AI for rail operations: Loughborough University and TrainFX unveiled an AI monitoring platform that estimates carriage occupancy in real time using depth-sensing cameras, helping operators balance capacity and reduce crowding without identifying passengers. EU tech sovereignty: The EU rolled out a “technological sovereignty” package aimed at cutting reliance on foreign providers by boosting chips, AI, cloud capacity, and open-source, including a Chips Act 2.0 and cloud/AI funding plans. Quantum for industry: Quantinuum signed an MOU with Mitsubishi Electric to explore quantum and hybrid quantum-classical computing for engineering simulation and design, including CFD and advanced CAE workflows. Robotics in warehouses: Amazon’s Proteus robot gets a language-based interface so workers can assign tasks without specialized software, with broader deployment planned for 2027. STEM education wins: Foothill High School students took first nationally in the Lockheed Martin Mission to Mars Challenge with a modular nuclear power concept for Mars bases. Tech policy at city hall: Jefferson City, Missouri, said its capital improvement sales tax helps fund cybersecurity, servers, and AI tools, with voters deciding renewal in August. Semiconductors leadership: Renesas announced a leadership transition in its engineering org, appointing interim co-heads while searching for a permanent CTO. Industrial growth: Serbia’s Krusevac Industrial and Technology Park is nearing completion, targeting first tenants in September.