Antora Energy, specializing in thermal battery solutions for data centers, has successfully raised $550 million in a Series C funding round. Co-led by G2 Venture Partners and Eclipse, this financing included prominent investors such as Decarbonization Partners, Lowercarbon Capital, and Breakthrough Energy Ventures. Since its founding in 2017, Antora, based in San Jose, California, has now raised $770 million. The fresh capital will accelerate large-scale battery storage projects nationwide to address the rising energy demands fueled by AI growth. Antora recently commissioned a 5-gigawatt-hour thermal battery system in South Dakota, one of the largest globally, using innovative technology that stores electricity as heat in solid carbon blocks to provide continuous clean energy. The company’s factory-built modules are versatile, serving industries like chemical, food production, steel manufacturing, and data centers without reliance on scarce minerals or long construction times. CEO Andrew Ponec emphasizes that Antora’s approach can break energy supply bottlenecks and support industrial expansion with American innovation. This funding round represents a significant cleantech investment amidst a period of modest venture activity in the sector.
A federal judge ruled that the Trump administration failed to provide adequate evidence to classify Anthropic as a supply-chain risk. This decision raises questions about the government's ban on Anthropic’s AI technology, potentially impacting future regulatory actions.
CareCloud, a major player in health technology managing sensitive patient information, has confirmed that hackers accessed one of its secured health data repositories.
For the past two years, industry experts have predicted the rise of AI in enhancing software security. Now, companies like Microsoft and Google are confirming this by dramatically increasing their bug fixes, largely thanks to the integration of large language models (LLMs) and other AI technologies. This breakthrough has enabled Google to identify and patch a record number of Chrome vulnerabilities in just one month, showcasing AI's growing impact on software reliability.
LinkedIn is rolling out a new option that allows users to report posts that appear to be low-quality AI-generated content, referred to as 'AI slop.' Additionally, the platform is discontinuing its AI writing assistant in favor of a proofreading tool to enhance content quality.
Simile, a synthetic-user startup, has quickly ascended into the AI unicorn ranks, securing $200 million at a $2 billion valuation just five months after a $100 million Series A funding round. This rapid growth underscores the company's rising prominence in the AI space.
Okta has acquired the AI security startup Permiso for about $200 million, enhancing its capabilities in identity threat detection. This acquisition comes as enterprises increasingly prioritize securing AI agents and other non-human identities in cloud environments, helping bolster cybersecurity defenses.
Meta's CEO Mark Zuckerberg revealed that AI is significantly simplifying the creation and launch of new consumer apps. He informed investors that the company is planning to introduce several new consumer products in the near future, emphasizing AI's role in accelerating innovation.
British AI-focused cloud company Nscale has acquired Anyscale, a software startup specializing in helping businesses efficiently scale their AI workloads across multiple data centers and servers. This move aims to strengthen Nscale's position in the AI computing stack market.
A recent study reveals that only about 2,000 engineers in the U.S. possess the specialized skills required to deliver substantial AI ROI. As businesses accelerate their AI adoption, the demand for forward-deployed engineers—those who implement AI solutions on the ground—has surged dramatically.
