The Next Web Original and proudly opinionated perspectives for Generation T
- Emergent hits a $1.5bn valuation as vibe coding mints another unicornby Cristian Dina on 15 July 2026 at 17:13
Emergent’s vibe coding platform hit a $1.5bn valuation a year after launch. Its founder says most businesses do not need software, they need a way to turn how they work into it. “Most businesses don’t need any software. They need a way to turn how they actually work into software.” That is […]
- Spotify launches a conversational AI that lets you shape what plays by talking to the appby Cristian Dina on 15 July 2026 at 16:52
Spotify launched a conversational AI feature that lets Premium users type or speak directly in the app to control what plays, learn about music, and explore their listening history. The beta is rolling out for users 18 and older in the US, Ireland, and Sweden on iOS and Android. Users can ask […]
- Chai Discovery raises $400M at $3.8bn as AI drug discovery moves from promise to deploymentby Cristian Dina on 15 July 2026 at 16:01
Chai Discovery’s $400m raise triples its value to $3.8bn in seven months. It is the latest sign that AI drug discovery has moved from promise to deployment. AI drug discovery just minted another fast-rising star. Chai Discovery has raised a $400m Series C that values the San Francisco startup at […]
- OnePlus exits the US and Europe. The memory crisis and Apple’s lawsuit made staying untenable.by Darius Popa on 15 July 2026 at 15:56
OnePlus, the Android brand that built a cult following with aggressively priced smartphones, will begin to cease operations in the US and Europe as early as this week, Bloomberg reported. The shutdown is part of a broader restructuring at parent company Oppo. Realme, another Oppo mobile brand, will […]
- South Korea will give all 52 million citizens free AI access, becoming the first G20 nation to do soby Alina Maria Stan on 15 July 2026 at 15:08
South Korea’s Ministry of Science and ICT opened bidding on July 13 for a free, unlimited AI chatbot and public-service agent available to all 52 million residents. The programme, called “AI for Everyone,” would make South Korea the first G20 nation to offer AI to its entire population as a […]
- CXMT prices a record $8.5bn Shanghai IPO, valuing China’s memory champion at $85bnby Cristian Dina on 15 July 2026 at 14:48
China’s biggest memory chipmaker is about to test the public markets. ChangXin Memory Technologies, known as CXMT, has priced its Shanghai IPO at 8.66 yuan ($1.28) a share, the South China Morning Post reported. The sale will raise about 57.9 billion yuan, or $8.5bn. That would make it the […]
- Reflection signs a $1bn AI compute deal with Nebius, its second big capacity grab in a monthby Ana Maria Constantin on 15 July 2026 at 14:30
Reflection AI has locked in more computing power. The US startup signed an AI compute deal worth more than $1bn with Nebius, the Amsterdam-based cloud provider, according to Bloomberg. The agreement runs through 2029. It gives Reflection access to Nvidia’s newest GB300 chips. Nebius confirmed the […]
- DeepSeek is preparing an IPO and chasing a $71bn valuation, weeks after its first raiseby Cristian Dina on 15 July 2026 at 14:11
DeepSeek is getting ready to go public. The Chinese AI lab has started laying the groundwork for an initial public offering, according to Bloomberg. It could file as soon as this year, with a debut targeted for 2027. First, though, it wants to raise more in private. The Hangzhou lab closed its […]
- ASML plans to build EUV machines 30% faster as AI demand outstrips its production capacityby Alina Maria Stan on 15 July 2026 at 14:01
ASML is working to cut the time it takes to build and test its extreme ultraviolet lithography machines by roughly a third, CFO Roger Dassen told reporters on Wednesday. The cycle time, the period between starting production in ASML’s clean rooms and shipping, was about 22 weeks a few quarters […]
- Apple is in talks with the startup shrinking a 27B AI model onto an iPhoneby Ana Maria Constantin on 15 July 2026 at 13:35
Apple is in early talks with PrismML, a startup that shrinks large AI models to run directly on a phone. The company’s on-device AI pitch could help Apple keep more of Siri’s work off the cloud. PrismML chief executive Babak Hassibi told CNBC that Apple and other companies were evaluating its […]
