Revolutionary Developments in Tech, AI, Outer Space, Marine Biology, and ChatGPT Unveiled
Emerging Tech Roundup — April 21
The Quantious team’s top picks for timely trending news in the tech world.
This week in tech: Google to Launch Its First Foldable Phone, Microsoft Develops AI Chip to Power ChatGPT, Google Partners with Marine Biologists to Help Save Coral Reefs, Orbit Fab Closes $28.5M Series A for On-Orbit Refueling Capabilities, JUICE Spacecraft Launches to Investigate Jupiter’s Moons, Superchat’s New AI Chatbot Allows Users to Message Historical and Fictional Characters Via ChatGPT, and Sateliot Launches First 5G Satellite to Quash IoT Dead Zones.
Google to Launch Its First Foldable Phone, The ‘Pixel Fold,’ in June
(CNBC, April 18)
Google is set to launch its first foldable smartphone, the Pixel Fold, in June. At a price of around $1,700, it will be the most expensive phone in the Google Pixel family. The company claims the phone will have “the most durable hinge on a foldable” phone and offer a phone trade-in option. The Pixel Fold is aimed at competing with Samsung’s foldable phones. It will likely be unveiled by Google at its annual developer conference on May 10.
Microsoft is Developing its Own AI Chip to Power ChatGPT
(Cointelegraph, April 18)
Microsoft is reportedly developing its own artificial intelligence (AI) chips to power in-house and OpenAI projects and reduce reliance on Nvidia’s GPUs. The chips, developed under the code name “Athena,” have been in the works since 2019 and are being tested by Microsoft’s internal machine-learning staff and OpenAI developers. While details remain scarce, the move follows similar efforts by Google and Amazon to develop their own machine-learning chips.
Google Wants You to Lend Your Ears to Help Save Coral Reefs
(Engadget, April 17)
Google has partnered with marine biologists to launch a new project aimed at training AI to recognize aquatic wildlife sounds. The goal is to help replenish declining coral reefs and raise awareness of the ocean’s endangered habitats. Participants are asked to listen to underwater recordings and help identify fish sounds, contributing to an AI model that will aid conservation efforts.
Orbit Fab Closes $28.5M Series A for On-Orbit Refueling Capabilities
(Tech Crunch, April 17)
Colorado-based startup Orbit Fab has raised $28.5m in a Series A funding round to expand its fuel delivery and infrastructure missions. The company is developing the Rapidly Attachable Fluid Transfer Interface (RAFTI) port, which can be integrated into satellites and orbital servicing vehicles, and will be used to create a network of refueling stations in space. Orbit Fab already has four launches planned over the next three years, including three for the US Department of Defense, and has signed an agreement with Astroscale to replenish its orbital service vehicles in geostationary orbit.
JUICE Spacecraft Launched to Investigate the Habitability of Jupiter’s Icy Moons
(The Verge, April 17)
The European Space Agency (ESA) has successfully launched its Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) spacecraft to investigate whether Jupiter’s moons Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto are potentially habitable. JUICE will make its eight-year journey to the Jupiter system via a complex trajectory — making a Lunar-Earth gravity assist (LEGA) maneuver in August 2024, where it will fly past the Moon and Earth, giving it a boost in speed. The spacecraft will arrive at the Jupiter system in 2031, and it will be the first mission to study Jupiter’s icy moons since the Galileo mission in the 1990s.
Superchat’s New AI Chatbot Lets You Message Historical and Fictional Characters Via ChatGPT
(Tech Crunch, April 17)
Gorilla Technologies has released a new AI chat app, SuperChat, that allows iOS users to chat with virtual characters powered by OpenAI’s ChatGPT. SuperChat’s unique feature is the ability to engage with characters, such as Shakespeare, Albert Einstein, Sherlock Holmes, and more to learn about historical figures and different professions. Gorilla Technologies CEO Guglielmo Faglioni says the goal is to make AI technology accessible to everyone, especially children who can learn from the app’s cool characters.
Sateliot Launches First 5G Satellite to Quash IoT Dead Zones
(Gizmodo, April 19)
SpaceX and Sateliot launched the GroundBreaker satellite, the first satellite with standard 5G technology in low Earth orbit. It is part of a future constellation of 250 nanosatellites that will offer 5G connectivity from space for IoT devices. The satellite, manufactured by EnduroSat, has an integrated module that provides direct connection to devices with NB-IoT.
