<div>
  <ul>
    <li>
      <p>
        Oxa 
        <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/18935">
          (formerly Oxbotica),
        </a>
         a UK-based autonomous vehicle software developer, has partnered with electric vehicle (EV) provider eVersum to develop and deploy autonomous city shuttles dubbed eShuttles that can be used by public transport operators in Europe and the US.
      </p>
    </li>
    <li>
      <p>
        eVersum will produce electric base vehicles ready for autonomy, equipped with Oxa's autonomous software &ldquo;Oxa Driver&rdquo; and integrated sensors and computing technology. The shuttle will be able to carry up to 20 seated passengers and 50 people (including standing), offering a low-noise, zero-emission EV for public transport.
      </p>
    </li>
    <li>
      <p>
        The first deployment of the eShuttles is expected in the UK later this year.
      </p>
    </li>
    <li>
      <p>
        <b>Analyst QuickTake:</b>
         Oxa has a history of collaborating with vehicle makers and operators to integrate its autonomous technology into shuttle services. The list includes partnerships with German auto parts maker 
        <a href="https://sp-edge.com/companies/231942">
          ZF
        </a>
         
        <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/zf-invests-oxbotica-develop-autonomous-urban-shuttles-2021-10-07/">
          (October 2021)
        </a>
        , Swedish electric car manufacturer 
        <a href="https://sp-edge.com/companies/480902">
          NEVS
        </a>
         
        <a href="https://www.fleeteurope.com/en/autonomous/europe/article/oxbotica-and-nevs-put-self-driving-fleet-european-roads-2023?t%5B0%5D=Autonom%20Services&curl=1">
          (May 2022)
        </a>
        , and autonomous shuttle operator 
        <a href="https://sp-edge.com/companies/1047502">
          Beep
        </a>
         
        <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/21274">
          (August 2023)
        </a>
         to develop and deploy autonomous passenger shuttles.
      </p>
    </li>
  </ul>
  <p>
  </p>
</div>


<div>
  <p>
    <a href="https://www.automotiveworld.com/news-releases/oxa-and-eversum-announce-partnership-to-develop-and-deploy-autonomous-passenger-shuttles/">
      Automotive World
    </a>
  </p>
</div>


Auto Tech

ANALYST_QUICK_TAKE

DISRUPTOR_PRESENT

PROMINENT_CATEGORY

Oxa, a UK-based autonomous vehicle software developer, has partnered with eVersum to create autonomous city shuttles called eShuttles. These shuttles will be used by public transport operators in Europe and the US. eVersum will produce electric base vehicles that will be equipped with Oxa's autonomous software and integrated sensors and computing technology. The eShuttles will be able to carry up to 20 seated passengers and 50 people in total, and will provide low-noise, zero-emission transportation. The first deployment of these shuttles is expected in the UK later this year. Analyst QuickTake: Oxa has a history of collaborating with vehicle makers and operators to integrate its autonomous technology into shuttle services. The list includes partnerships with German auto parts maker ZF (October 2021) , Swedish electric car manufacturer NEVS (May 2022) , and autonomous shuttle operator Beep (August 2023) to develop and deploy autonomous passenger shuttles.

Oxa partners with eVersum to develop and deploy autonomous passenger shuttles for Europe and US

AI, robotics, and IoT to streamline the flow of goods and information

Logistics Tech

INCUMBENTS_PRESENT

<div>
 <p>Amazon inaugurated a new warehouse equipped with 3,600+ transport robots to streamline the packing process in Erfurt, Germany. Reported as one of the company's highest-advanced facilities in Europe, the robots are currently aiding 300 workers.</p>
 <p>Eventually, these robots will help a 2,000-strong workforce in handling 26 million products and delivering over 500,000 parcels daily across an expansive area of 660,000+ square feet.</p>
</div> <p><b>Analyst QuickTake:<br>
</b> Amazon has always been actively involved in automating its warehouse operations, with one of the most recent additions being its robotic-equipped 4 million sq ft warehouse in <a href="https:<br>
//sp-edge.com/updates/28328"> North Andover, Massachusetts. </a></p>

Amazon opens new robotic-powered warehouse center in Germany

Clear the air on carbon capture, reuse, and storage

Carbon Capture, Utilization & Storage (CCUS)

<div>
 
 <p>Climeworks, a Swiss direct air capture (DAC) startup, has introduced its second DAC plant, known as Mammoth, in Hellisheidi, Iceland. This plant is the world's largest DAC plant so far.</p>
 <p>The new plant is capable of capturing up to 36,000 tons of CO2 every year, making it nine times larger than its predecessor, the Orca plant, which could capture 4,000 tons of CO2 per annum.</p>
 <p>Capturing its first batch of CO2 has commenced at the plant. At the moment, 12 of the 72 collector containers are installed onsite. Completion of the plant is expected by the end of 2024.</p>
 <p>Mammoth operates using renewable geothermal energy, which directly captures CO2 from the air using low-temperature heat. The plant's geothermal energy partner, ON Power, supplies the necessary energy. After the CO2 is separated from the filters, it is transported underground by the carbon sequestration partner Carbfix, where it is naturally transformed into stone through a reaction with basaltic rock.</p>
 
</div> <p><b>Analyst QuickTake:<br>
 </b> Climeworks originally broke ground on Mammoth in <a href="https:<br>
//sp-edge.com/updates/11439"> June 2022 </a> , moving the industry beyond pilot plants and lab demonstrations. However, the new plant will soon be overtaken by other planned plants in the pipeline. 1PointFive, a subsidiary of Occidental Petroleum, plans to open STRATOS in Texas in 2025, capturing up to 500,000 tons of CO2 per year. Climeworks, along with Battelle and Heirloom, is designing Project Cypress in Louisiana, with plans to capture up to 1 million tons of CO2 annually by 2030.</p>

Climeworks launches Mammoth, world's largest DAC plant to date

Reinforcing recycling, rerouting refuse, and reducing wasteflows

Waste Recovery & Management Tech

<div>
 <p>Li Industries, a battery recycling solution provider based in Virginia, has secured USD 36 million in a Series B funding round. The round was led by Bosch Ventures, Khosla Ventures, and LG Technology Ventures, with Formosa Smart Energy Tech Corp, Anglo American Decarbonization Ventures, and Chevron Technology Ventures also participating. Existing investors Shell Ventures and Myriad Ventures also contributed.</p>
 <p>The funding will be directed towards building a 10,000-ton recycling facility which will make use of Li Industries' unique Direct Electrode-to-Electrode (Direct E2ETM) recycling technology.</p>
 </div> <p><b>Analyst QuickTake:<br>
</b> The company previously raised USD 7 million through a Series A funding round in <a href="https:<br>
//sp-edge.com/updates/12021"> August 2022 </a> to support its expansion efforts. The company also reports that it intends to expand the funding round to USD 42 million.</p>

Li Industries raises USD 36 million in Series B funding to construct recycling facility

Exploring the limitless possibilities of AI

Generative AI Applications

<div>
 
 <p>California Governor Gavin Newsom announced partnerships with five companies, including OpenAI and Anthropic, for the use of GenAI  tools in public service delivery. The anticipated enhancements pertain to traffic management, road safety, and tax guidance.</p>
 <p>Over six months, internal trials will be undertaken by state workers testing and evaluating these AI tools. The collaborating companies will offer their services for just USD 1 per proposal. The programs are designed so as not to involve any sensitive data, addressing privacy concerns.</p>
 
</div> <p><b>Analyst QuickTake:<br>
 </b> The state of California appears to have a strong foothold in AI technology, with a significant number of AI companies established within its confines. Governor Newsom signed an executive order last year to explore ways to incorporate generative AI, positioning California at the forefront in AI utilization for public service functions.</p>

California partners with firms to deploy GenAI tools for public service delivery

<div>

<p>TikTok, the video-sharing platform, has decided to label content that is created with the help of AI using a system called Content Credentials. The purpose of this initiative is to identify any AI-enhanced videos and images that are made both within and outside of the platform.</p>

<p>The Content Credentials system by TikTok places a label on AI-created content to show when it has been designed using AI technology. Once a tool, such as OpenAI's Dall-E, has been used to generate an image or video, a watermark is attached and extra data is included to show if there has been any tampering. Furthermore, TikTok intends to remove any content that appears on its platform without a label, in accordance with its community guidelines.</p>

<p>It's worth noting that the technology for the Content Credentials system was begun by the Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity, which was co-founded by companies including Adobe and Microsoft.</p>

</div>

TikTok to label AI-generated content

Leveraging personal data for custom-fit diagnosis and treatment

Precision Medicine

<div>
 <p>Danaher Corporation is working with Johns Hopkins University to create new methods for detecting mild traumatic brain injury (TBI). The project utilizes next-generation immunoassay detection technology provided by Beckman Coulter Diagnostics, a Danaher subsidiary.</p>
 <p>This collaboration aims to enhance TBI diagnosis through the use of blood-based biomarkers and advanced in vitro diagnostics technology. Such techniques might enable earlier and more precise injury detection, impacting treatment selection, outcomes and recovery time. This initiative is part of the Danaher Beacons program that supports academic research in partnership with globally respected researchers.</p>
 <p>Beckman Coulter Diagnostics creates innovative products that simplify and automate complex biomedical tests. Its diagnostic systems are utilized globally in hospitals and emergency care settings, assisting physicians in disease diagnosis, treatment choices, and patient monitoring.</p>
</div>

Danaher Corporation collaborates with Johns Hopkins University to enhance traumatic brain injury diagnosis

<div>
 
 <p>Mistral AI, an open-source developer of foundation models, is reportedly raising funds at an estimated value of USD 6 billion. Investors such as DST, General Catalyst, and Lightspeed Venture Partners are participating in this round, which could raise up to USD 600 million.</p>
 <p>The funding round, which has drawn considerable interest, has been ongoing since March. The funding is intended to boost Mistral's ability to compete with AI firms, including OpenAI and Anthropic.</p>
 
</div> <p><b>Analyst QuickTake:<br>
 </b> Despite being a young company, Mistral’s approach to open-source AI has pushed its valuation up from the USD 2 billion mark after its last round in December <a href="https:<br>
//sp-edge.com/updates/24813"> raising USD 415 million </a> . It presently offers three LLM versions.</p>

Mistral AI in talks to raise USD 600 million at USD 6 billion valuation

Foundation Models

<div>
 
 <p>Mistral AI, a developer of open-source foundation models, is presently raising funds, with an anticipated valuation of around USD 6 billion. Major investors involved in this round include DST, General Catalyst, and Lightspeed Venture Partners, and the company aims to accumulate close to USD 600 million.</p>
 <p>This fundraising round, that has drawn substantial interest, commenced in March. Proceeds from this round are set to be used to augment Mistral's abilities to rival AI companies, including OpenAI and Anthropic.</p>
 
</div> <p><b>Analyst QuickTake:<br>
 </b> Despite being a young company, Mistral’s approach to open-source AI has pushed its valuation up from the USD 2 billion mark after its last round in December <a href="https:<br>
//sp-edge.com/updates/24813"> raising USD 415 million </a> . It presently offers three LLM versions.</p>

<div>
 
 <p>Alibaba Cloud has launched an upgraded version of its Tongyi Qianwen model, Qwen2.5. This new version boasts improvements in various areas like reasoning, code comprehension, and textual understanding.</p>
 <p>Alibaba posits that this model outperforms OpenAI's GPT-4 model in terms of language and creation capabilities, although it does not surpass GPT-4's knowledge, reasoning, and mathematical capabilities, as reported by OpenCompass. Further, Alibaba revealed that the development of this latest version came after over 90,000 successful company deployments of the previous model.</p>
 
</div>

Alibaba launches latest version of Tongyi Qianwen model 'Qwen2.5' with improved capabilities

<div>
 
 <p>Stable AI has launched Stable Artisan, a media generation tool for Discord users. The tool incorporates Stable AI’s image and video models, namely Stable Diffusion 3, Stable Video Diffusion, and Stable Image Core. It has a range of features including search and replace, background removal, creative upscale, outpaint, control sketch, control structure, and video. Additionally, Stable Artisan is capable of sketching initial ideas into a fully formed video.</p>
 <p>During its initial launch, Stable Artisan will be available on the Stable Diffusion Discord Server.</p>
 
</div>

All Updates

Amazon opens new robotic-powered warehouse center in Germany

Climeworks launches Mammoth, world's largest DAC plant to date

Li Industries raises USD 36 million in Series B funding to construct recycling facility

California partners with firms to deploy GenAI tools for public service delivery

TikTok to label AI-generated content

Danaher Corporation collaborates with Johns Hopkins University to enhance traumatic brain injury diagnosis

Mistral AI in talks to raise USD 600 million at USD 6 billion valuation

Mistral AI in talks to raise USD 600 million at USD 6 billion valuation

Alibaba launches latest version of Tongyi Qianwen model 'Qwen2.5' with improved capabilities

Stable AI introduces Stable Artisan, a media generation tool for Discord