Marvel Fusion GmbH , a German startup working on nuclear fusion, is exploring new uses for its laser technology including defense, medical and industrial applications as its attempts to commercialize the novel energy technology drag out, people familiar with the matter said. Executives are holding meetings with investors about plans to bring to market the lasers it created to harness nuclear fusio...
Marvel Fusion GmbH , a German startup working on nuclear fusion, is exploring new uses for its laser technology including defense, medical and industrial applications as its attempts to commercialize the novel energy technology drag out, people familiar with the matter said. Executives are holding meetings with investors about plans to bring to market the lasers it created to harness nuclear fusion, the people said, asking not to be identified because the plans are private. The company is also weighing a relocation to the US to improve its access to capital, the people said. The plans aren’t final and Marvel may decide to stay in Germany, they added. “While fusion energy remains our primary focus, we are exploring how our advanced laser technology can create value across multiple sectors,” which supports the long-term goal of commercializing fusion energy, a spokeswoman for the company said in an email, declining to comment on specific use cases. She also didn’t comment on a potential headquarters move to the US from Germany beyond saying the company has benefited from having operations in both countries. Read more: Why Investors Are Betting on Elusive Nuclear Fusion: Explainer Companies are racing to harness nuclear fusion — the process that powers the Sun — using lasers and magnets to facilitate reactions that generate clean energy. Fusion could theoretically be used to meet the surging demand for new sources of power from artificial intelligence and to diversify away from fossil fuels. But startups in the field face a number of engineering and economic challenges that have prevented fusion from being widely deployed outside of the lab. Marvel Fusion has said it aims to commercialize nuclear fusion by the mid 2030s. It’s raised $400 million from public and private sources, including Siemens Energy and EQT. The company is valued at about €1 billion ($1.2 billion), a person familiar with the matter said. In 2023, the company partnered with Colorado State University ...
Eskom Holdings SOC Ltd. said it has been ordered by the Supreme Court of Appeal to disclose details of its coal, transport and diesel procurement contracts to activist group Afriforum. South Africa’s state power utility said in a statement late Tuesday it will take legal advice before taking any action. Afriforum will assemble a team to scrutinize the contracts, Business Day reported on Wednesday....
Eskom Holdings SOC Ltd. said it has been ordered by the Supreme Court of Appeal to disclose details of its coal, transport and diesel procurement contracts to activist group Afriforum. South Africa’s state power utility said in a statement late Tuesday it will take legal advice before taking any action. Afriforum will assemble a team to scrutinize the contracts, Business Day reported on Wednesday. Eskom buys more than 70 billion rand ($4.1 billion) of coal annually and has argued that the contracts are commercially sensitive. The ruling could mean that all state-owned companies are obliged to disclose the details of their procurement, the Johannesburg-based newspaper said, adding that Eskom may be able to appeal to the Constitutional Court.
The first boat of a flotilla carrying medical supplies, food and solar panels reached Cuba on Tuesday to aid the island as a US fuel blockade deepens its energy crisis. The Maguro shrimp fishing boat docked in Havana three days later than hoped after battling strong winds, currents and a pesky battery during its journey from Mexico. As they approached Havana’s colonial-era fortification, the inter...
The first boat of a flotilla carrying medical supplies, food and solar panels reached Cuba on Tuesday to aid the island as a US fuel blockade deepens its energy crisis. The Maguro shrimp fishing boat docked in Havana three days later than hoped after battling strong winds, currents and a pesky battery during its journey from Mexico. As they approached Havana’s colonial-era fortification, the international activists stood on the cabin roof of the boat - symbolically renamed “Granma 2.0” as a...
The disruption to shipping traffic along the Strait of Hormuz is starting to bite in China, where some manufacturers are reducing production due to soaring energy, raw material and freight costs. Zhao, who runs a bicycle factory in Guangzhou serving clients in the United States, Middle East and Europe, has already put most export business on hold. “We also cancelled all orders from Iran,” he said....
The disruption to shipping traffic along the Strait of Hormuz is starting to bite in China, where some manufacturers are reducing production due to soaring energy, raw material and freight costs. Zhao, who runs a bicycle factory in Guangzhou serving clients in the United States, Middle East and Europe, has already put most export business on hold. “We also cancelled all orders from Iran,” he said. “The cost of aluminium, a key raw material for bicycle production, has risen by 30 per...
Secretary of State Marco Rubio will travel to France this week to try to sell America's skeptical Group of Seven allies on the Iran war that has sent global fuel prices soaring. (Image credit: Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
Secretary of State Marco Rubio will travel to France this week to try to sell America's skeptical Group of Seven allies on the Iran war that has sent global fuel prices soaring. (Image credit: Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
BlakeDavidTaylor Meta Platforms' ( META ) rollout of new display-equipped Ray-Ban smart glasses in the European Union has reportedly been hampered by battery and AI regulations in addition to supply constraints. The social networking giant wants to launch the product in the EU but has been unable to secure enough supply, Bloomberg reported. Meta is also in discussions with the EU about the battery...
BlakeDavidTaylor Meta Platforms' ( META ) rollout of new display-equipped Ray-Ban smart glasses in the European Union has reportedly been hampered by battery and AI regulations in addition to supply constraints. The social networking giant wants to launch the product in the EU but has been unable to secure enough supply, Bloomberg reported. Meta is also in discussions with the EU about the battery law and is seeking a carve-out for smart glasses developed both by it and other companies, the report added. The EU's batteries regulation requires that from February 18, 2027 portable batteries in devices sold on the EU market be readily removed. Meta's smart glasses do not have removable batteries. Meta ( META ) earlier this year said it has decided to pause international expansion of its Ray-Ban Display glasses due to short supply and strong demand in the United States. The Facebook parent had planned to roll out its augmented reality smart glasses, Meta Ray-Ban Display, in the UK, France, Italy, and Canada starting early this year after tasting success with earlier versions. The Ray-Ban Meta glasses , developed with EssilorLuxottica's ( ESLOF ) Ray-Ban, let wearers take photos, stream content, and talk to an AI assistant. A New York Times report last month described the company’s internal deliberations on adding facial recognition capabilities to its popular smart glasses. The technology could come as soon as this year, the paper reported. More on Meta, EssilorLuxottica ADR Meta Platforms: The AI Spending Spree Is Out Of Control Meta Platforms: 16x Adjusted FY2026 P/E Is A Solid Buy Delays, Compute Deals, And Sky-High CapEx: Why I'm Still Bullish On Meta Meta Platforms raises top executive pay with stock options amid intensifying AI race Meta found guilty by N.M. jury in child safety trial; receives $375M penalty
Key PointsThe U.S. Justice Department has charged three Super Micro Computer employees with selling restricted hardware to China in violation of export laws.
Key PointsThe U.S. Justice Department has charged three Super Micro Computer employees with selling restricted hardware to China in violation of export laws.
Chinese artificial intelligence service stocks rallied after state media highlighted a sharp increase in domestic AI model adoption and a surge in token usage they generate. Shares of Knowledge Atlas Technology JSC Ltd. , known as Zhipu, rose as much as 8% in Hong Kong on Wednesday, while peer MiniMax Group Inc. ’s stock pared earlier gains. Data-center operators also advanced, with Beijing Sinnet...
Chinese artificial intelligence service stocks rallied after state media highlighted a sharp increase in domestic AI model adoption and a surge in token usage they generate. Shares of Knowledge Atlas Technology JSC Ltd. , known as Zhipu, rose as much as 8% in Hong Kong on Wednesday, while peer MiniMax Group Inc. ’s stock pared earlier gains. Data-center operators also advanced, with Beijing Sinnet Technology Co. and GDS Holdings Ltd. gaining, as expectations build for continued capacity demand. Token consumption, which measures data units processed by AI models for generating text and other outputs, is emerging as a key metric for monetizing AI offerings, China Central Television reported Tuesday, citing Liu Liehong, head of the National Data Administration. Rising usage and an escalating competitive landscape may influence sector valuations in the months ahead. Companies like MiniMax and Zhipu “are the clearest beneficiaries of rising token usage, which looks set to continue,” said Vey-Sern Ling , a managing director at Union Bancaire Privee. “The issue with those companies is a lack of visibility on profitability, especially given increasing competition.” China’s token consumption jumped 57% in the week of March 16–22 from the prior period, far outpacing 7.4% growth in the US, state-backed Science and Technology Daily reported Tuesday. Separately, daily token usage has expanded more than 1,000-fold since the start of 2024, according to China Daily . Chinese large language models, including DeepSeek-V3.2 and MiniMax M2.5, are seeing a sharp rise in token usage as falling costs spur broader adoption and AI agents such as Openclaw gain traction across applications. Increased government promotion of token consumption has also provided an additional tailwind for AI-related sectors.