Quantum Computing AI News & Updates
Spanish Startup Raises $215M for AI Model Compression Technology Reducing LLM Size by 95%
Spanish startup Multiverse Computing raised €189 million ($215M) Series B funding for its CompactifAI technology, which uses quantum-computing inspired compression to reduce LLM sizes by up to 95% without performance loss. The company offers compressed versions of open-source models like Llama and Mistral that are 4x-12x faster and reduce inference costs by 50%-80%, enabling deployment on devices from PCs to Raspberry Pi. Founded by quantum physics professor Román Orús and former banking executive Enrique Lizaso Olmos, the company claims 160 patents and serves 100 customers globally.
Skynet Chance (-0.03%): Model compression technology makes AI more accessible and deployable on edge devices, but doesn't inherently increase control risks or alignment challenges. The focus on efficiency rather than capability enhancement provides marginal risk reduction through democratization.
Skynet Date (+0 days): While compression enables broader AI deployment, it focuses on efficiency rather than advancing core capabilities that would accelerate dangerous AI development. The technology may slightly slow the concentration of AI power by enabling wider access to compressed models.
AGI Progress (+0.02%): Significant compression advances (95% size reduction while maintaining performance) represent important progress in AI efficiency and deployment capabilities. This enables more widespread experimentation and deployment of capable models, contributing to overall AI ecosystem development.
AGI Date (+0 days): The dramatic cost reduction (50%-80% inference savings) and ability to run capable models on edge devices accelerates AI adoption and experimentation cycles. Broader access to efficient AI models likely speeds up overall progress toward more advanced systems.
QuEra Secures $230 Million to Build Useful Quantum Computer
Quantum computing startup QuEra has raised $230 million in convertible note funding from investors including Google and SoftBank to build a "useful" quantum computer within the next three to five years. The company, which already generates revenue from selling quantum computers and cloud services, is developing a neutral atom quantum supercomputer that uses lasers to cool atoms and reduce computational errors.
Skynet Chance (+0.03%): Advances in quantum computing could eventually enable computational capabilities far beyond classical systems, potentially increasing the risks of uncontrollable AI by providing massive computing resources that could accelerate AI development or be leveraged by advanced systems.
Skynet Date (+0 days): While quantum computing doesn't directly relate to immediate AI risks, the massive investment in alternative computing architectures could eventually provide computational resources that accelerate advanced AI research, marginally bringing forward potential control issues.
AGI Progress (+0.02%): Significant advancements in quantum computing would provide a complementary computational paradigm that could solve problems classical computers struggle with, potentially overcoming current computational bottlenecks in AI development and opening new paths to AGI.
AGI Date (+0 days): The substantial investment in quantum computing infrastructure and the goal of building a useful quantum computer within 3-5 years could eventually provide new computational resources that accelerate certain aspects of advanced AI research.
OpenAI Trademark Filing Reveals Plans for Humanoid Robots and AI Hardware
OpenAI has filed a new trademark application with the USPTO that hints at ambitious future product lines including AI-powered hardware and humanoid robots. The filing mentions headphones, smart glasses, jewelry, humanoid robots with communication capabilities, custom AI chips, and quantum computing services, though the company's timeline for bringing these products to market remains unclear.
Skynet Chance (+0.06%): OpenAI's intent to develop humanoid robots with 'communication and learning functions' signals a significant step toward embodied AI that can physically interact with the world, increasing autonomous capabilities that could eventually lead to control issues if alignment isn't prioritized alongside capabilities.
Skynet Date (-1 days): The parallel development of hardware (including humanoid robots), custom AI chips, and quantum computing resources suggests OpenAI is building comprehensive infrastructure to accelerate AI embodiment and processing capabilities, potentially shortening the timeline to advanced AI systems.
AGI Progress (+0.03%): The integrated approach of combining advanced hardware, specialized chips, embodied robotics, and quantum computing optimization represents a systematic attempt to overcome current AI limitations, particularly in real-world interaction and computational efficiency.
AGI Date (-1 days): Custom AI chips targeted for 2026 release and quantum computing optimization suggest OpenAI is strategically addressing the computational barriers to AGI, potentially accelerating the timeline by enhancing both model training efficiency and real-world deployment capabilities.