What’s New Today: Union Minister for Electronics and Information Technology, Ashwini Vaishnaw, has revealed plans related to the Shakti processor.
Fast-Track Insights: French startup Kotcha raising €3.5M funds to deliver world-class, personalised coaching powered by AI to runners.
Here’s a quick rundown of the biggest tech headlines making waves today. Let's dive into the top tech stories, from the Shakti processor launch to the crypto growth in the Middle East and North Africa.
India is progressing on its semiconductor ambitions by aiming to roll out a 7-nanometer home-developed processor, Shakti, by 2028. This initiative aims to strengthen self-reliance in chip manufacturing and support sectors such as IT servers, finance, defence, and communications. This initiative is an indication of alignment with national policy objectives of technology sovereignty and local production capabilities.
French startup Kotcha has raised €3.5 million in a funding round led by Racine2 to scale its AI-driven coaching platform for runners. Co-founded by Eliud Kipchoge, the Kotcha app provides training personalized for each runner and gives real time feedback. The app has four AI coaches available: head coach, trainer, nutritionist, and data analyst. All are trained using Kipchoge's methods.
Neyveli Lignite Corporation Limited (NLC) released its recruitment notice for the 2025 Apprentice positions. The company has invited applications for 1,101 total ITI Apprentice openings. Candidates must be eligible to apply if they have a two-year ITI certificate in the relevant sectors, like electrician or wireman, and are between 18 to 35 years old. Online applications will be accepted from October 6 to October 27, 2025.
Several ChatGPT users have complained to the Federal Trade Commission regarding feelings of emotional distress, including 'paranoia' or other delusions and hallucinations. The complaints reveal they have experienced this for an extensive time on the chatbot. OpenAI has responded with a new default, 'GPT-5' model that detects potential signs of emotional or mental-health strain, and redirects conversations that could risk harm to other models.
In the Middle East and North Africa region, monthly volume of crypto transactions topped $60 billion in December 2024. This highlights strong adoption growth during a time of economic and geopolitical uncertainty. Türkiye leads the region, and the growth is driven mostly by speculative trading and inflation. The United Arab Emirates has been establishing itself as a regulated institutional center. In Israel, cryptocurrency adoption surged in response to a national crisis, while Iran demonstrates continuing internal resiliency in adopting crypto despite sanctions.