Tech news: 5 things to know in Australia today

Good morning. Let’s get right into the tech news, shall we?

1. Australia’s quantum industry prepares for grants

Kicking things off, itNews reports that the Australian government has earmarked early 2024 for its quantum computing grants. The government allocated $101 million in May’s federal budget for quantum computing and artificial intelligence, with CSIRO predicting the industry could be worth up to $6.1 billion and employ 19,000 Australians by 2045 Two separate grant programs are expected to launch in 2024.

2. Toyota makes fun of its battery technology

CNET reports that Toyota’s new battery will be able to travel up to 1,207 km, while it will take just 10 minutes to recharge. The automaker plans to have the battery in cars by 2028, with the expectation that these batteries will soon be followed by a version capable of traveling 1,480 km. Until then, Toyota says it will release a battery capable of traveling 997km by 2026. The company’s development of electric vehicles has been slow compared to other major automakers, but a battery with this capacity would be a giant leap. forward for the technology.

3. CEFC Dedicates $20 Million to Rideshare EVs

Staying on electric vehicles, the Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC) has announced a $20 million concessional loan to increase the number of electric vehicles used by rideshare companies in Australia like Uber. The money will go to car leasing company Splend, Australia’s largest provider of vehicle-sharing subscriptions, and allow the company to double its fleet of electric vehicles. “Ridesharing vehicles cover five to six times the distance of the average privately owned car,” said Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen. “It’s about making management cleaner, cheaper and more accessible for rideshare workers.”

4. Twitter gets evicted from one of its offices

Could we go a day without writing about Twitter? The latest comes from TechCrunch, which reports that the bird app has been evicted from its Boulder, Colorado office. Twitter reportedly owes the office owner three months’ rent, and a judge has signed off on the tech giant’s eviction. As many as 300 employees were once expected to work at the Boulder office, but after Twitter’s massive layoffs, TechCrunch now expects that number to probably be less than half.

Twitter gets evicted from its Colorado office for unpaid rent https://t.co/XIjedm0rjz pic.twitter.com/qcJZyijbcM

— Engadget (@engadget) June 14, 2023

5. The European Union takes one step closer to regulating AI

The European Union is one step closer to regulating artificial intelligence with a first-of-its-kind AI law, which aims to ban any application of artificial intelligence that poses a risk to the general public. The act places AI in one of three categories that identify it as an unacceptable risk, a high-risk application, or largely left unregulated. The AI ​​Act site clarifies that under the first category of unacceptable risk, it will ban applications that put the government at risk, such as government-run social score of the type used in China. Meanwhile, if an AI application is placed in the high-risk category, the act specifies that these applications, such as CV scanning tools, will be reviewed to ensure they meet legal requirements.

Good day.