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India’s semiconductor ambitions, graduate employability, cryptocurrency liquidity, AI infrastructure funding and advances in artificial intelligence are among today’s key headlines. The Center is considering using its component incentive scheme to strengthen the domestic chip ecosystem. Meanwhile, a new study highlights the mismatch between young graduates’ qualifications and the jobs they occupy. In the global technology sector, Finnish startup Vensum Power has raised EUR 9 million, while new research points to faster AI model development at Anthropic.
India is considering using its component manufacturing incentive scheme to support the semiconductor ecosystem. A study by the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EAC-PM) found that more than half of employed young graduates work in low-skill occupations. In cryptocurrency markets, Tether has transferred USD 120 million in USDT to Bitfinex. Finnish startup Vensum Power has secured EUR 9 million to scale its power converters for AI data centres. Separately, research by AI safety group METR suggests Anthropic’s model capabilities have been improving nearly twice as fast as before.
India’s semiconductor strategy is increasingly looking beyond chip fabrication towards building a domestic component supply chain. The graduate employment findings underline the challenge of translating educational qualifications into suitable jobs. Tether’s large stablecoin transfer has drawn attention to crypto-market liquidity, while Vensum Power’s funding reflects growing investment in the energy infrastructure needed for AI computing. Anthropic’s productivity gains, meanwhile, raise questions about how AI could accelerate the development of future AI models and whether safety evaluations can keep pace.
The Center plans to prioritize companies that manufacture components that directly support India’s semiconductor supply chain under the Electronic Component Manufacturing Scheme (ECMS). The move aims to connect domestic electronics, chemical and mechanical component manufacturers with upcoming semiconductor packaging facilities and reduce dependence on imports. Officials said investment approvals could focus on precision-manufacturing equipment, including micro-tools, computer numerical control (CNC) machines, printed circuit board (PCB) drills and industrial automation equipment. The sixth tranche of ECMS investment applications is scheduled to be announced on November 6. The government is also looking at advanced bare substrates, including modified semi-additive process (mSAP), high-density interconnect and flexible PCBs, along with equipment such as hermetic terminals. Syrma’s multi-layer PCB plant, already approved under the scheme, is expected to be inaugurated in March 2027. The broader objective is to ensure that domestic semiconductor packaging facilities have access to locally manufactured components as production expands.
More than half of India’s employed young graduates are working in occupations classified as low-skill, highlighting the gap between higher education and employment opportunities, according to a working paper by the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EAC-PM). The paper, titled How India is Transforming Educational Capacity under the New Education Policy 2020: School Networks, Higher Education and Pathways to Work, found that 52.8% of employed young graduates were in low-skill occupations in 2022. Among employed youth with a graduate degree or higher, 57.8% were in regular salaried employment, while only 36.1% were in formal employment. The authors, Soumya Kanti Ghosh and Shashidharan Sharma, described the situation as "qualification congestion", where employers increasingly differentiate between graduates based on their institution, field of study, internships, experience, and professional networks. The paper also noted that formal vocational or technical training covered only 5% of people aged 15-29, according to the Periodic Labor Force Survey 2025. The authors called for stronger vocational pathways, recognized qualifications and better links between education and industry requirements. The findings also highlighted faculty shortages, with vacancies accounting for 39% of sanctioned faculty posts at IITs, 31% at IIMs and 29% at NITs in March 2023.
Tether transferred USD 120 million in USDT from its treasury to cryptocurrency exchange Bitfinex, attracting attention from traders monitoring stablecoin liquidity and broader market activity. Crypto-tracking account Whale Alert highlighted the transaction, and Coinfomania reported it. The movement suggests active management of stablecoin supply, although the transfer alone does not show whether the funds were intended for trading or other liquidity needs. Tether remains one of the largest stablecoin issuers and plays a significant role in providing liquidity across cryptocurrency exchanges. Large transfers involving USDT are closely monitored because they can influence market perceptions, trading strategies, and investor sentiment. Market participants will watch Bitfinex’s trading activity and the subsequent movements of the transferred tokens for further indications of how the funds are being deployed. The development also comes amid continuing attention on stablecoin reserves, transparency and the role of digital-dollar liquidity in cryptocurrency markets.
Finnish startup Vensum Power has raised EUR 9 million in a Series A funding round co-led by Lifeline Ventures, Larsen & Toubro and Eviny Ventures. The company plans to use the investment to begin manufacturing and scale production of its software-controlled power converters, with revenue expected in 2027. Vensum Power’s technology is designed to reduce electricity losses during power conversion, a key challenge for energy-intensive AI data centers. Chief Executive Peter Nisula said lower power losses and heat generation could let data centers process more tokens without needing additional space. The company describes its technology as near-lossless power conversion. In a 2024 Aalto University interview, Nisula estimated that its technology could reduce power losses to 3-5%, compared with 7-10% for conventional converters. Founded in 2018, Vensum Power has raised EUR 15.2 million in total, including its latest funding round. Its initial products will target electric vehicle charging, energy storage and DC microgrids, with data centers emerging as a subsequent focus. The company is also exploring applications for Nvidia’s 800V data center architecture.
Anthropic’s AI models are improving nearly twice as fast as before, according to a study by AI safety research group METR published on November 5. The research found that the company’s model capabilities on certain well-defined tasks have been improving 1.9 times faster since October 2025. Researchers concluded the 11-week study, conducted between August and October, by examining private research, interviews, and performance data from models that have not yet been released. METR said Anthropic was likely improving its models’ capabilities on well-specified tasks at around twice the rate recorded between March 2024 and October 2025. Anthropic researchers have also reported productivity gains from using AI to write code and run tests. Some internal polls suggested productivity had increased around 12 times, although METR cautioned that these figures were not reliable. Faster AI-assisted development could help companies reduce the time and human effort required to build more capable models, potentially reshaping the economics of AI research. However, AI systems are not yet capable of independently handling the most important stages of model training. The findings also raise concerns about whether safety testing, alignment research, and independent evaluations can keep pace with faster model development.