Government and policy

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UK splashes £100M on designated AI taskforce

Deep tech, Government and policy, Next Featured / /
UK splashes £100M on designated AI taskforce

Ioanna Lykiardopoulou

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Ioanna Lykiardopoulou

Ioanna is a writer at TNW. She covers the full spectrum of the European tech ecosystem, with a particular interest in startups, sustainabili Ioanna is a writer at TNW. She covers the full spectrum of the European tech ecosystem, with a particular interest in startups, sustainability, green tech, AI, and EU policy. With a background in the humanities, she has a soft spot for social impact-enabling technologies.

The UK will splash an initial £100m in funding to establish a government-industry AI taskforce, dedicated to boosting the country’s sovereignty and competitiveness in the field.

The taskforce will develop foundation models — systems that train on large amounts of data such as ChatGPT and Google Bard — with the aim to benefit from their applications in public services and across the UK economy.

According to the government, the technology is estimated to contribute billions of pounds to the country’s GDP, which based on the predictions of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is expected to drop by 0.3% this year.

“Harnessing the potential of AI provides enormous opportunities to grow our economy, create better-paid jobs, and build a better future through advances in healthcare and security,” said Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. In healthcare, for instance, the government sees AI’s potential to accelerate diagnoses and drug discovery and development.

To increase business and public trust in artificial intelligence, the taskforce will work together with the sector to ensure the “safe and reliable use” of foundation models, both on a scientific and commercial scale. This will be implemented in accordance with the guidelines set out in the AI Regulation Paper published in March.

The taskforce will report directly to the Prime Minister and the Technology Secretary, and will be led by a Chair who will be appointed during summer. Meanwhile, the first pilot projects targeting public services are expected to launch within the next six months.

The £100m fund follows a £900m announced investment in a new exascale computer and a dedicated AI Research Resource to provide the UK with the processing capability required for the next generation of AI.

With several countries across the globe increasing their AI spending, the UK doesn’t want to miss its chance to stay ahead of the game. “We need to act now to seize the opportunities AI can offer us in the future,” said Science, Innovation, and Technology Secretary Michelle Donelan.

“We’re backing our expert taskforce with the funding to make our ambitions for an AI-enabled country a reality and keep the UK at the front of the pack in this emerging technology.”

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Swedish startup wants €1.5BN to build emissions-free steel plant

Corporates and innovation, Government and policy, Insider, Next Featured, Startups and technology, Sustainability / /
Swedish startup wants €1.5BN to build emissions-free steel plant

Siôn Geschwindt

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Siôn Geschwindt

Swedish startup H2 Green Steel has announced its plans to raise more than €1.5bn in equity funding to build steel plants that emit virtually no emissions.

The startup, backed by high-profile investors such as Mercedes, Maersk, and Spotify’s chief executive, is constructing a ‘green steel’ manufacturing plant in Boden, north Sweden. 

Construction of the plant will be financed through more than €5bn in debt and equity. The startup said in October that it had received support from European financial institutions for €3.5bn in debt financing, making it one of the most capitalised climate tech projects in Europe. 

H2 Green Steel confirmed today that it is now in the process of securing the remaining €1.5bn equity funding and is working with advisers from Morgan Stanley, Financial Times reports. 

Traditionally, steel is made by combining iron ore with coke (a type of coal) at extremely high temperatures. The burning coke produces carbon monoxide, which converts the iron ore into ‘pig iron’ — the basis of steel. The only problem is, when the coke burns it produces a lot of CO2. In fact, the steel industry as a whole is responsible for an estimated 8% of global CO2 emissions. 

H2 Green Steel looks to decarbonise steelmaking by replacing coke with ‘green’ hydrogen (hydrogen produced using renewable energy). Hydrogen reacts with the iron ore to create pig iron — but without the emissions. The only by-product, the startup says, would be water vapour.  

An artist’s impression of the green steel plant in Boden. The startup hopes the plant will produce 5 million tonnes of green steel by 2030. Credit: H2 Green Steel

The hydrogen itself would be made in an electrolyser at the Boden site. The electrolyser would be powered by ​​renewable energy, including hydropower from the Lule River and nearby wind farms. Overall, this process is predicted to slash steelmaking emissions by 95%.    

If successful, the Boden plant will be the first large-scale green steel plant in Europe, with its products used to construct everything from cars and cargo ships to buildings and bridges. The startup expects to roll out the first commercial batches of its steel by 2025 and aims to produce five million tonnes of green steel a year by 2030. 

However, global annual steel production is currently around 2,000 million tonnes, according to figures from the World Steel Association. This would make the production capacity of the Boden plant a mere “drop in the sea,” Ms Lund Waagsaether, senior policy advisor at the Brussels-based climate think tank E3G, told the BBC.  

But the Boden plant isn’t the only one of its kind in the pipeline. H2 Green Steel has already signed an agreement with Spanish company Iberdrola to build a plant powered by solar power on the Iberian peninsula. Hybrit, another Swedish company, hopes to open a fossil-free green steel plant by 2026 in a joint venture with mining operator LKAB, Nordic steel company SSAB, and energy company Vattenfall. GravitHy plans to open a hydrogen-based plant in France in 2027, and German steel giant Thyssenkrupp recently said it aims to introduce carbon-neutral production at all its plants by 2045.

These projects are set to boost Europe’s domestic production of green steel, and could soon have political backing too. The EU is in the process of finalising the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, a strategydesigned to make it more expensive for European companies to import cheaper, non-green steel from other parts of the world. 

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Irish startup and CERN join forces on experimental energy transmission project

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Irish startup and CERN join forces on experimental energy transmission project

Thomas Macaulay

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Thomas Macaulay

Senior reporter

Thomas is a senior reporter at TNW. He covers European tech, with a focus on deeptech, startups, and government policy. Thomas is a senior reporter at TNW. He covers European tech, with a focus on deeptech, startups, and government policy.

An Irish startup has teamed with CERN to develop a new form of insulation for superconducting cables, which are designed to accelerate the green energy transition.

Named SuperNode, the company has invented energy transmission cables that can transfer immense power across long distances. As the system requires less space and voltage than conventional copper-based cables, the environmental impact is reduced.

These benefits derive from superconductivity. This phenomenon occurs when certain materials are cooled below their critical temperature — typically -180°C for high-temperature superconductors. As a result, superconductors can offer a hefty power density and zero electrical losses.

To harness this potential, SuperNode needs unique scientific resources — which is where CERN comes in.

“In its research, CERN pushes the limit of superconductivity to reach record energy levels and operates one of the largest vacuum systems in the world,” said CERN’s Paolo Chiggiato in a statement.

“In particular, to avoid collisions with residual gas molecules inside the accelerators, we must reach extreme levels of vacuum. Vacuum is also used at CERN as a thermal insulator for our superconducting magnets. We believe that this know-how can be successfully applied to evaluate the technological solutions proposed to insulate the superconducting cables developed by SuperNode.”

To test the tech, CERN will subject candidate materials to temperatures, pressures, and environments that replicate the conditions that the cables will face. CERN will also design and develop a novel test rig to validate scale prototypes. Eventually, the rig will be installed at SuperNode’s Dublin headquarters — dubbed the European Cryogenic Centre for Superconductors.

Figure 1: Subsea Superconducting Cable
A study commissioned by SuperNode found that an integrated pan-European energy grid could reduce energy costs by 32%. Credit: SuperNode

The tie-up with CERN caps a busy month for SuperNode. Last week, the company announced that shareholders Aker Horizons and Dr Eddie O’Connor had committed €16 million of extra money towards developing the tech. The new funding followed a previous €14m cash injection made last year.

John Fitzgerald, CEO of SuperNode, believes adding CERN to the mix will provide a further boost.

“To meet increasing electricity demands, future transmission grids will have to reliably transfer bulk electricity over distances of hundreds of kilometres — connecting consumption hubs with areas of production, which are often located far away,” he said.

“We believe that by working together, we can find innovative solutions to improve the world’s energy infrastructure. Without new grid technology, we cannot integrate the level of renewables governments across the world have targeted and we will not achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement”.

Figure 2: Underground Superconducting Cable
SuperNode says its system is more efficient, cheaper, and better for the environment than any other viable alternative. Credit: SuperNode

The collaboration also comes at a historical moment for CERN. The lab has just taken its first steps towards building a 91 km-long particle accelerator. The new system would more than triple the length of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) — currently the world’s largest and most powerful particle collider — which will complete its mission around 2040.

The plans were revealed amid growing competition for Europe’s leading position in the field.

The most notable rival is China, which also intends to build the world’s largest particle accelerator. CERN’s Malika Meddahi told AFP last week that “China displays the same ambition” as Europe.

“Let’s be vigilant and be sure that we are not on the verge of a change in this hierarchy,” she said.

Some concerns have also been raised over the enormous cost of the new collider. Critics worry that the investment in fundamental science would be better spent in applied sciences. But the collaboration with SuperNode is further evidence that CERN’s work can lead to practical applications.

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Green light for €43bn EU Chips Act in big boost for bloc’s semiconductor industry

Corporates and innovation, Deep tech, Government and policy, Next Featured / /
Green light for €43bn EU Chips Act in big boost for bloc’s semiconductor industry

Siôn Geschwindt

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Siôn Geschwindt

EU member states reached a provisional agreement on Tuesday for a €43 billion plan to bolster domestic production of semiconductor chips — essential components in everything from phones to cars and refrigerators.

The EU Chips Act, proposed by the Commission in February of last year, looks to double the bloc’s global market share in semiconductors from 10% to 20% by 2030. 

The act also seeks to build resilience in Europe’s semiconductor supply chain, which is highly dependent on a limited number of foreign suppliers.

“Chips are essential for all our digital and digitised products,” said Margrethe Vestager, Danish politician and executive vice-president for a Europe Fit for the Digital Age. Vestager said she believes that the agreement will help “secure the supply of innovative semiconductors in Europe” and make Europe’s chip industry more competitive. 

Three pillars

The Commission has proposed three key pillars to deliver on the Act. The first — the Chips for Europe Initiative — aims to support “large-scale technological capacity building” and “bridge the gap” between research and industry. The initiative will be supported by combined investments from the union, member states, and the private sector, including €6.2 billion in public funds.

The second pillar will incentivise public and private investments in manufacturing facilities for chipmakers and their suppliers. This will contribute to the overall public investment in the sector, which is estimated at €43 billion.

The third pillar is for a monitoring and crisis response system to anticipate supply shortages. The EU member states and the Commission will develop a joint coordination programme to boost collaboration, monitor supply, estimate demand, and trigger a “crisis stage” if necessary.   

Thierry Breton, EU Commissioner for Internal Market, said the Chips Act will enable the mobilisation of “considerable public funding” and a supportive regulatory framework to turn these three pillars “into reality.” 

Securing future supply

Semiconductor chips are the building blocks of digital products. Demand for them is expected to double between 2022 and 2030, with the industry predicted to reach a global market value of $1 trillion within the same timeframe.   

But several vital tech sectors in the EU have been suffering from supply shortages in semiconductor chips, in part because they rely on just a few suppliers and countries, in particular Asia for supply, and the US for design. 

This dependency means Europe’s chip reserves in some sectors like the automotive industry could run out in just a few weeks if disrupted. Shortages have also led to price-hikes for electronics, lengthier delivery time for consumer products, and a decrease in manufacturing capacity. 

A typical EV is built using between 1,500 and 3,000 semiconductors, making the industry particularly vulnerable to shortages of the chips.

Against this backdrop, and as Europe looks to scale more sustainable but chip-intensive technologies, like EVs, securing future supply of semiconductor chips has become a top priority for the bloc — hence the Chips Act.   

Ebba Busch, Swedish Minister for energy, business, and industry, said she believes the Act will “secure the EU’s resilience in turbulent times” and transform the EU’s “dependency into leadership, vulnerability into sovereignty, and expenditure into investment.” 

Since the proposal for the Chips Act was announced, investment has already reached between €90-100 billion, including for projects such as Intel’s giant €17bn chip factory planned for Magdeburg, Germany. Now it has winded its way through the EU’s legislature, the Act is expected to boost investment further, and create the skills and knowledge base necessary to reach the bloc’s ambitious targets.

However, many other regions have their own semiconductor strategies that risk undermining the EU’s vision. The US has its $52 billion CHIPS for America Act, and South Korea has pledged hundreds of billions of dollars to boost its chips sector. 

To secure its market share, the bloc should play to its chipmaking strengths, Christopher Cytera, research fellow at the Centre for European Policy Analysis, told Reuters. For instance, Dutch firm ASML is the sole supplier of extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUV) machines, and Germany’s Siemens develops EDA software used in the designs of integrated circuits. 

Both firms, and many others like them, appear to be eligible for funding under the European Chips Act, which now needs to be finalised and endorsed before being formally adopted by both the Council and Parliament.

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EU lawmakers fear AI is moving too fast — and call for global oversight

Deep tech, Government and policy, Next Featured, Startups and technology / /
EU lawmakers fear AI is moving too fast — and call for global oversight

Ioanna Lykiardopoulou

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Ioanna Lykiardopoulou

Ioanna is a writer at TNW. She covers the full spectrum of the European tech ecosystem, with a particular interest in startups, sustainabili Ioanna is a writer at TNW. She covers the full spectrum of the European tech ecosystem, with a particular interest in startups, sustainability, green tech, AI, and EU policy. With a background in the humanities, she has a soft spot for social impact-enabling technologies.

A group of 12 Members of the European Parliament working on the EU’s upcoming AI Act, are rallying for a set of preliminary rules to control the advancement of AI systems. They warn that technological progress is “faster and more unpredictable” than expected.

“The recent advent of and widespread public access to powerful AI, alongside the exponential performance improvements over the last year of AI trained to generate complex content, has prompted us to pause and reflect on our work,” state the MEPs in an open letter.

Correspondingly, they believe that a complementary series of preliminary rules is also needed to regulate the growth and deployment of “powerful” general purpose AI.

The signatories are, therefore, calling on European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and US President Joe Biden to hold a global AI summit where world leaders can decide on an number of governing principles that will steer the development and use of powerful AI, while ensuring it’s “human-centric, safe, and trustworthy.”

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The MEPs are also calling on companies and laboratories working on the technology to demonstrate a high sense of responsibility, increase transparency, and collaborate with policymakers.

The letter lands at a time when individual EU members are already trying to manage the operation of advanced AI models  in lack of an overarching legislation. For instance, France, Spain, and Italy have opened investigations into OpenAI’s ChatGPT over data privacy concerns — with the latter even imposing a temporary ban.

The MEPs warn that political inaction “can widen the gap between the development of AI and our ability to steer it,” asking for the mobilisation of industry, research, and decision-makers in Europe and worldwide. But at the same time, the AI Act has been in draft form for nearly two years now.

According to Reuters, the act is currently being debated by a parliamentary committee, which hopes to reach a common position by April 26.

Concerns about AI’s exponential growth have been expressed across the Atlantic as well. In an open letter by the Future of Life Institute (FLI), over 26,000 signatories — including researchers at DeepMind, computer scientist Yoshua Bengio, and Elon Musk — have called on AI labs for a six-month pause in the development of systems more powerful than GPT-4, ChatGPT’s successor. 

And while the EU MEPs find a number of the letter’s statements “unnecessarily alarmist,” they agree with its core message: the rapid evolution of powerful AI requires political attention to prevent challenging future scenarios.

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UK can rejoin Horizon without paying for last two years, says EU

Ecosystems, Government and policy, Investors and funding, Next Featured, Startups and technology / /
UK can rejoin Horizon without paying for last two years, says EU

Thomas Macaulay

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Thomas Macaulay

Senior reporter

Thomas is a senior reporter at TNW. He covers European tech, with a focus on deeptech, startups, and government policy. Thomas is a senior reporter at TNW. He covers European tech, with a focus on deeptech, startups, and government policy.

The UK has been told it won’t have to pay for the two years it had been out of the EU’s Horizon research programme — removing a big barrier to rejoining the €95.5bn scheme.

Britain had been locked out of Horizon because of a post-Brexit dispute over trade in Northern Ireland. The recent Windsor Framework deal had opened the door to reentry, but talks have stalled over the financial terms.

The British government argues that its contributions to the seven-year innovation scheme should be cut, because its late entry has reduced the potential returns.

A key concern involved the payments for 2021 and 2022, when the UK was blocked from Horizon. Officials were reportedly concerned that Britain would still have to pay for those two years. According to the European Commission, that will not be the case.

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“We are not being unreasonable. We are not asking them to pay for the years they were not associated,” an EU official told the Guardian.

“We are ready to work on it very quickly. But there is still that doubt about the willingness of the UK to take part.”

More at stake than money

Despite the EU’s officials, there may be further roadblocks ahead. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is said to be “sceptical” about Horizon’s value. The British government has also unveiled a backup R&D funding scheme, which will be activated if negotiations to rejoin the EU programme fall apart.

However, among UK scientists and technologists, support for rejoining Horizon is widespread. In addition to €95.5bn funding pot, they point to the benefits of international collaboration, common rules, and established research cycles.

“The government must also remember there is more at stake here than money,” Tony McBride, Director of Policy and Public Affairs at the Institute of Physics, said last week.

“Should it be needed, any alternative to Horizon must also make up for the loss of the established networks, partnerships, and infrastructure the UK has benefitted from over many, many years, as well as for the disruption and uncertainty caused by these years of delay.”

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EU backs 100+ women-founded deep tech startups

Deep tech, Government and policy, Next Featured, Startups and technology / /
EU backs 100+ women-founded deep tech startups

Siôn Geschwindt

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Siôn Geschwindt

The European Commission has announced the results of the second round of Women TechEU — a programme designed to help women-founded deep tech startups scale.  

The round, which has a budget of €10m, saw applications from 467 women-founded deep tech startups from across Europe, 134 of which have been selected to participate. It follows on from a successful pilot in 2021 which featured 50 startups.

The startups selected for the second round will now each receive an individual grant of €75,000. The female founders will also be offered mentoring and coaching under the European Innovation Council (EIC) Women Leadership Programme, and be afforded access to EU networking opportunities.   

The startups operate in 16 different deep tech sectors, and have developed solutions ranging from new medical drugs and carbon capture technologies, to digital learning and autonomous robotics. 

Among the participants is Sweden-based Norbite, which uses insects to recycle plastic waste, Netherlands-based Agurotech, which digitises farming using AI, and Lithuania-based Inobiostar, which has developed a waste paper-based material for removing oil spills.  

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“By combining innovative ideas, female entrepreneurship, and excellent research and development, this year’s companies selected for WomenTechEU will contribute to enhancing the quality of life for the citizens of the EU and beyond,” said the European Innovation Council.

Deep tech makes up over a quarter of Europe’s startup ecosystem, with European deep tech companies valued at a combined €700bn in 2021. 

Yet women remain chronically underrepresented: last year only 3% of VC funding in European deep tech went to women-founded startups. 

These inequities are prevalent across the industry, but magnified in the deep tech sector. Deep tech startups tend to have longer R&D cycles, and require higher capital outlay than traditional startups, which makes it even harder for women-led and women-founded teams to scale up.    

This is not just bad practice, it’s also bad for business. According to consulting firm McKinsey, the European tech ecosystem will only be able to remain competitive if it manages to attract and retain more female talent. 

And investors seem to agree: “Diversity of thought, opinion and creativity is essential for our deep tech ecosystem to thrive,” said Christina Franzeskides, deep tech investor at Lakestar, in the 2023 European Deep Tech Report. 

“To that end, we must strive towards inclusivity, across all backgrounds and genders, for the space to reach its full potential,” she added. 

The European Commission believes that giving women-founded startups the right support and investment early on can help bridge deep tech’s gender gap, and strengthen the ecosystem as a whole. 

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What app developers actually think about the EU vs Apple debate on third-party app stores

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What app developers actually think about the EU vs Apple debate on third-party app stores

Linda Rosencrance

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Linda Rosencrance

Linda Rosencrance is a freelance writer/editor/author. She has written about information technology since 1999. She is also the author of s Linda Rosencrance is a freelance writer/editor/author. She has written about information technology since 1999. She is also the author of six true crime books.

Under the European Union’s new Digital Markets Act (DMA), which aims to increase competition, large online platforms, including Apple, must open up their devices to third-party app stores.

The DMA also requires these online platforms to permit sideloading, i.e., letting users install software that they download from the Internet. These platforms have until 2024 to comply with the DMA.

Passed in 2022, the goal is to prevent dominance of so-called “gatekeepers” within the market and ensure a level playing field for all EU businesses.

In particular, EU regulators have been concerned about the advantage Apple currently has in the market as it doesn’t allow the use of third-party app stores on iOS devices, as such Apple sets the rules and prices for app developers who want to reach its users (currently they have 34% of market share in Europe). In the past, developers who violated these rules have been banned from the App Store.

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While the consensus is that this provision of the law is good for users and even Apple, it’s unclear how the regulation will affect application developers.

The question is what do app developers think about these new regulations? Will they actually be beneficial to EU based developers and what will be the short and long term impact on the EU’s app market? We spoke with a few to find out.

More opportunities to innovate

Strict rules can be a barrier to innovation and not getting accepted into the Apple App Store can break a business, said Markus Müller-Simhofer, CEO of IdeasonCanvas, creator of MindNode, a visual brainstorming and mind mapping app.

“So developers are cautious and avoid crossing the lines defined by the App Store rules,” he said. “[Consequently], many interesting new features or apps will never get developed.”

Max Seelemann, co-founder and executive director at Ulysses, a writing app for Mac, iPad, and iPhone, agreed that Apple does impose a lot of rules on developers — rules that developers may be tempted to break. However, doing so could get them expelled from the App Store.

For example, in August 2020, Apple removed Epic Games’ Fortnite from its App Store because the developer tried to get around paying Apple’s 30% commission on in-app purchases.

How regulators and Apple decide to address security could have a major impact on user experience.

However, with third-party stores, developers will have a plan B if the Apple App Store doesn’t work out, Müller-Simhofer said. “This adds a much-needed safety net for developers who try to strive for more innovative features,” he said. “In the end, the App Store will also benefit from this.”

The DMA, therefore, allows developers to try out new business models and ways of selling/marketing their apps without the risk of losing Apple users. Mykola Savin, product lead at Setapp, a third-party app store that offers subscription-based access to a curated collection of apps on its platform, said that this provision of the DMA will create many more opportunities for developers to innovate.

“They will have the creative freedom to develop products,” Savin said. “And this will open up a system that will provide developers with more chances to experiment and to find what works for their users.”

For example, a number of app developers on Setapp (for macOS) who are focused on creative professionals have found new ways to attract users when offered as part of a suite of productivity apps, rather than as a standalone application. This reach could expand as the platform becomes available on iOS.

Müller-Simhofer said, “What I like about Setapp is that it offers a curated selection of quality apps. When we first joined [in 2018], it was also an excellent way for us to try out a subscription model for our app. As a result, we’ve moved our App Store version to a subscription business model.”

Security and privacy concerns

Müller-Simhofer added that he has some concerns about security and privacy related to this change — issues that Apple has also raised.

“Apple does a lot of good things in this area,” he said. “They don’t catch every scam or malicious app, but at least they try to uncover most of them and remove them once they’re uncovered.”

Philip Young, founder of Session, a pomodoro style productivity app that blocks distractions and tracks progress, shares these security and privacy concerns as they relate to third-party app stores.

“While the App Store isn’t perfect, it does shield end users from low-quality apps, predatory pricing from bad developers who target vulnerable demographics, and user tracking without consent,” he said.

As we discussed previously with experts on EU and tech policy, how regulators and Apple decide to address security when implementing the provisions could have a major impact on usability and user experience.

It took me over six months and more than 30 tries to register.

Overall, Young’s opinion is that opening up Apple devices to third-party app stores will have a big impact on the EU’s app marketplace. He said that more developers will be willing to release their apps on third-party stores on iOS devices so they won’t have to deal with the Apple App Store’s arduous review process.

The issue is about money, not security and privacy

Not having to rely on Apple’s App Store, will also allow app developers to shop the market for app stores that will provide better customer service and more beneficial pricing options. This could help push both Apple and third party stores to improve their offering to developers.

“Bug fixes can be released faster compared to when they’re released on the App Store,” he said. “Waiting up to 20 days for bug fixes is frustrating, especially when it’s out of my control and I can’t contact Apple about it,” Young said.

In addition, developers won’t have to pay the 15%-30% Apple tax any longer.

“Imagine losing 30% of your gross revenue, then losing another 10%-60% of your net profit to pay the state tax wherever you live,” Young said. “You end up with almost nothing.”

Seelemann noted that many developers are also upset about the transaction fees that Apple charges.

“[Money] is at the core of the battle,” he said. “I can imagine that Apple is concerned that they’re going to lose a significant amount of revenue. They say it’s about safety, security, user experience, and what have you. But I would say these are only secondary concerns.”

It’s unlikely to topple the dominance of the App Store.

Seelemann said that he’ll likely put Ulysses on all the platforms that make sense for his company.

“And if the transaction fees are low on other platforms, we might even direct the users that come through our channels to the alternative [app stores] because they’re cheaper for us,” Seelemann said.

Young also said that some developers have had bad experiences with the App Store and as such have avoided building on the platform.

“My previous experience came from building web apps that are permissionless,” he said. “The App Store review has been a painful experience for me.”

Young explained that it took him three months to build Session, but he couldn’t release it because he couldn’t register for the Apple Developer Program.

“I couldn’t contact [Apple] for any reason, and it took me over six months and more than 30 tries to register,” he said. “Multiple calls to Apple Singapore proved useless. I was only able to register when I emailed them with my credit card and CVV number, so they could bill me directly. I know that’s not safe, but it worked, and now I’m registered.”

The long-term impact on the EU’s app market

While Apple initially seemed to be somewhat resistant to the requirements of the DMA, experts believe it’s unlikely to topple the dominance of the App Store.

And Seelemann said he isn’t even sure that this will be a major change for developers — at least in the short term.

“The [Apple] App Store right now is such an essential place,” he said. “And I don’t see that alternative app stores will overtake it in a short time. Maybe in [a few years] or even a decade things might change but, even when alternative app stores are installed, people will still go to the Apple App Store first to find apps. I don’t think when the gates open, there will be a flood coming.”

It remains to be seen what the full impact of the DMA will be on the EU’s app market but what we can say is that Apple isn’t going anywhere. As the App Store continues to be preinstalled on Apple’s devices, to reach these users, app developers will still need to contend with the company’s rules. However, more options may give newbie app developers more room to experiment, innovate, and grow their user base.

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Europe’s Juice space mission blasts off towards Jupiter

Corporates and innovation, Deep tech, Government and policy, Insider, Next Featured, Startups and technology / /

The ESA’s Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer mission — ‘Juice’ — successfully launched today from Europe’s spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana.    

The launch was supposed to take place yesterday but was postponed due to poor weather conditions. 

Today, the stars aligned and Juice was successfully blasted into orbit at approximately 14: 19 CEST.

It took only two minutes for the Ariane 5 rocket to transport Juice into space, shortly after which it separated from the satellite, which now begins its 8-year journey to Jupiter.