Days after successfully flying its Quarterhorse unmanned aircraft at supersonic speeds, an industry-first defense aviation company, Hermeus, has received the largest-ever contract awarded by the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) to demonstrate high-Mach flight combined with high-Mach payload release.

The new $ 159 million award, which increases the original contract to a total of $219 million, will allow Hermeus’ engineers to expand on previous high-Mach test flight milestones in direct partnership with the U.S. Air Force and the U.S. Navy, with the goal of providing the American warfighter with the most advanced arsenal capable of delivering munitions and payloads around the world at record-setting speeds.

“By delivering flight-ready aircraft and demonstrating payload release at speed, we will prove this technology can create a decisive military advantage on a timeline that matters,” explained Hermeus CEO and co-founder, AJ Piplica. “Our focus is on providing the Air Force and Navy with the validated data they need to transition these platforms into the future force.”

High Mach Payload Release: “A Game Changing Warfighting Capability”

When announcing the new DIU award, Hermeus executives noted that the program will include a series of “intensive flight tests.” The first is expected later this year, while the final flights are expected sometime in 2027.

Although few specifics were provided, the company said the flights will “prove the aircraft can maintain high speeds and expand its performance limits” while also demonstrating the successful carry and release of payloads at high velocity. The company also noted that all flight data gathered during the development and testing phases “will directly inform service experimentation and future acquisition decisions.”

Although the U.S. Military has several aircraft capable of exceeding the speed of sound, and several more hypersonic (exceeding five times the speed of sound) aircraft and missile prototypes, delivering payloads from high-Mach aircraft has remained a challenge. However, some military experts argue that the U.S. would benefit greatly from the capability.

When discussing the need for high-speed payload release, DIU Military Deputy Major General Joe “Solo” Kunkel said that the largest problems the military is facing in the future are “generally around time and distance,” and the associated challenges with getting to distant locations “in a timeframe that matters.”

“I care about the warfighting capability, providing advantage to our partners and us in the fight, and making sure that we can walk into every fight with swagger,” General Kunkel said, adding that mass producing the technology developed by Hermeus could move it from a test platform to a “game-changing warfighting capability.”

“I think we found a significant number of use cases where it can be used as a weapon,” the General added. 

Moving High-Mach Capability Out of the Lab

When discussing the company’s approach that convinced the DIU to offer its largest award in the organization’s history, including what they describe as “reclaiming the lost art of rapid iterative prototyping to build the fastest aircraft in the world today,” Hermeus noted that directly partnering with the USAF and USN allows their engineers to align tests with future mission needs and shorten the path from testing to deployment.

“By prioritizing relentless hardware iteration, we deliver high-speed systems at the pace of the modern battlefield,” the company’s statement explained. “We work with the Department of War to provide the high-speed capabilities our nation and its allies need to maintain a durable, asymmetric advantage.”

When discussing the significance of the upcoming tests and the overall need for high-Mach flight payload deployment, including the benefit of the performance data, the company CEO heralded the DIU’s award, noting that the financing will help them move their successful demonstrations into real-world high-Mach platforms.

“This program is about moving high-Mach capability out of the lab and into an operationally relevant environment,” Piplica said. 

Christopher Plain is a Science Fiction and Fantasy novelist and Head Science Writer at The Debrief. Follow and connect with him on X, learn about his books at plainfiction.com, or email him directly at christopher@thedebrief.org.

Singtel Group positioned a partnership with government-linked body Digital Industry Singapore as helping it accelerate a sweeping AI transformation of its business and strengthen digital infrastructure in the country.

The operator noted the pact, which comes with a grant for the company, will contribute to a multi-year plan to up adoption of AI across its business including within infrastructure, customer platforms and for workforce development.

In the first phase Singtel plans to develop and hire AI talent, establish governance and tech frameworks and build “enterprise advisory and implementation expertise to support AI deployment at scale”.

Among its aims is to become a “world-leading AI-native telco” with advanced AI and machine learning capabilities in all business units.

The operator highlighted its push aligned with a wider national strategy in Singapore which aims to strengthen sovereign digital infrastructure, increase skills of the local workforce and develop “globally competitive leaders” in the AI sector.

Singtel CEO Yuen Kuan Moon added it was “championing enterprise transformation with AI” in its home market.

“As an adopter, provider and enabler of AI, Singtel is embedding intelligent technologies across our operations, delivering trusted enterprise-grade solutions that help customers move from pilot to scale, and providing secure, sovereign platforms and digital infrastructure to support adoption across industries.”

He continued: “Ultimately, our goal is to create real impact not just for our business, but for Singapore, future-proofing our industries to be more competitive and resilient in the AI era.”

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Em ecrãs de smartphones, monitores ou televisores, as gamas referem-se à capacidade de reproduzir cores. Quanto mais ampla essa gama, mais vivas e precisas, um indicador que se torna essencial para trabalhos profissionais ou consumo de multimédia.

The post Os ecrãs não são todos iguais. Sabe o que são gamas de cor e quais as diferenças entre sRGB, Adobe RGB e DCI-P3? appeared first on Tek Notícias.

UK-based EV conversion specialist Electrogenic has converted five of Jason Momoa’s cherished vintage vehicles to electric power — including three 100-year-old Harley-Davidson motorcycles reimagined as plug-in hybrids. The builds are featured in Season 2 of Momoa’s HBO documentary series On The Roam, streaming now.

The project includes two extremely rare classic Land Rovers converted to all-electric drive with 150+ miles of range, a battery-equipped off-grid camping trailer, and the three Harleys that can switch between electric, petrol, and combined hybrid power on the fly. Electrogenic is now selling conversion kits for both the Land Rovers and the Harleys.

Mobile World Live brings you our top three picks of the week as Anthropic widened access to its Claude Mythos model despite security concerns, the European Commission (EC) unveiled a fresh digital sovereignty push and the FCC commenced its first spectrum auction in four years.

Anthropic expands Mythos access to 150 new companies

What happened: Anthropic expanded access to its controversial Claude Mythos AI model under the Project Glasswing to 150 additional companies in sectors including power, healthcare and communications, after initially restricting it to a group of private technology players.

Why it matters: Anthropic said the latest cohort brings in sectors underrepresented in the first wave. In commentary to security publication CSO Online, experts noted the expansion could add to security concerns around the model. Carmi Levy, an independent technology analyst, questioned what Glasswing will be able to accomplish by adding 150 more participants, noting the initial point was to allow the AI player to work closely with a small, fully vetted group of vendors to develop stronger defences against cybersecurity risks. “Expanding access into the hundreds may very well bring in more minds to build better defensive measures, but it simultaneously introduces significant concerns around potential leaks.”

Research director for AI security at IDC, Grace Trinidad, added that Anthropic’s announcement pointed out that each of the 150 new participants “will need to meet our security requirements before they gain access”, which also did not build confidence. “Nobody knows what those security requirements are.”

Earlier this week, Anthropic also confidentially filed IPO paperwork with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), ahead of rival OpenAI’s rumoured float.

EU targets AI, chips in fresh sovereignty drive

What happened: The EC unveiled a fresh digital sovereignty package targeting semiconductors, AI, cloud, open source and energy infrastructure in a bid to accelerate Europe’s push for digital sovereignty.

Why it matters: The package includes a proposed a revamped Chips Act 2.0 and a Cloud and AI Development Act to streamline data centre deployment and introduced measures to expand open source use, support startups and digitalise the energy system. EC president Ursula von der Leyen said Europe “cannot afford to depend on others for the technologies that keep our hospitals running, our energy grids stable and our services secure”.

Jennifer Okafor, a UN and Global Health strategist and AI and data analyst, said the policies represent “a comprehensive approach to balancing growth, stability, and long-term resilience across the EU”. However, president of German digital industry group Bitkom Ralf Wintergerst told Reuters it is “crucial that these efforts do not stop at mere announcements”, while Keegan McBride, director of science and technology at non-profit think tank Tony Blair Institute argued Europe “can’t regulate its way to competitiveness, it must build”. He added, “there’s still much more to do ​if Europe wants to close the gap with the US and China”.

FCC kicks off first spectrum auction in 4 years

What happened: The FCC opened Auction 113, its first spectrum auction in four years, covering spectrum in the 1695MHz to 1710MHz, 1755MHz to 1780MHz and 2155MHz to 2180MHz bands.

Why it matters: AT&T, T-Mobile US, Verizon and potentially SpaceX are among likely bidders. The licences cover territory home to more than 100 million people across 48 states and two US territories. FCC chair Brendan Carr declared: “Finally! The FCC is back in the game,” adding spectrum auctions are “the lifeblood of licensed wireless service”. Carr argued “more spectrum means more building, lower prices and stronger competition”.

Proceeds from the auction will fund the FCC’s “rip and replace” programme targeting Huawei and ZTE equipment in US networks. Indeed, the auction also bolsters the regulator’s broader Build America Agenda, which targets 800MHz of spectrum by 2034.

The post The Friday File: Anthropic; EU; FCC appeared first on Mobile World Live.

Nate Snow, diretor da unidade de negócio da Asus, diz que empresas procuram cada vez mais soluções combinadas entre hardware e software que permitam implementar inteligência artificial de forma prática e segura, reduzindo custos de utilização de tokens e com facilidade para escalar o negócio.

The post “Temos a solução para as empresas criarem as infraestruturas para a nova onda de Inteligência Artificial” appeared first on Tek Notícias.

Em apenas três anos, o ChatGPT ultrapassou marcos que levaram décadas a construir ao TikTok, Instagram e YouTube. Os dados são da Sensor Tower e chegam numa semana em que tanto a OpenAI como a Anthropic preparam as suas entradas em bolsa.

The post ChatGPT torna-se a aplicação mais rápida de sempre a atingir os mil milhões de utilizadores mensais appeared first on Tek Notícias.