As the death toll rises to 128 in Hong Kong’s Wang Fuk Court fire, investigators focus on flammable bamboo scaffolding and faulty safety systems. Police and the ICAC have arrested 11 suspects connected to the estate’s ongoing renovation works, while search operations for approximately 200 missing residents continue.

Even Realities has released its second-generation smart glasses, the Even G2, priced at US599, alongside the US249 R1 smart ring. Weighing just 36g, the camera-free G2 utilises a monochrome micro-LED display for privacy-conscious users, offering tools like live translation and teleprompting. A launch promotion offers the ring at 50 per cent off when bundled with the glasses through 26 December 2025.

Reflection AI has raised $2 billion at an $8 billion valuation, marking one of the largest AI funding rounds of 2025. The company will use the capital to expand compute resources and train its first open-weights frontier model, expected in early 2026.

Tulane University’s A. B. Freeman School of Business has launched the Freeman Futurist Series, a quarterly event exploring how AI, robotics and quantum computing are reshaping work and industry. The inaugural session on 16 October examined why 95% of companies report no measurable return on AI investments, how robots could help address an expected shortfall of up to 85 million blue-collar jobs, and what current 1,000+ qubit quantum systems may mean for fields such as finance and drug discovery. Speakers also highlighted a five to ten-year horizon in which AI skills, automation and quantum-enabled analytics are expected to play a growing role in business strategy.

Intel has unveiled its Crescent Island data-center GPU, aimed at improving efficiency in AI inference workloads. Presented at the 2025 OCP Global Summit, the accelerator uses LPDDR5X memory and is designed for standard air-cooled server environments. Customer sampling is planned for the second half of 2026.

Google and Magic Leap presented a new smart glasses prototype at the Future Investment Initiative in Riyadh, demonstrating how Android XR and multimodal AI can deliver real-time contextual overlays. The design emphasizes lightweight optics, everyday usability, and enterprise-ready mixed reality functions.

Yichao “Peak” Ji, cofounder of Manus AI, has been recognized by MIT Technology Review as one of the 2025 Innovators Under 35 for his contributions to autonomous AI agents. Ji’s team developed the Manus system, designed to bridge conceptual reasoning and real-world task execution. The recognition highlights ongoing industry efforts to create more capable and accessible AI tools.

Lepro’s AI Lighting Pro series, unveiled at IFA 2025, brings voice and sound-responsive control to smart lighting through built-in microphones and onboard AI. Designed to work with Alexa and Google Home, the system highlights new possibilities in ambient intelligence while sparking discussion on privacy and connected living.

NVIDIA has introduced the AI Aerial platform, a system that applies artificial intelligence to wireless networks to improve spectral efficiency and performance. Developed in collaboration with telecom firms and researchers, it integrates GPU-accelerated RAN software, AI signal processing, and digital twin simulations. The initiative positions NVIDIA as a key player in advancing AI-native 6G networks.

Coflex, a newly released open-source framework from researchers at SUTD and A*STAR, applies artificial intelligence to streamline the optimization of neural network accelerators and ASIC designs. By integrating sparse Gaussian processes with multi-objective Bayesian optimization, it significantly reduces runtime in hardware-aware neural architecture search, delivering up to 9.5× speed improvements across image, language, and segmentation benchmarks.

Technology review outlet PCMag has unveiled its list of the top AI-enhanced smart home devices for 2025. Covering more than 20 product categories, the guide highlights how artificial intelligence supports features such as predictive automation, personalized user experiences, and energy efficiency. Devices span security cameras, smart displays, autonomous cleaners, and thermostats, reflecting a market increasingly shaped by AI-driven functionality.

GitHub has become a cornerstone of modern software development, serving 150 million developers across more than 420 million repositories. From its 2008 founding to Microsoft’s $7.5 billion acquisition and the rise of AI tools like Copilot, the platform continues to transform global coding collaboration, security, and innovation.

Singapore-based KABAM Robotics is expanding the use of AI-powered robots in facility management, focusing on autonomous navigation, inspections, and predictive maintenance. From healthcare to commercial buildings, deployments showcase potential to reduce labor pressure, improve operational efficiency, and support sustainability goals.

This report provides a structured, data-driven comparison of Huawei’s CloudMatrix 384 and Nvidia’s GB200 NVL72 AI computing systems. It examines performance from chip to rack level, evaluates efficiency and software ecosystems, and considers broader market and geopolitical factors shaping AI infrastructure choices.

Genspark.AI, founded in 2023 by former Baidu executives Eric Jing and Kay Zhu, is a U.S.-based AI startup focused on developing autonomous agents. With operations rooted in Palo Alto, the company blends Eastern AI expertise with Western infrastructure, positioning itself in the evolving global AI landscape.

Researchers at MIT have introduced a groundbreaking photonic AI hardware accelerator capable of classifying wireless signals in just 120 nanoseconds. Designed to meet the demands of next-generation 6G networks, the chip processes data using light instead of electricity, offering significant gains in speed and energy efficiency. This innovation could enhance real-time decision-making in edge devices while addressing spectrum and latency challenges in wireless communication.

Chinese AI chip developer Biren Technology has secured 1.5 billion yuan ($207 million) in funding from state-backed investors as it prepares for a Hong Kong initial public offering. The move supports development of its BR100 GPU amid U.S. export restrictions, aiming to advance domestic AI hardware capabilities.

Researchers at Tokyo University of Science have developed an AI-powered device that mimics human color perception using dye-sensitized solar cells. The self-powered artificial synapse distinguishes colors with high precision and performs logic operations, offering a compact, energy-efficient solution for machine vision systems.

Meta has launched V-JEPA 2, an open-source AI model aimed at helping robots interpret and interact with their surroundings through improved physical reasoning. The model’s release highlights Meta’s push toward advanced machine intelligence and broader applications in robotics.

Telstra has unveiled a AU$1.6 billion intercity fibre network and a new satellite-to-mobile messaging service, expanding high-speed connectivity to cities and remote regions across Australia. The initiatives seek to address growing data needs, support AI innovation, and strengthen the nation’s digital infrastructure.