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Finnish AI-cloud company Verda closed a Series B round that raised $189 million, bringing its valuation above $1 billion. The funding was led by Emergence. Verda plans to raise up to $1.5 billion in equity and debt in 2026 and up to $10 billion in 2027.
Lucid Motors and Bolt have agreed to deploy a fleet of at least 25,000 autonomous vehicles across Europe. The robotaxis will be built on Lucid’s upcoming mid-size electric-vehicle platform and will use Nvidia Hyperion compute and sensing hardware. Bolt will own and operate the fleet, while no specific order or launch timeline has been set.
TikTok has agreed to pay $400 million to settle a Justice Department lawsuit alleging violations of children’s privacy. The settlement resolves the federal government’s claims that the platform failed to protect minors’ personal data. The payment amount is the same figure reported across multiple outlets.
Trump has imposed a 100 percent tariff on drones, covering heavy and “sensitive” models, and has likewise applied a 100 percent tariff to aircraft parts. The measures affect imports of these items, with the tariff rate set at the maximum level permitted.
Pony.ai and Uber are set to deploy more than 2,000 robotaxis across Europe, expanding the service to four additional European cities following its launch in Zagreb. The partnership also outlines a future rollout into the Middle East after the European expansion is underway.
The European Union is forcing Google to open its Android platform to rival artificial intelligence services. Additionally, the company must share its search data with competitors. These mandates require Google to provide greater access to its systems to ensure fair market competition.
OnePlus has announced it will cease all operations in the United States and Europe, including the discontinuation of new phone releases in those markets. The company plans to wind down its presence in India by 2027 while continuing to operate in China. Its parent brand, Oppo, will also see its sub-brand Realme exit the Chinese market.
Nintendo will cease sales of the original Switch console in Europe next year, with the discontinuation of the Switch Lite and Switch OLED models slated for mid-February 2027. The company also intends to update the forthcoming Switch 2 to meet new European Union battery regulations. This rollout aligns with the planned phase-out schedule.
IQM, a Finnish full-stack quantum computing firm, became the first European quantum company to list on a major U.S. exchange after completing a SPAC merger that valued the company at roughly $1.9 billion. In its Nasdaq debut the shares closed about 2% higher, though the company acknowledges that the future of the technology remains uncertain.
Uber has partnered with China’s Pony AI and Croatia-based Verne, a Rimac spinoff, to launch Europe’s first commercial robotaxi service. The service will debut in Zagreb, where the companies are testing the autonomous vehicles.
PEGI will introduce four new rating categories in June to address addictive design elements in games, such as loot boxes. Under the new system, any game that contains loot boxes will automatically receive a minimum 16-year age rating across Europe. The change is intended to provide clearer guidance for consumers and protect younger players.