U.S. tech companies are rolling out investments into U.K. AI infrastructure as President Trump kicks off his state visit to London.
Why it matters: The Trump administration wants allies to make American tech the backbone of their AI infrastructure — and these deals could lock in that path for the U.K.
Robert Redford, the iconic actor who died Tuesday at 89, left a legacy that stretched beyond movies into environmental activism.
The big picture: Redford, who founded the Sundance Film Festival and pioneered the independent film scene, spent decades sounding the alarm on climate change.
After years of competing to build the best model for understanding all the world's writing, AI makers are now racing to build models that better understand the physical world.
Why it matters: Robots are one main use, but giving AI an understanding of real-world physics is also key to powering everything from video games to architecture.
The Canadian founder of a Canada-based direct air capture startup would have preferred to sell to a company there over the U.S. oil producer who ultimately bought it: Texas-based Occidental Petroleum.
Why it matters: The insight, revealed to Axios in an interview that published this week as part of a new episode in the "Shocked" podcast, provides a glimpse into the sometimes-surprising factors at play in major deals.
Climate scientist David Keith said he's at least twice called police because of threats related to his work on solar geoengineering, in which a portion of the Sun's rays are reflected into space to temporarily cool the planet.
Why it matters: The incidents reflect — no pun intended — important lessons with regard to society's debates over climate and energy.
The U.S. Army on Monday launched its "Fuze" program, motivated by Secretary Dan Driscoll's desire to instill venture-capitalist thinking into the service's trying-and-buying practices.
Why it matters: The Defense Department has long been chided for its poor behavior as a customer: product tunnel vision, slow uptake and failed launches.
Driscoll, sworn in some six months ago, told Axios he has become "frustrated by the calcified bureaucracy that slows our acquisition system."
Fuze, he said, "will finally unite the Army innovation ecosystem to speed acquisition."
Pakistani politician Hina Rabbani Khar remembers the horrific 2022 floods in her country as a turning point in the debate over climate change — and to what extent the practice of solar geoengineering should be considered.
Why it matters: Solar geoengineering — reflecting a small portion of the Sun's rays back into space to temporarily cool the planet — is increasingly being considered as climate change worsens extreme weather.
