Latest news with #techstartup
Yahoo
14 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
From Power-Hungry AI to Energy Saver: Snowcap's $23M Move to Revolutionize Computing
Snowcap Compute, a semiconductor startup developing superconducting AI chips, announced a $23 million seed round on Monday. According to Reuters, the company is backed by Playground Global and led by former Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger, who will also serve as board chair. The funding round also included Cambium Capital and Vsquared Ventures. The startup aims to create high-performance computing platforms that require significantly less power than current-generation chips. Snowcap said its superconducting architecture will deliver 25 times better performance per watt compared to existing AI systems. Don't Miss: Peter Thiel turned $1,700 into $5 billion—now accredited investors are eyeing this software company with similar breakout potential. Learn how you can invest with $1,000 at just $0.30/share. Invest early in CancerVax's breakthrough tech aiming to disrupt a $231B market. Back a bold new approach to cancer treatment with high-growth potential. Snowcap Compute's superconducting chips are designed to operate with zero electrical resistance and require cryogenic cooling to function, according to Reuters. The company said the chips are being developed to reduce electricity consumption in artificial intelligence computing, a sector facing increasing energy demands. Nvidia's (NASDAQ:NVDA) upcoming Rubin Ultra server, expected in 2027, is projected to consume around 600 kilowatts of power—about two-thirds of the monthly electricity use of a typical U.S. household, Reuters reported. Snowcap CEO Michael Lafferty, formerly with Cadence Design Systems (NASDAQ:CDNS), told Reuters that the performance-to-power ratio of Snowcap's architecture justifies the energy spent on cooling. "We're pushing the performance level way up and pulling the power down at the same time," he said. Snowcap plans to release a basic chip by the end of 2026. Full system deployments will follow at a later stage. The chips will be manufactured in a conventional factory using niobium titanium nitride sourced from Brazil and Canada, Reuters reported. Trending: GoSun's Breakthrough Rooftop EV Charger Already Has 2,000+ Units Reserved — Become an Investor in This $41.3M Clean Energy Brand Today Gelsinger, who stepped down as Intel CEO in December, said the industry must rethink its reliance on increasingly power-hungry chips. "A lot of data centers today are just being limited by power availability," he told Reuters. In a LinkedIn post, Gelsinger described Snowcap as "the first commercially viable superconducting compute platform," and said it delivers performance and efficiency gains across classical, AI, and quantum workloads. He called it his first public investment as general partner at Playground Global and said the company's technology could address compute bottlenecks and "push the boundaries of what is possible with silicon."Snowcap's founding team includes superconducting researchers Anna Herr and Quentin Herr, who previously worked at chip research firm Imed and defense contractor Northrop Grumman Corp. (NYSE:NOC). The team also includes former executives from Nvidia and Alphabet Inc.'s (NASDAQ:GOOG, GOOGL)) Google unit. According to Snowcap, its architecture is engineered for high-performance AI inference and training, quantum-classical hybrid workloads, and low-latency systems. Founded in 2024, Snowcap enters a growing field of startups pursuing alternatives to conventional complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor-based processors. The company said its superconducting logic offers "orders-of-magnitude gains in processing speed and efficiency" and aims to support emerging compute workloads spanning AI, high-performance computing, and quantum workflows. Read Next: Are you rich? Here's what Americans think you need to be considered wealthy. UNLOCKED: 5 NEW TRADES EVERY WEEK. Click now to get top trade ideas daily, plus unlimited access to cutting-edge tools and strategies to gain an edge in the markets. Get the latest stock analysis from Benzinga? APPLE (AAPL): Free Stock Analysis Report TESLA (TSLA): Free Stock Analysis Report This article From Power-Hungry AI to Energy Saver: Snowcap's $23M Move to Revolutionize Computing originally appeared on © 2025 Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Why Spas Are Trading Cucumber Water for Longevity Treatments
Stefan Safko is the CEO of a robotics start-up in his early forties. He has a successful professional life, a fulfilling personal one, and, by any traditional metric, is in the top percentile of health. He has no chronic diseases, exercises frequently, and has been a lifelong healthy eater. But like most driven and accomplished people, he'd like to level up. While Safko isn't by any means looking to become the next Bryan Johnson, spending $2 million a year on anti-aging efforts, he is one of many in the tech and business spaces pursuing a longer, healthier life. 'I read books and seek out 'credible' individuals and materials online for guidance,' says Safko. 'There tends to be a lot of noise, especially with social media personalities becoming overnight authorities and fads that are more social media–driven versus science-backed.' Safko is clearly not interested in the traditionally 'woo woo' conception of 'wellness,' one that conjures up images of tambourine-shaking gurus more than evidence-based medical care. Fortunately for him, science-backed wellness has exploded in popularity in the last few years—and the ground zero for this development may be a bit surprising. Instead of a Beverly Hills or Silicon Valley doctor's office, these scientific treatments are currently found at spas. More from Robb Report What Happened When This Founder Bought His Winery Back From Its Corporate Parent Yacht Builders Are Investing in the Art World. Here's Why. Pomellato's New High Jewelry Collection Is an Ode to Its Most Defining Decades Heritage resorts like Pebble Beach now offer infrared light treatments and antigravity chairs alongside their traditional golf game–enhancing physical therapies. Established European names like Preidlhof and Sha Wellness offer medical-grade sleep clinics and electromagnetic pulse treatments. Velaa Private Island, an exclusive hotel in the famously tropical Maldives, has been heavily (and successfully) promoting its paradoxically arctic cryotherapeutic 'snow room.' Treatments like vitamin IVs, stem cell therapies, and myriad biometric tests aimed at creating individualized treatments are now par for the course at top resorts worldwide. Unlike traditional medi-spas, these programs position themselves as part of a more holistic approach to long-term wellbeing, one tailored not to treating existing complaints but to the broader pursuit of optimal living. So how exactly did the former domain of couples' massages and cucumber water become the next frontier in medicine? According to Dr. Shah, it's where people are already used to spending their own money on wellness. While it may seem tricky for spas to balance being part medical lab, part aromatherapeutic oasis, spa director Pat Makozak of the Four Seasons Maui at Wailea hasn't had any issues. 'It's all the same goal,' she says. 'When guests call to book a massage, if they know we have IV treatments available, they'll just add that on. We already offered some technology with the spa treatments: we have an infrared light in every massage room, and a cryotherapy machine that we incorporate into facials.' Makozak brings up a good point. We already have beauty-focused treatments like Botox and cryotherapy in the spa space—why not use them for our actual health? Medi-spas having long integrated science into elective treatments is meant purely to enhance quality of life, so perhaps it's not so surprising the future of holistic medical wellness has taken root in the same soil. While there's certainly nothing like chemo or surgery happening on any massage tables, doctors are primarily responsible for crafting these new spa menus. Some medical professionals see these endeavors as a step in the right direction for a much-needed expansion of our ideas of health and wellness; others see it as an unnecessary money grab. Monty Dunn, MD, a doctor of anesthesiology in San Francisco, is one of those skeptics. For example, Dr. Dunn points out that there is no evidence supporting the effectiveness of almost all vitamins and supplements, let alone the popular IV versions (which he characterizes as 'hydration therapy' at most). While stem cell therapy is trendy, Dr. Dunn is quick to remind that science has not yet discovered how to induce stem cells to differentiate into anything specific, meaning that injected stem cells likely do nothing at best, and could theoretically become cancer at worst. Yes, all the biometric and blood panel testing to identify disease propensities are nice, and will likely become increasingly popular in the private sector. However, Dr. Dunn explains that we don't actually know the markers for many common diseases, which renders the current screenings far from revolutionarily useful at this time. According to Vishal Patel, MD, PhD, and chief medical officer at Sensei (the Larry Ellison–founded wellness retreat that exclusively offers science-backed treatments), well-educated wellbeing seekers like Safko are these institutions' primary audience. 'The intersection of health, wellness, and travel has grown exponentially in recent years,' observes Patel. This is likely a result of our current healthcare system, which Darshan Shah, MD—the founder of health optimization and longevity center Next Health, who provides medical offerings at the Four Seasons Maui spa—describes as 'disease care.' American healthcare is traditionally focused on treating pathologies; in other words, it addresses issues only after they've grown to become major problems. This system has left a hole in the market for those looking for medical-grade care focused on prevention and optimization as opposed to triage. Dr. Dunn does agree that our healthcare system has overly emphasized quick problem solving, but believes it's the reason why the mortality-obsessed rich are quick to shell out for snake-oil placebos and hacks before making sustainable lifestyle changes. Jim Cahill, a mindset guide at Sensei and expert in contemplative neuroscience, has likewise identified the desire for quick fixes as a common mindset, but believes it can be worked with. 'There's nothing inherently wrong with seeking immediate results, and [Sensei's] wellness assessments can and do target immediate improvements in sleep, diet, stress management, and movement,' he says. 'But the evidence is just too clear: we can do much more by sustaining that wider perspective. Lifelong wellness requires that comprehensive approach, where temporary practices become sustained lifestyles.' Ronjon Nag, a famed tech inventor and entrepreneur who currently heads an AI and Longevity VC firm while teaching the same at Stanford, unequivocally believes in science's ability to hack lifespan and wellness. In conversation with Robb Report, he expanded on the many companies he's invested in with pursuits ranging from mitochondrial rejuvenation to epigenetic reprogramming to even a vaccine to slow aging. Though clearly more optimistic than Dr. Dunn about the future of medical wellness, he agrees it will be the private sector moving things forward by pushing more patient-driven, test-centric approaches. Given Nag's background with developing tech and AI we now use every day, his predictions (and investments) are likely ones to watch for those interested in the field. I asked Dr. Shah for his tips for those looking to get into such treatments, particularly when it comes to sorting out what is worth the cost and what may be simply expensive smoke and mirrors. Dr. Shah recommended only going to facilities where a licensed MD oversees the program, and consulting with your personal physician prior about the treatments you'd like to try. While many treatments may be technically safe and somewhat effective, a physician will be able to advise as to whether they are worth the often steep cost. It's also a good idea to ask yourself what you're looking to get out of the treatment: Are you looking for a quick fix, or are you ready to make the sustained lifestyle changes these programs often recommend? For now, if you're looking to become more proactive about your health and longevity, the spa is the best place to find that full-body workup or biomarker-informed longevity session. Just don't expect insurance to cover it. Best of Robb Report The Ultimate Miami Spa Guide: 15 Luxurious Places to Treat Yourself The 7 Most Insanely Luxurious Spas in the World, From Tokyo to Iceland 17 Reasons the Caribbean Should Be at the Top of Your Travel Itinerary Click here to read the full article.
Daily Mail
5 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Revolut founder Nik Storonsky eyes a £30bn Elon Musk-style jackpot as the digital banks mulls a New York listing
The boss of Revolut could be in line for a £30billion windfall. Under an Elon Musk-style pay deal, Nik Storonsky could cash in if its value more than triples from around £35billion to over £110billion. The exact details are not known. But the founder and chief executive is thought to own around a quarter of the company – worth some £8.5billion. His stake could hit as much as 35 per cent if targets are hit, according to the Financial Times. Should the value of the company top £110billion, this stake would be worth £38.5billion. Revolut declined to comment on an agreement that has drawn comparisons with a bumper deal that Musk agreed with Tesla in 2018. Revolut has more than 9m UK customers and 50m around the world. It is mulling a potential listing on the New York stock market.
Wall Street Journal
16-06-2025
- Business
- Wall Street Journal
Israeli Startup Hub Under Missile Fire
On Friday, Ron Reiter's apartment building in Tel Aviv suffered a direct hit by an Iranian ballistic missile. The high-rise was just a five-minute walk from the new office of Sentra, a data-security startup where Reiter is a co-founder and chief technology officer. He was excited about that proximity last week during the office move-in. Reiter, who wasn't home at the time of the blast, is now looking for another place to live.
Fast Company
11-06-2025
- Business
- Fast Company
New ‘One' dashboard from Databricks brings AI to the business class (exclusive)
Databricks, known for secure data storage and AI, has launched a new AI business intelligence dashboard called Databricks One, designed for nontechnical business users across various departments. While Databricks initially focused on providing secure data storage for large organizations (it works with 60% of the Fortune 500), it has in recent years shifted toward helping customers harness the power of AI models situated close to their data. Until now, access to the Databricks platform was primarily limited to engineers and data scientists with SQL or Python skills. Databricks One introduces a completely redesigned interface, simplified specifically for users without a technical background. 'We want to make our experience for nontechnical users as amazing as our experience for technical users,' said Databricks cofounder and CEO Ali Ghodsi. 'This is our first step of making this true so that everyone across the organization can unlock the full value of their data and drive innovation.' The Databricks One tool resembles an AI chatbot interface. Users can describe the type of data or analysis they need, and a large language model translates those requests into actions. According to Ghodsi, this could involve deploying AI agents that tap into pipelines of various models and databases to retrieve data or perform specific analyses. Ordinarily, such requests would require coding, but the dashboard handles that complexity for the user. 'Behind the scenes it's actually creating SQL and executing on a data warehouse, and all of that is abstracted away from you,' Ghodsi says. To help users better understand the data, Databricks integrated visualizations directly into the One interface. Users can interact with an 'AI/BI Genie' to refine their view, asking custom questions—not just selecting from preset queries offered by the dashboard. A user might run advanced analytics on the effectiveness of a marketing campaign, conduct a legal review of overlapping (and potentially conflicting) business contracts, or quickly gather everything a salesperson needs before meeting a prospect. Ghodsi says the idea for Databricks One came from many conversations with large enterprise clients. These organizations wanted to put AI-powered business intelligence into the hands of more employees who could act on it. At the same time, they were wary of the security risks involved in broadening access to potentially sensitive data on the Databricks platform. 'Threading that needle and making sure that you have the right balance is very hard, and so we're very excited we finally found the thing that works for all of our customers,' Ghodsi says. Specifically, customers were concerned that nontechnical users might misinterpret the data, access information they shouldn't, or use the platform in ways that couldn't be properly audited. Many of Databricks's clients operate in tightly regulated sectors like healthcare and financial services, where handling sensitive personal data is routine. In response, Databricks spent two years building guardrails to address these risks. This included systems that assign different levels of access based on user roles and permissions. According to Ghodsi, the One platform keeps customer data secure and sandboxed, preventing leaks. Some users have read-only access, and the company does not use one customer's data to train models for another. Ghodsi believes the simplified interface could make the platform a strong fit for midsize and even small businesses in the future. Following a massive $10 billion Series J raise in December 2024, Databricks has brought in about $14.4 billion in venture funding, along with $5.25 billion in debt financing, reaching a $62 billion valuation. Its value has grown rapidly as large companies try to use AI to mine their own data for actionable insights. In 2023, the company was valued at $43 billion—marking a roughly 44% increase in a single year during the so-called AI boom. Many analysts expect a Databricks IPO in 2025 or 2026, depending on market conditions. Databricks One is currently in private preview, with a public beta expected later this summer. Ghodsi says the company won't charge seat licenses but will instead use a metered pricing model based on usage time and token consumption by AI models.
