Tech Digest daily roundup: Britishvolt on brink of administration
The UK government-backed battery startup Britishvolt is on the brink of entering administration with the potential loss of almost 300 jobs, after it struggled to find investors willing to fund its effort to build a giant £3.8bn “gigafactory” in north-east England. The company had considered an administration as early as Monday, two sources with knowledge of Britishvolt’s operations told the Guardian. Britishvolt has lined up the accountancy firm EY to carry out the administration if it goes ahead. However, one source cautioned that Britishvolt was also still examining other options to try to find a last-ditch rescuer, with administration possible later in the week if those talks failed. Guardian
British cyber spies have been playing a key role in defending Ukraine from widespread Russian cyber attacks since the start of the invasion, it has been confirmed. The damage caused by Russian hackers would have been “very significant” without the British assistance, Leo Docherty, a junior foreign office minister, said. He told Sky News the UK has also bolstered its own cyber defences because of “a very significant cyber threat from Russia. We’re already on the frontline… We are aware of the threat. We have raised our own preparations and our own defences,” Mr Docherty said. Sky News
UK charging network operator Gridserve has installed a 360 kW-capable electric vehicle charger – which the company claims is the UK’s fastest – at its pioneering electric forecourt in Braintree, Essex. Gridserve has branded the Terra 360, made by ABB, as “High Power.” The company says the High Power is “able to provide a maximum 360 kW of power, meaning it has the ability to add around 62 miles of range in three minutes or fully charge an electric car in less than 15 minutes.” (For comparison, the Tesla Supercharger has a max charging rate of 250 kW.) Keep in mind that Gridserve is planning for the future with the High Power, as few electric cars are currently capable of a charging speed of 360 kW. The Porsche Taycan has a max charging capacity (peak) of up to 270 kW, for example. Elektrek
New rules designed to rein in the dominance of big tech companies are coming into force in the EU. Under the Digital Markets Act (DMA), technology giants such as Google and Apple could be made to open up their services and platforms to other firms and developers. Messaging apps, for example, could be required to work with smaller rival applications. The legislation will not apply in the UK because of Brexit. In the European Union, the act will change the rules for companies of large size and influence – the so-called gatekeeper firms. But some of the larger firms have expressed concern about the DMA’s potential impact on security and innovation. BBC
Elon Musk has dissolved Twitter’s board of directors which makes him the ‘sole director’ of the social media giant – as he plans to ‘fire a quarter of the workforce’ after being spotted partying with his ex-wife. The world’s richest man was spotted in Beverly Hills on Sunday night for an exclusive Halloween party hosted by actress Bella Thorne, and was accompanied by his former spouse Justine Wilson. It appears that he was parting into the early hours, before a security filing was reported on Monday, which states that all previous members of the board are no longer directors ‘in accordance with the terms of the merger agreement’. Daily Mail
