Silicon Republic

Italian health-tech platform Qura raises €1.5m in pre-seed round Italian-founded AI preventative health platform Qura has raised €1.5m in a pre-seed funding round led by United Ventures to address “a significant gap in the European healthcare landscape”.

Italian-founded AI preventative health platform Qura has raised €1.5m in a pre-seed funding round to help address “a significant gap in the European healthcare landscape”.

Apple says new iPhone 17e is more bang for the same buck Apple launched the latest iPhone in its more affordable ‘e’ series, retailing at prices beginning at $599.

Apple launched the latest iPhone in its more affordable ‘e’ series, retailing at prices beginning at $599. Apple’s vice-president for worldwide iPhone marketing, Kaiann Drance, called this a model “that will last”.

For modern professionals AI is about smarter habits, not shortcuts Experts from Accenture, BearingPoint and Workhuman discuss how their roles are impacted by AI and automation, day-to-day.

Experts from Accenture, BearingPoint and Workhuman discuss how AI and automation can positively impact working life.

As sites attempt to block AI crawlers, is the ‘open web’ closing? Tai Neilson expores how the 'open web' is potentially being made inaccessible by companies looking to profit off of data and the AI wave.

Tai Neilson, a senior lecturer at Macquarie University explores how data has become a ‘hot commodity’ for companies training AI systems.

Novo Nordisk to invest €432m in Athlone facility Months after cutting more than 100 jobs at its Monksland facility, Novo Nordisk has announced a €432m investment at the plant to improve pill production.

Months after implementing sweeping job cuts at its Monksland facility, Danish drug-maker Novo Nordisk has announced a €432m investment at the Athlone-based plant to advance the its manufacturing capacity for GLP-1 drugs.

Check out today’s Daily Brief for the latest sci-tech news, including:

Nvidia partners with telcos for AI-ready 6G infrastructure
Research Ireland launches new five-year strategy
Pfizer launches apprenticeship programme in Ireland

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Pfizer launches science, engineering and manufacturing apprenticeship Pharmaceutical Pfizer has launced the 2026 Apprenticeship Programme, which will create 22 science, engineering and manufacturing jobs.

Open to both school leavers and those looking for a new career or educational achievement, those interested can apply for one of the 22 opportunities available across Pfizer’s sites in Grange Castle, Dublin, Newbridge, Kildare and Ringaskiddy, Cork.

Research Ireland’s new five-year strategy targets talent, economy, society Research Ireland has unveiled its inaugural strategy for development of the country’s research and innovation landscape over the next five years, ‘Curiosity, Capability, Competitiveness – Charting Ireland’s Research and Innovation Future 2026–2030’, to create “prosperity for the people of Ireland” through stronger enterprise performance and enhanced national competitiveness.

Research Ireland’s new five-year strategy targets talent, the economy and society.

Telco giants join forces with Nvidia for AI-ready 6G infrastructure With the partnership, Nvidia will attempt to fast track AI adoption across the radio access networkm and edge and core.

Nvidia has announced a new joint project with global telecommunication leaders to fast track AI-ready 6G infrastructure.

OpenAI raises $110bn in round double the size of previous raise OpenAI has announced a record-breaking funding round of $110bn, with companies such as Amazon and Nvidia onboard as investors.

US artificial intelligence platform OpenAI has announced a $110bn funding round, reportedly a record for the private technology company, with a figure that is double that of its previous funding round.

AI in higher education and the 'erosion' of learning Prof Nir Eisikovits and Jacob Burley of the University of Massachusetts Boston discuss AI in higher education and its role in "cognitive offloading".

Prof Nir Eisikovits and Jacob Burley of the University of Massachusetts Boston discuss the ethics of AI in higher education and the technology’s role in ‘cognitive offloading’.

10 Irish start-ups that raised funds early in 2026 The Irish start-up ecosystem had a busy start to the year, with many announcing significant funding rounds.

The Irish start-up ecosystem had a busy start to the year, with many announcing significant funding rounds.

eBay cuts 800 jobs after Depop acquisition The announcement comes after eBay posted a 2025 net revenue of $11.1bn, up 8pc from the year before.

Online marketplace eBay is laying off around 800 jobs – or 6pc of its workforce spread globally. The job cuts are a response to operating model needs and future priorities, the company has explained.

Jobs: Who is hiring in AI, robotics and automation right now? 15 organisations in Ireland are looking to recruit a number of AI, automation and robotics professionals to their teams.

AI solutions architect, senior automation engineer and machine learning engineer, are just three of the exciting roles open to qualified professionals in Ireland at the moment.

Only five left as Toby Pohlen latest co-founder to exit xAI Toby Pohlen is the latest co-founder to leave xAI, announcing his decision to resign just weeks after two others left.

The Elon Musk-owned xAI lost three co-founder in the weeks after his space-tech company SpaceX bought xAI for a reported $250bn. The combined business is worth an estimated $1.25trn.

Check out today’s Daily Brief for the latest sci-tech news, including:

Chip crunch to hit smartphone and PC shipments in 2026
Jack Dorsey’s Block cuts 4,000 jobs
Monzo to nearly double Irish headcount by 2027

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Latest Intel exit sees Foundry lead Kevin O’Buckley joining Qualcomm Intel Foundry’s lead Kevin O’Buckley has left to join Qualcomm, where he will be leading the company’s semiconductor operations.

Intel Foundry’s senior vice-president and general manager Kevin O’Buckley is leaving the company to join Qualcomm, where he will be leading the company’s semiconductor operations.

Wicklow’s Trinity Biotech secures $25m in SEPA funding Irish health diagnostic solutions company Trinity Biotech has secured new funding of up to $25m through a standby equity purchase agreement with Yorkville Advisors, with proceeds going towards R&D programs and commercialisation initiatives.

Wicklow’s Trinity Biotech secures $25m in SEPA funding.

Digital bank Monzo to nearly double Irish headcount by 2027 Neobank Monzo announced plans to nearly double its headcount in Ireland amid a continuing plan for further European growth.

UK neobank Monzo has announced plans to grow the Ireland-based team to 70 employees by mid-2027, nearly doubling its current headcount.

Jack Dorsey's Block cuts 4,000 citing AI as the cause Block is cutting 4,000 jobs as, according to company chief Jack Dorsey, AI tools and flatter teams are proving more productive.

In a lengthy post on X, Dorsey stated that he made the decision to cut jobs after realising how small teams and intelligence tools have enabled a “new way of working” that “fundamentally changes” things.

Chip crunch to hit smartphone, PC shipments in 2026 by over 10pc IDC and Gartner are warning of sharp declines in smartphone and PC shipments in 2026 and warn AI PC shipments will be delayed.

IDC and Gartner warning that the chip shortage will mean biggest decline in decade in PC and smartphone shipments.

Nearly 60pc of Irish workers want employers to adopt ‘microshifting’ Data from Robert Walters shows how for a large number of Irish employees, microshifting is the next phase of work-life balance evolution.

Robert Walters’ data suggests that microshifting could be the next evolution of flexible working.

Rathnait Long, Distinguished Fellow of Technology at Macom Technology Solutions, talks about her career in engineering and now in leadership at the Lowell, Massachusetts-based semiconductor company with operations in Cork, Ireland. Check out the full Podcast 🔗 vist.ly/4sys7

Leadership competing with salary in attracting top talent, research finds A recent CPL report identified how, for employees, high-quality leadership can rival a good salary and other workplace benefits.

CPL’s report found that nowadays, salary may no longer be the most pressing concern for professionals.

London's Allica Bank reaches unicorn status after $155m raise London-based Allica Bank joins the European unicorn league with a $155m Series D raise that values the company at $1.2bn.

London’s Allica Bank has joined the European unicorn league with a $155m Series D raise that values the company at $1.2bn.

Galway's CrannMed bags €12.5m in EIC funds for new pain relief device Galway medical device maker CrannMed is receiving €12.5m from the European Innovation Council to take its chronic pain therapy to market.

Galway medical device manufacturer CrannMed has qualified for a €12.5m accelerator grant from the European Innovation Council to develop a chronic inflammatory pain therapy.

Check out today’s Daily Brief for the latest sci-tech news, including:

Anthropic acquires Vercept
Manna partners with Uber
Intrinsic joins Google

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Irish drone start-up Manna partners with Uber for European urban air delivery.

Alphabet-owned robotics software company Intrinsic joins Google Intrinsic, an AI and software platform owned by Alphabet, is joining Google as a means of boosting AI innovation.

Intrinsic, an Alphabet-owned software and AI company, is joining Google.

Anthropic acquires former AI2 researchers’ start-up Vercept Anthropic has acquired Seattle-based AI computer interface builder Vercept to help further Claude’s agentic abilities.

Anthropic has acquired Seattle-based AI computer interface builder Vercept for an undisclosed amount to help further Claude’s agentic abilities. But not all of the founding team was pleased with the acqui-hire.