Defense tech has become one of venture capital's hottest sectors, after being ignored for decades, but it just lost a top evangelist within the Pentagon.
Vibes check: Defense-tech investors tell Axios that they're concerned and disappointed, but not slowing down.
Brain implants like those being developed by Elon Musk's Neuralink are becoming the latest friction point in the intensifying U.S.-China rivalry in the life sciences.
Why it matters: The devices are bringing new hope to patients with strokes, Parkinson's disease and other neurological conditions. And tech billionaires have fueled advances by pouring billions into biotech startups focused on linking the brain with computers.
The U.S. Army has inked contracts worth a total of $192 million with Palantir Technologies and Anduril Industries for the production of eight Tactical Intelligence Targeting Access Nodes.
Why it matters: State-of-the-art TITAN trucks are cornerstones of the service's deep-sensing and long-range precision fires goals — in other words, the ability to find, track, shoot and kill more accurately from farther away.
They are also key contributors to the Joint All-Domain Command and Control networking nirvana the Pentagon has for years sought to achieve.
AI is already helping detect and monitor wildfires. Now, researchers are exploring how it could help fire officials decide where to deploy crews across multiple fires.
Why it matters: Studies show climate change is contributing to longer, more intense wildfire seasons, forcing officials to make high-stakes decisions about how to prioritize limited resources. AI could help them process information to make those decisions faster.
A new cohort of fresh-faced delivery robots is arriving on college campuses this fall after the leading incumbent graduated last spring to chase bigger ambitions in the real world.
Why it matters: Students and universities have come to love the futuristic porters of lattes, pizza and late-night snacks, while robotics companies get something far more valuable: a chaotic, real-world proving ground for physical AI.
