Welcome to our latest round-up of news from the technology and hosting world. Here’s what we’ve discovered this month.
G-Cloud Relaunch
The UK government has relaunched its system for buying cloud services to make it easier for public sector organisations to purchase what they need and for smaller technology companies to compete for contracts.
G-Cloud 15 will combine several existing schemes into one agreement worth around £14 billion over four years. This enables NHS trusts, councils and other public bodies to buy cloud services through a single route instead of using separate schemes. Meanwhile, an updated category system will help buyers find the most suitable services and make it easier for smaller providers to give details of their services.
With the public sector under pressure to modernise its IT, G-Cloud 15 will make procuring cloud services easier and reduce delays. eukhost is an accredited HM Government G-Cloud Provider.
Pilotless Aircraft
Pilotless aircraft are finally progressing from testing to commercial use, especially in farming and cargo transport. US company Pyka, which already operates 12 electric, pilotless crop-spraying aircraft in Brazil, has recently been given limited approval to operate in the US.
Pyka’s aircraft can plan their own routes, avoid known obstacles and take off and land by themselves. As they can fly at lower altitudes than piloted aircraft, they can also help reduce crop spray drifting away, lowering the amount of chemicals needed. This can cut costs for farmers and reduce the environmental impact of pesticides.
Meanwhile, the UK firm Windracers is planning to launch an unmanned cargo service between the Shetland and Orkney islands. The company has received CAA approval to carry out test flights of its aircraft, which can carry up to 150kg of cargo. With ferry journeys between the isles often cancelled due to bad seas, Windracers offers customers a more weather-resilient way to transport goods.
AI Shopping Trolleys
Morrisons is testing AI-enabled shopping trolleys at its Ashton-on-Ribble store in Preston. While the supermarket is the first in the UK to try the technology, similar trolleys are already used in more than 100 cities around the world.
The trolleys, made by US company Instacart, use cameras, sensors and AI to recognise products as customers put them inside, removing the need for shoppers to scan the items themselves. Meanwhile, a screen on the trolley shows the current total and can suggest related products. When finished, customers pay by scanning the trolley’s screen.
The supermarket is observing how customers respond to the new trolleys before making a decision on introducing them across its stores. While fully checkout-free supermarkets, such as those trialled by Amazon, have not been very successful, this trial will show whether a different kind of AI-assisted shopping can work.
AMD Fund Oxford AI Lab
Global microprocessor manufacturer AMD will provide up to £5 million in funding for a new advanced AI research centre led by the University of Oxford. The British Open-ended Learning and Discovery Lab (BOLD) will bring together researchers from Oxford, University College London and Imperial College London.
AMD will provide the lab’s computing resources for the first 18 months, including infrastructure and its ROCm open software program. It will also collaborate with BOLD on software improvements, research and open-source work.
BOLD will focus on three main areas: new ways for AI to learn, AI designed around people’s needs, and physical AI systems such as robots. Research plans include different ways to train AI models, systems where multiple AI agents work together, and AI that operates in the physical world. Researchers are expected to publicly share their software, performance tests and evaluation tools.
The project is part of a broader effort to strengthen AI research in the UK. BOLD will share £60 million in government funding with SOFAIR, a project led by UCL. Separately, AMD has committed £2 billion to AI investment in the UK, including better access to powerful computing resources.
O2 Satellite Connectivity
O2 has launched a satellite service for businesses that need reliable mobile coverage in places where normal networks do not reach. O2 Satellite for Business automatically connects phones to a satellite when there is no regular mobile signal. Firms do not need special equipment or additional apps for a connection.
The service works with selected Apple, Google and Samsung smartphones and is compatible with messaging, maps, weather updates and location sharing through commonly used apps.
O2 Satellite for Business is aimed especially at organisations that work in rural or remote areas, or those with staff who travel and work in different locations. O2 says the service will increase its UK land coverage from 89% to 95%, bringing connectivity to areas with limited traditional mobile infrastructure.
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