Monday, October 14, 2024

Welcome to TechCrunch AM! And Happy Indigenous People's Day to those who celebrate. Today, we're reading about the threat of cyberattacks hitting critical infrastructure in the U.S., why the market for wearable neurotech is ready to strike, and Table Space's upcoming $2.5 billion IPO. We've also got notes on how data center demands are reviving coal power, the apparently not existential threat of AI, 5G from outer space, how to raise millions before launching a product, and more. Let's go!

TechCrunch Top 3

Image Credits: ilkaydede / Getty Images (Image has been modified)

An epoch-defining threat: The U.S. government and its allies have taken action against the "Typhoon" family of Chinese hacking groups, who have burrowed into critical American infrastructure to lay the groundwork for destructive cyberattacks. Read more

The case for wearable neurotech: The medtech market is having a brain-stimulation therapeutics moment, and investors say the opportunity is massive. After all, more invasive neurotech and pharma get billions. Why not a wearable that does the same thing? Read more

Table for 2.5 billion? TC got the scoop that Table Space is targeting a valuation of at least $2.5 billion in an IPO next year. That's a mighty high valuation given the struggles of WeWork, but India presents a different market opportunity. Read more

Morning must-reads

Image Credits: Apple

🍼 It takes a village: Peanut is a social networking app and online community that's designed to connect women throughout all stages of their lives. And now it's got a new feature to help women track their pregnancies. I hope they take user privacy seriously, though. Read more

🍎 Apple's still gunning for VR: Apple is reportedly gearing up to launch a $2,000 Vision headset next year, which is, if not affordable, cheaper than the current $3,500 Vision Pro. The new model won't include the feature that shows a user's eyes outside the headset. Read more

🪫 Data centers are not a forum for experimentation: Startups promising to make data center energy management more efficient are cropping up left and right to handle an AI-fueled demand bump. But getting their tech adopted isn't going to be as easy as it sounds. Read more

🤨 Is AI's existential threat BS? That's what AI pioneer Yann LeCun thinks. He argued that today's LLMs lack key cat-level capabilities, like an understanding of the physical world and persistent memory, so they will never lead to true AGI. Read more

📡 ET phone home: French startup Constellation wants to launch a constellation of satellites in very low Earth orbit so telecom operators can provide 5G internet access from space. It takes advantage of the "convergence of space and terrestrial connectivity" happening today. Read more

Around the web

🏭 Power grab: A utility plant in North Omaha had promised to stop burning coal, and residents rejoiced. But then Meta and Google came to town. Now, The Washington Post reports, Omaha's utility company said electricity demand is so high, they need to keep burning coal. Read more

🤓 King of the geeks: The Financial Times has a profile of Alex Gerko, a math PhD who used an Icelandic supercomputer and 26,000 AI chips to build XTX Markets, an algorithmic trading firm that's rewiring financial trading. Read more

🎵 Mapping music's genres: Is that song folk or bluegrass? Is it drum n' bass or house? If you are obsessed with putting music into neat little boxes, you should check out MusicMap.info, which maps it all out for you. Read more

Before you go

Image Credits: Apple

🙋 The avatars are coming: Awais Shafique knows how to raise a multi-million-dollar round before his company has even launched a product. After selling a previous startup to Meta, his new venture, Beyond Presence, has just raised $3.1 million to create realistic AI avatars. Read more