Good morning, tech fam; here are some quick tech updates for you to catch on to!
What’s New Today: India is ready with its first ever semi-conductor chip to release this September.
Fast-Track Insights: Figure AI is again raising funds to increase the company valuation.
Here’s a quick rundown of the biggest tech headlines making waves today. Let's dive into the day's top tech stories from the India’s launching of first country-made chips to Figure AI raising funds for more robotics innovations.
India's first country-made semiconductor chip, which was a result of a joint venture by Tata Electronics and Powerchip Semiconductor, will be out by September or October 2025. Manufactured at India's first semiconductor factory in Gujarat, the effort is part of the Semicon India initiative, funded with a ₹76,000 crore investment. The government has also encouraged gallium nitride (GaN) research and opened the India AI Mission portal to spur AI development.
Figure AI, a robotics company focused on humanoid robots, is in talks to raise a $1.5 billion Series C round that will put the firm at a $39.5 billion valuation. Parkway Venture Capital is set to lead the round. This comes after a February 2024 funding round worth $675 million put the company at a $2.6 billion valuation.
The Indian Air Force has opened vacancies for unmarried male candidates under the Agnipath Scheme. Eligible candidates must possess a 10+2 or diploma, and the candidates must be younger than 21. 21-year-old is the highest limit. Shortlisted candidates will be paid a salary of ₹30,000/month, rising over four years. The application process is online, and the last date is 22.02.2025.
Artificial Intelligence is gradually transforming almost all the industries, but this unregulated use could potentially erode thinking skills. Complete dependence on AI tools could be a source of cognitive laziness, lowering our ability to think independently and solve problems. AI integration needs to be balanced with practices that cultivate and retain our analytical capabilities
Russian politician Aisen Nikolaev had suggested that special power plants for cryptocurrency miners be built, isolated from public electricity grids. This step is expected to bring a solution to the electricity shortages due to uncontrolled mining of cryptocurrencies. This uncontrolled mining used to affect the supply of power to homes and businesses. Nikolaev was hopeful of future prospects that would strike a balance between the needs of crypto miners and public energy security.