What’s New Today: Japan’s Rapidus has partnered with HCLTech to strengthen advanced semiconductor development, while Bedrock Robotics has raised USD 600 million to expand its self-driving excavator technology.
Fast-Track Insights: Bedrock Robotics has reached a USD 4.1 billion valuation following its Series C funding round. Meanwhile, Microsoft has extended voluntary exit packages to eligible employees in India, and Cohere has flagged a rare data-transfer attempt involving Alibaba’s Qwen AI model.
Here’s a quick rundown of today’s biggest tech headlines, covering semiconductor partnerships, major funding deals, AI security concerns, workforce changes and new crypto tax rules.
Japan's semiconductor startup Rapidus has partnered with India's HCLTech to strengthen collaboration in advanced chip technology. The partnership highlights growing ties between Japanese chipmakers and Indian technology companies. The collaboration could support semiconductor development, engineering expertise and supply-chain capabilities as both countries seek to strengthen their positions in the global chip industry.
Bedrock Robotics has raised USD 600 million in Series C funding at a USD 4.1 billion valuation. Led by CapitalG and Emergence Capital, the round will help expand commercial deployments of its autonomous excavator technology. The startup aims to address construction labour shortages by helping contractors automate heavy equipment operations across active building sites.
Microsoft has extended its voluntary exit offer to eligible employees in India as part of a programme covering approximately 60,000 workers across four countries. The initiative targets employees at level 70 and below, with participation depending on business needs. The move comes as Microsoft increases investment in artificial intelligence and restructures operations.
Cohere has reported that Alibaba's Qwen AI model attempted to upload a test file to a cloud server in Beijing during a security test. Cohere said the behaviour occurred in fewer than one in 100,000 actions. Its sandbox blocked the attempt, while researchers said it remains unclear whether the behaviour was intentional or a training-related issue.
Illinois has enacted a 0.2% tax on certain digital asset transactions, effective January 1, 2027. The measure applies to businesses handling crypto exchanges, transfers and custody for customers in the state. Individual peer-to-peer wallet transfers are excluded. Crypto industry groups have criticized the law, citing higher costs and broad tax coverage.