hydrogen aviation

Aviation accounts for about 2.5% of carbon dioxide emissions worldwide. However, its share is rising quickly. The industry is expanding at an alarming rate, with the global fleet of aircraft predicted to grow by 80% by 2041, compared to pre-pandemic 2019 levels. Furthermore, aviation has an impact on the climate that goes far beyond CO2. 

“Sustainability in aviation used to be buying random offsets in various places,” Val Miftakhov, founder of hydrogen fuel-cell powertrain developer ZeroAvia, tells TNW. “In the last five years, we have seen dramatic validation of hydrogen aviation.” 

Miftakhov is something of a veteran in zero-emission transportation, having founded eMotorWerks, developing SmartGrid-integrated EV charging technologies, in 2010. After selling the company in 2017, Miftakhov, a long-time pilot hailing from a family legacy of aerospace engineering, turned his attention to decarbonising one of the world’s most hard-to-abate sectors. 

Zero emissions from the UK to the Netherlands by 2025

ZeroAvia has one of the most ambitious timelines in the hydrogen aviation industry. The company intends to have a fuel-cell engine capable of powering a 19-seater aircraft for flights between the Netherlands and the UK commercially ready as soon as 2025. 

In January this year, ZeroAvia flew a Dornier 228 19-seater testbed, at the time the largest commercial aircraft powered by a hydrogen fuel cell, for the first time. (That title has since been — temporarily — nicked by US-based Universal Hydrogen and its 40-seat ATR 72 nicknamed ‘Lightning McClean’. ZeroAvia intends to steal it back with a Bombardier Dash 8 Q400.)

The testbed aircraft took off from Cotswold Airport in Gloucester, UK, and was powered by a conventional engine on the right wing, and ZeroAvia’s ZA600 600 kW hydrogen-electric engine on the left. 

ZeroAvia Dornier 228 at Cotswold's airport taking off
ZeroAvia is running a test flight campaign with a Dornier 228 aircraft. Credit: ZeroAvia

The company is also developing a powertrain for 40 to 80-seater aircraft with a range of 1,000NM (1,852km), the ZA2000, which it says will be ready for commercial use by 2027. Thus far, it has secured €10bn in pre-orders from a number of the major global airlines and lessors, who plan to use it to retrofit their regional fleets. 

ZeroAvia is still mulling over a shortlist of potential manufacturing sites. “We are looking for the shipments of our engines to start in 2025. So we have to have production capacity next year, which means that we have to finalise locations this year,” Miftakhov told TNW, adding that the decision would probably be made by the end of summer. 

Realistic entry-into-service projections?  

Not everyone in the field shares ZeroAvia’s enthusiastic timeline. Josef Kallo, founder and CEO of H2FLY, a Stuttgart-based startup also developing a hydrogen-electric fuel-cell propulsion system, says that 40 seats with a range of about 2,000km is more likely to happen by 2029. 

“I am a little concerned that we have to tell a realistic path to the realisation, even if it’s a little bit more risky for the financing,” Kallo tells TNW, adding that he believes his colleagues in the space might be underestimating how much effort and time needs to go into component development. 

It’s not as if H2FLY hasn’t gotten far already. The company, founded out of the University of Ulm and the German Aerospace Center (DLR) in 2015, performed the maiden flight of its four-seat hydrogen fuel-cell powered aircraft, the HY4, in 2016. It has since achieved several significant milestones, including the world altitude record for a hydrogen-powered aircraft, cruising at 7,230 feet. 

H2FLY integrating liquid hydrogen storage system
H2FLY has successfully completed liquid hydrogen ground testing. Credit: H2FLY

Furthermore, H2FLY completed the successful integration of a new liquid hydrogen storage system in April this year. The ground fueling tests were part of the EU-funded Project Heaven (short for High powEr density FC System for Aerial Passenger VEhicle fueled by liquid HydrogeN), and the aircraft has now been shipped to Slovenia for a summer flight test campaign.

The company also recently announced the H175 program for its next generation fuel-cell system, capable of powering aircraft in the megawatt-class range, for 20 to 80 seats. H2FLY hopes to have it certified “by the end of this decade.”

Retrofitting existing airframes compared to clean-sheet designs

If anyone thinks that civil aviation regulators would allow operators to strap even a conventional tube-and-wing configuration to some hydrogen tanks and off into the zero-emission future we go, they would, naturally, be mistaken. 

According to Airbus, hydrogen planes will “need to achieve equivalent or better safety levels [to kerosene-powered jets] before hydrogen-powered aircraft will take to the skies.” 

It can usually take anywhere between five to nine years to certify a new aircraft. Established OEMs will have a leg up on startups when it comes to certifying clean-sheet designs, due to experience of the process. 

This is why startup powertrain developers have decided to go down the route of retrofitting existing airframes with their propulsion systems. However, converting older airframes is not going to go on forever. 

“Really visionary is to have a new aircraft designed for the [hydrogen] propulsion and then use that with all the benefits to really have long-range, high-efficiency, low-noise aviation,” Kallo states.

Those who are looking to design larger aircraft powered by hydrogen will need a new approach to everything from aerodynamics, structural reinforcement, thermal management, and systems integration. 

Solving the storage problem

Hydrogen has a higher energy density by weight than jet fuel. However, it has a lower energy density by volume. This means that putting hydrogen tanks on a plane entails throwing out seats or cargo capacity, i.e. paying customers or payload, or altering the design of the aircraft. 

In addition, storage of hydrogen as a gas requires high-pressure tanks (350–700 bar tank pressure), whereas hydrogen as liquid, albeit taking up less space, requires cryogenic temperatures of -252.87°C. 

For instance, a blended wing body design (BWB) could offer potential benefits to storing hydrogen on board due to larger internal volume compared to traditional tube-and-wing designs.

A few intrepid companies out there are already intending to build new planes specifically designed for hydrogen propulsion. One is Swiss startup Destinus, which is developing a hypersonic hydrogen-powered jet capable of travelling at Mach 5 and above. 

Another concept is the blended wing body Kona, designed to “revolutionise the status quo of freight transportation,” from aerospace startup Natilus. The company recently completed flight testing of a quarter-scale prototype aircraft, following three years of extensive wind-tunnel testing. 

Rendering of Natilus aircraft
Clean-sheet design startup Natilus has chosen ZeroAvia’s fuel-cell hydrogen-electric engine to power its BWB aircraft. Credit: ZeroAvia

While ZeroAvia has decided to go after existing types of aircraft for certification purposes, the company has all critical technologies, such as high-temperature fuel cells, motor and electronics development, in-house, and for very practical reasons. 

“There’s no supply chain for this yet, because it’s so new,” Miftakhov states. 

There might not be a supply chain for parts yet, but OEMs are also labouring away at new propulsion technologies. For example, British engine maker Rolls-Royce is also developing a range of products based on hydrogen fuel cells.  

Hydrogen-electric vs. direct combustion

A hydrogen fuel cell is an electrochemical cell that converts the chemical energy of hydrogen into electricity. Fuel cells enable aircraft to produce electricity autonomously without the need for a built-in battery that requires charging from an external power source.

They do not have any moving parts and, as such, operate in near silence. As previously mentioned, this requires extensive component development. 

However, this is not the only technological pathway to flying planes on hydrogen. A more immediate means of using existing gas turbine technology would be through direct hydrogen combustion. 

Hydrogen combustion works in the same way as conventional internal combustion. It can work equally well in turboprop and turbofan engines and is scalable for different types of aircraft configurations and ranges. However, it comes with a different set of considerations. 

The technology eliminates most emissions and reduces some remaining ones such as nitrous oxide (NOx). But, it does produce water vapour, which in turn produces contrails. Research shows that contrails may be responsible for as much as 50% of aviation’s warming effects. 

However, the contrails produced by hydrogen combustion differ from those generated by burning fossil fuels. In July last year, Airbus announced a project called Blue Condor, which will use two gliders — one fitted with a H₂ combustion engine and one with a conventional kerosene engine — to study hydrogen contrail formation. 

ZEROe

Airbus is looking into both technological pathways. A little over two years ago, the European aerospace behemoth unveiled four possible hydrogen aircraft concepts — known collectively as ZEROe — with the promise of delivering one into commercial service by 2035. Three of the designs under the ZEROe umbrella use hydrogen combustion. 

One of these is a BWB. However, Airbus has said it will not be the first hydrogen plane out of the gate, as designing both a new propulsion system and a new airframe at the same time would be incredibly complicated. 

Airbus BWB rendering
The BWB design could solve storage issues, but will not be the first to fly. Credit: Airbus

The fourth concept aircraft, representing a high-wing 100-seat regional airliner, features six eight-bladed propellers attached to removable fuel-cell engine pods. Essentially, each pod is a stand-alone propeller propulsion system. 

They feature propellers, electric motors, fuel cells, power electronics, liquid hydrogen tanks, cooling systems, and a set of auxiliary equipment. Due to the removable fixtures, the pods can be quickly disassembled and reassembled, potentially creating rapid solutions for refuelling at airports. 

In order to try the associated technologies, Airbus will use an A380 flying testbed equipped with liquid hydrogen tanks, and hydrogen engines mounted on the fuselage. The double-decker airframe employed for the mission is none other than MSN 001 — the very first A380 to roll out of the factory. Airbus says the demonstrator will take off on its first flight in the next five years. 

Airbus' A380 hydrogen test lab
Airbus will mount hydrogen engines to an A380 testbed. Credit: Airbus

Not all are convinced by Airbus’ efforts thus far. William Todts of Transport & Environment states that the company is spending more time and money building the hype than the planes. 

Meanwhile, there is another crucial element missing — the actual fuel to power all this innovation. Nobody will buy an aeroplane they cannot operate. Not only does the promised land of zero-emission aviation need access to an abundance of hydrogen; it needs it to be green. 

Green hydrogen

Green hydrogen is produced by splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen through electrolysis using renewable electricity. Currently, it accounts for less than 1% of global hydrogen production, with the other 99% derived from non-renewable sources that produce greenhouse gas emissions. So what will it take to scale?

Carol Xiao, an expert on hydrogen with the Institute for Sustainable Process Technology (ISPT) in the Netherlands, says that, contrary to what she first thought when learning about the industry, money is not the problem. 

“The money is there,” Xiao tells TNW. However, she adds, investors will not commit as long as the supply and demand chains are not secure. 

According to Xiao, aviation can have a substantial impact when it comes to creating a market for green hydrogen. “If they say ‘we will use hydrogen’, especially green hydrogen, they will be a market which people can supply,” she continues. “It will help the supply chain make a decision on equipment, and it will also help get the infrastructure ready.”

Technology without a business case?

In addition, the industry will also be competing for materials to build hydrogen electrolysis production plants — and the renewable energy to run them. 

“I think if we fail, we will fail on the renewable energy provision, and not on the technology,” Josef Kallo says. “And this has to go hand in hand. Otherwise, we’re working on the technology but there is no business case because there is no infrastructure and fuel.”

Guillaume Faury, Airbus chief executive, seems to share these concerns. At a company event last year, Faury said that availability or lack of availability of clean hydrogen at the right quantity in the right place at the right price in the second half of the decade was a “big concern.” He further added that a lack of green hydrogen could be a reason for delaying the launch of the ZEROe programme aircraft. 

The renewable energy equation

Using renewable energy to produce hydrogen could help solve problems around what is known as intermittency — the unpredictable and fluctuating nature of certain renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind power. 

“You can use hydrogen production and hydrogen storage as a grid storage mechanism; you can generate it when the renewable power is abundant on the grid, and then utilise it when you need to on the aircraft,” says Miftakhov.

“That allows you to, in fact, increase the renewable penetration of the grid. We know that we can make it economical, and we can scale it.” 

Achieving economies of scale will also bring the cost of renewable hydrogen down, with predictions that the price will drop from the 2020 cost of 5–7$/kg, to ~3$/kg in 2030, and ~2$/kg in 2050. One recent study showed that, taking into account a potential tax on fossil jet fuel and the price of carbon, it could become cheaper to run a hydrogen plane than its kerosene-powered counterpart by 2035. 

How aviation can be certain it will get priority when it comes to accessing a limited supply — or all the renewable energy it will require — is another matter. 

Aviation’s decarbonisation journey is anything but easy. Nor is it moving at a fast enough pace. With record-breaking aircraft orders happening as we speak, it is clear that neither airlines nor aircraft manufacturers have any intention of curbing the industry’s growth. 

With all the challenges that hydrogen-powered aviation still has to face, it may seem like a long shot. But with concerted efforts and the potential for widespread adoption, it could maybe, just maybe, make zero-emission air travel a reality. 

Meet Europe’s hydrogen trailblazers on a quest for zero-emission air travel Read More »

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EU rules on AI must do more to protect human rights, NGOs warn

Artificial Intelligence, Deep tech, Europe, Government and policy / /

A group of 150 NGOs including Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, Transparency International, and Algorithm Watch has signed a statement addressed to the European Union. In it, they entreat the bloc not only to maintain but enhance human rights protection when adopting the AI Act. 

Between the apocalypse-by-algorithm and the cancer-free utopia different camps say the technology could bring, lies a whole spectrum of pitfalls to avoid for the responsible deployment of AI. 

As Altman, Musk, Zuckerberg, et al., dive head first into the black box, legislation aiming to at least curb their enthusiasm is on the way. The European Union’s proposed law on artificial intelligence — the AI Act — is the first of its kind by any major regulatory body. Two different camps are claiming that it is either a) crippling Europe’s tech sovereignty or b) not going far enough in curtailing dangerous deployment of AI. 

Transparency and redress

The signatories of Wednesday’s collective statement warn that, “Without strong regulation, companies and governments will continue to use AI systems that exacerbate mass surveillance, structural discrimination, centralised power of large technology companies, unaccountable public decision-making, and environmental damage.” 

This is no “AI poses risk of extinction” one-liner statement. It includes specific segments of the Act the writers feel must be kept or enhanced. For instance, a “framework of accountability, transparency, accessibility, and redress,” must include the obligation of AI deployers to publish fundamental rights impact assessments, register use in a publicly accessible database, and ensure people affected by AI-made decisions have the right to be informed. 

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The NGOs are also taking a strong stance against AI-based public surveillance (such as the one deployed during the coronation of King Charles). They are calling for a full ban on “real-time and post remote biometric identification in publicly accessible spaces, by all actors, without exception.” They also ask that the EU prohibit AI in predictive and profiling systems in law enforcement, as well as migration contexts and emotional recognition systems. 

In addition, the letter writers urge lawmakers not to “give into lobbying efforts of big tech companies to circumvent regulation for financial interest,” and uphold an objective process to determine which systems will be classified as high-risk. 

The proposed act will divide AI systems into four tiers, depending on the level of risk they pose to health and safety or fundamental rights. The tiers are: unacceptable, high, limited, and minimal. 

High risk vs. general purpose AI

Unacceptable are applications such as social scoring systems used by governments, whereas systems used for things like spam filters or video games would be considered minimal risk. 

Under the proposed legislation, the EU will allow high-risk systems (for instance those used for medical equipment or autonomous vehicles), but deployers must adhere to strict rules regarding testing, data collection documentation, and accountability frameworks. 

The original proposal did not contain any reference to general purpose or generative AI. However, following the meteoric rise of ChatGPT last year, the EU approved last minute amendments to include an additional section. 

Business leaders have been hard at work the past few months trying to influence the EU to water down the proposed text. They have been particularly keen on what should be classified as high-risk AI, resulting in much higher costs. Some, such as OpenAI’s Sam Altman, went on a personal charm offensive (throwing a threat or two in the mix). 

Others, specifically more than 160 executives from major companies around the world (including Meta, Renault, and Heineken), have also sent a letter to the Commission. In it, they warned that the draft legislation would “jeopardise Europe’s competitiveness and technological sovereignty.”

The European Parliament adopted its negotiating position on the AI Act on June 14, and trilogue negotiations have now begun. These entail discussions between the Parliament, the Commission, and the Council, before they will adopt the final text. 

With the law set to establish a global precedent (albeit hopefully one capable of evolving as the technology does), Brussels is, in all likelihood, currently abuzz with solicitous advocates — on behalf of all interested parties. 

EU rules on AI must do more to protect human rights, NGOs warn Read More »

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Final mission photos: ESA’s Ariane 5 rocket lifts off for the last time

Corporates and innovation, Deep tech, Europe, Space / /

This week, after nearly three decades of providing Europe access to space, the Ariane 5 heavy-lift rocket completed its final mission. On Wednesday, July 5, at 22: 00 GMT, the rocket took off from the European Space Agency’s (ESA’s) Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana.

Its final flight launched two payloads into geostationary orbit. The first was the 3,400kg Heinrich-Hertz-Satellit that will test advanced communication technologies on behalf of the German government. The second was the 3,750kg Syracuse 4B satellite belonging to the French military. 

Bowing out in style, Europe’s #Ariane 5 rocket has completed its final flight, placing @DLR_de‘s Heinrich Hertz and the French Syracuse 4B satellites into their planned geostationary transfer orbits 👉 https://t.co/XYYDp86r8Y pic.twitter.com/xzwLva90mu

— ESA (@esa) July 5, 2023

Ariane 5’s storied career began back in 1996. Since Wednesday evening, it includes 117 orbital liftoffs. Both satellites were successfully deployed about 30 minutes after launch. Shortly thereafter, Stéphane Israël, CEO of France’s Arianespace which operates the rocket, said, “Ariane 5 is now over. Ariane 5 has perfectly finished its work. It’s really now a legendary launcher. But Ariane 6 is coming.”

Take off arch of Ariane 5
The saga of the Ariane 5 has come to a close. Credit: ESA

Delay for ESA’s SpaceX competitor

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Indeed, the era of the Ariane 5 is over, which leaves Europe in want of a launch vehicle. The construction of its successor, the Ariane 6, has been hit by delays. The more affordable (as far as heavy-launch rockets go) upgraded version, intended to better compete with SpaceX’s Falcon 9, is currently scheduled for its first test launch by the end of the year. If all goes well, it will enter commercial operations in 2024. 

Ariane 5 rolled out to launch pad
The rocket was rolled out to the launch pad in Kourou. Credit: ESA

The rocket Europe has relied on for smaller payloads (Ariane 5 could carry over 11 tonnes), Italy’s Vega, has also hit technical bumps in the road during its upgrade process. The Vega C had a second failed launch attempt late last year, and remains grounded. 

Meanwhile, access to the medium-payload Russian Soyuz has been suspended because, well, Russia went and started a war of aggression against Ukraine at the tail-end of a global health crisis.