A year ago, Redwood Materials did not have an energy storage business. It’s now the fastest-growing unit in battery recycling and materials startup — a reflection of the boom in building AI data centers. Evidence of that growth can be found in its San Francisco research and development lab, which has quadrupled to a 55,000-square-foot … Read more
A world that runs on increasingly powerful AI coding tools is a world where creating software is cheap—or so it thinks—leaving little room for traditional software companies. As one analyst report put it, “vibration coding will enable startups to replicate the functionality of complex SaaS platforms.” Forget the hand-wringing and declaring that software companies are … Read more
Tech investors haven’t given up on the dream of making physical products with the same speed and ease as coding software. Executives from Freeform, a startup developing a new 3D printing system for metal parts, told TechCrunch that the company has raised a $67 million Series B to expand its manufacturing platform. Investors include Apandion, … Read more
It’s a challenge every startup faces: they’ve built a prototype and proven the thing works, but now they have to sell the product and make enough to get past the “valley of death” that kills so many companies. “It’s the chicken and the egg,” Josh Felser, co-founder and managing partner of early-stage venture firm Climactic, … Read more
For a brief, disjointed moment, it seemed like our robotic overlords were about to take over. After the creation of Moltbook, a Reddit clone where AI agents could communicate with each other using OpenClaw, some were fooled into thinking that computers had begun to organize themselves against us—self-important humans who dared to treat them as … Read more
Rather than computing power, it is quickly becoming the limiting factor in scaling AI data centers. This shift prompted Peak XV Partners to back C2i Semiconductors, an Indian startup creating plug-and-play, system power solutions designed to reduce energy losses and improve the economics of large-scale AI infrastructure. C2i (which stands for Conversion Control and Intelligence) … Read more
After intense backlash over its partnership with Flock Safety, a tracking technology company that works with law enforcement, Ring announced it was canceling the integration. In a statement posted on Ringo’s blog and provided The Verge prior to the release, the company said: “After a comprehensive review, we determined that the planned Flock Safety integration … Read more
Modal Labs, an AI infrastructure startup, is talking to VCs about a new round worth about $2.5 billion, according to four people with knowledge of the deal. If the deal closes on those terms, the funding round would more than double the company’s $1.1 billion valuation announced less than five months ago. General Catalyst is … Read more
Elon Musk is dealing with a wave of departures from xAI, including two more co-founders who left this week, bringing the total to six from the original 12. At yesterday’s all-hands meeting, Musk suggested that outputs should be about fit, not performance. “Because we’ve reached a certain scale, we’re organizing the company to be more … Read more
As AI data centers drive up electricity prices, London-based startup Tem thinks AI could help solve that, too. Tem has built an energy transaction engine that connects to AI and lowers prices compared to other energy traders. The company signed up more than 2,600 business customers across the UK with the promise that buying power … Read more