Hardware
Aug 3, 2026
UK Chip Startup Olix Raises $312M at $3.3BN Valuation
Olix, a two-year-old UK chip startup, has closed a $312M Series B at a $3.3BN valuation — more than tripling its worth since February. The company is developing an optical digital processor designed to displace Nvidia's generalist chips with specialised silicon for AI inference workloads.
AI
Hardware
Startups
Jul 30, 2026
OpenAI's 'Family of Devices' Remains a Mystery
OpenAI president Greg Brockman confirmed the company is developing multiple hardware products for its AI models, but declined to reveal form factors, release dates, or how Apple's lawsuit might affect its Jony Ive collaboration.
AI
OpenAI
Hardware
Jul 28, 2026
Enigma Raises $70M Seed Round to Simplify Robot Control
Enigma has closed a massive $70M seed round led by Index Ventures and Ribbit Capital to make controlling robots as intuitive as adjusting a volume dial. The startup is betting that simplified human-robot interaction is the missing link in industrial and consumer robotics adoption. Sarah Guo's Conviction Partners also joined the round.
Robotics
Startups
Venture Capital
Jul 25, 2026
Meta Bans Glasses-Filmed Harassment, But Gaps Remain
Meta is moving to ban certain content filmed with its Ray-Ban smart glasses after a wave of prank and harassment videos went viral. The policy response highlights a fundamental tension between wearable AI hardware and consent — and raises hard questions about what moderation can actually fix.
AI
Hardware
Privacy
Jul 24, 2026
Mobileye Founder Shashua Steps Back as CEO
Mobileye founder and CEO Amnon Shashua is transitioning to chairman of the board as the autonomous driving company accelerates its push into robotaxis and robotics. The leadership change signals a strategic inflection point for the Intel-spun-off firm as it moves beyond its core ADAS business.
Autonomous Vehicles
Robotics
Leadership
Jul 24, 2026
Apple vs. OpenAI: The Trade Secrets Lawsuit That Matters
Apple is suing OpenAI over alleged theft of hardware trade secrets — and the case reveals just how much is at stake in the race to build the next computing platform. Verge senior AI reporter Hayden Field breaks down why this lawsuit is different from Apple's past IP battles, and what it means for a cash-burning OpenAI heading toward IPO.
AI
Startups
Legal
Jul 22, 2026
Samsung in Talks to Invest €1bn in Mistral's Series D
Samsung is reportedly in advanced discussions to back French AI startup Mistral with up to €1bn as part of a €3bn Series D round at a €20bn valuation. The move would give Mistral a strategic edge in memory chip supply — a critical bottleneck in AI infrastructure today.
AI
Venture Capital
European Tech
Jul 21, 2026
Google Builds a New Chip to Make Gemini Cheaper to Run
Alphabet is developing a new AI chip aimed at improving the inference efficiency of its Gemini models. The move signals Google's push to reduce the cost of serving AI at scale — a growing priority across the industry.
AI
Hardware
Jul 20, 2026
Apple's OpenAI Lawsuit Threatens Its Hardware Plans
Apple has filed a lawsuit that could complicate OpenAI's high-profile push into consumer hardware and its longer-term IPO ambitions. The Equity podcast breaks down what's at stake — and whether legal pressure from one of tech's most litigious giants can actually slow OpenAI's momentum.
AI
Startups
Hardware
Jul 16, 2026
OpenAI's First Hardware Is a Macro Pad for Codex
OpenAI has launched its first physical hardware product: a limited-edition macro pad called Codex Micro, built in collaboration with keyboard maker Work Louder. Designed for developers using OpenAI's Codex coding platform, the device lets users monitor and manage AI agents directly from a block of programmable buttons.
AI
Developer Tools
OpenAI
Jul 16, 2026
Ex-Ultrahuman VP Raises $5.5M for AI Control Devices
Apoorv Shankar, former VP of Hardware at Ultrahuman, has raised $5.5M to build Aina — a wearable designed not just to capture ambient audio, but to actively control AI agents. The company is preparing to pilot its first device in the coming weeks.
AI
Hardware
Startups
Jul 15, 2026
OpenAI's First Hardware Is a Screenless, Moving Speaker
OpenAI's long-anticipated debut hardware product is reportedly a screenless smart speaker with physical movement capabilities. The device signals the company's push into ambient AI hardware — and raises big questions about where the AI assistant market is heading.
AI
Hardware
OpenAI
Jul 14, 2026
Apple Sues OpenAI Over Alleged Trade Secret Theft
Apple has filed a federal lawsuit against OpenAI, accusing former Apple employees of stealing trade secrets to benefit the AI company. The suit puts OpenAI's ambitious hardware ambitions directly in the legal crosshairs, adding to an already lengthy list of litigation the company is navigating.
AI
OpenAI
Apple
Jul 14, 2026
RAROG Raises €162K to Help Find Missing People
Swiss startup RAROG has secured €162,000 from Venture Kick to build a portable search-and-rescue system that detects radio signals emitted by smartphones, smartwatches, and fitness trackers — no dedicated beacon required. The technology works without mobile infrastructure and can locate people through fog, snow, vegetation, and rubble. Deployments are already underway in mountain rescue operations across Ireland and Switzerland.
Startups
Deep Tech
Hardware
Jul 9, 2026
Pixel-Flo Raises £5.25M Seed to Scale MicroLED Output
UK deep-tech startup Pixel-Flo has secured £5.25M in seed funding to commercialise its fluidic self-assembly process for MicroLED displays. The University of Sheffield spin-out aims to cut production costs and improve throughput as MicroLED eyes mainstream adoption.
MicroLED
Deep Tech
Hardware
Jul 9, 2026
QuantumDiamonds Raises €15M for Quantum Chip Testing
German semiconductor testing startup QuantumDiamonds has closed a €15M equity round, bringing its total funding to €91M when combined with previously announced EU-backed state aid. The TUM spinout is scaling production of quantum sensing technology that helps chipmakers detect defects conventional systems can't catch.
Chips
Deep Tech
Funding
Jul 8, 2026
ZML Launches a Free Tool to Unify AI Chip Performance
French AI startup ZML, backed by Turing Award winner Yann LeCun, has released ZML/LLMD — free software designed to accelerate AI inference across a wide range of chip architectures. The tool aims to reduce the cost and complexity of running AI workloads at scale.
AI infrastructure
French startups
Hardware
Jul 2, 2026
Anthropic in Talks With Samsung to Develop Custom AI Chip
Anthropic is reportedly in discussions with Samsung to co-develop a custom AI chip, positioning the Claude maker as the latest AI lab to pursue silicon independence. The news follows OpenAI's announcement of its own custom chip built in partnership with Broadcom.
AI chips
Anthropic
Custom Silicon
Jul 1, 2026
GPT-5.6 Exists, But You Can't Use It Yet
OpenAI's GPT-5.6 is real, but US government restrictions are keeping it out of most hands for now. In parallel, AI inference chip startup Etched is emerging from stealth with $800M raised, a $1B+ order backlog, and first-try silicon success on TSMC 4nm.
AI inference
AI tools
Chips
Jun 29, 2026
Omen AI Raises $31M to Fight Data Center Bacteria
Omen AI has closed a $31 million Series A to deploy real-time monitoring technology inside liquid cooling systems at data centers. The startup's sensors detect bacterial contamination and coolant degradation before they cause costly hardware failures. As AI workloads push chips to their thermal limits, the company is betting that coolant health is the next critical infrastructure problem to solve.
Data Centers
Liquid Cooling
AI Infrastructure