Jacob Andreou, the 33-year-old executive Satya Nadella promoted to run Copilot in March after just one year at Microsoft, now oversees more than 11,000 people. He has merged the consumer and enterprise Copilot teams, eliminated redundant product versions, and is building a super app that combines chat, coding, and a new agentic workflow called Autopilot, according to a Fortune profile published Friday.

“This is one of the most intensely competitive environments tech has seen in the last 20 years,” Andreou told Fortune. “Because the technology is moving so quickly, the reality is a six to twelve month roadmap doesn’t really exist in the way it used to.”

The profile paints Andreou as a technically hands-on leader who personally codes alongside developers. He built Copilot Tasks, an AI agent that can autonomously perform multi-step actions like ordering food, in roughly two months. That speed impressed Nadella, who dismantled Microsoft’s entire senior leadership structure this year in favour of startup-style engineering groups.

Andreou’s appointment freed Mustafa Suleyman, the DeepMind co-founder, to focus on proprietary AI models rather than day-to-day product management. The two work closely but run separate organisations. Suleyman told a group of roughly 80 developers in March that the future of software development means fewer people working harder by leveraging AI agents, according to Fortune.

The challenge is substantial. Only about 4.5% of 450 million Microsoft 365 customers pay for Copilot, and its free consumer version trails far behind ChatGPT. Microsoft’s stock is down double digits over the past year as investors question AI spending and the company’s reliance on OpenAI. Jefferies analyst Brent Thill said the general perception of Copilot is that “it stinks.”

Before Microsoft, Andreou spent eight years at Snap scaling the platform from 80 million to 360 million daily active users. He then joined Greylock as a venture partner backing consumer AI startups. At Microsoft, he has introduced consumption-based pricing alongside seat licences, scaled back the Copilot icons that irritated Windows users, and launched Copilot Cowork to compete with Anthropic’s Claude.

Not everyone is on board with the new culture. Current and former employees told Fortune that some teams now work 12-hour days, feel daily panic to keep up with Anthropic and other labs, and worry that shipping speed risks compliance problems. Critics say Andreou can be overconfident and still has to prove himself in enterprise software, where the burden is building durable revenue at scale.

Andreou’s three stated priorities are delivering a superior AI chat product, achieving leading model quality without being late to market, and providing a trusted way to integrate various models. The super app, expected by end of summer, will let users toggle between personal and enterprise accounts in one interface. Microsoft is also exploring hosting DeepSeek and other open-source models inside Copilot Cowork, while Nadella has warned against industry reliance on only a few AI providers.

New EU proposals would give Europol a sovereign cloud and a shared data space to fight cross-border crime.

The European Commission has proposed extensive new measures to strengthen Europol and Eurojust, aiming to give the EU’s law enforcement and judicial agencies sharper tools against crime that it said is increasingly sophisticated, international and digital.

The package includes two regulations reinforcing the mandates of Europol and Eurojust, a revision of the European Investigation Order, and changes to the Data Protection Regulation for EU institutions and bodies. The reforms are designed to target criminal networks and hostile actors operating across borders, online and, increasingly, through AI.

Technology is at the heart of the proposed Europol overhaul. The agency will build a secure, scalable and sovereign cloud infrastructure alongside a new Police Shared Data Space, allowing investigators in different member states to work jointly on the same cases in real time. Automated information sharing is intended to replace slower manual exchange between national authorities.

Europol will also set up a technology and innovation hub, giving the EU its first bloc-wide view of law enforcement capability gaps, and helping member states pool investment in joint research and development. Any tools that come out of the hub will be distributed to national authorities through the same shared data space.

On the ground, Europol Support Offices staffed by former Europol officers will be rolled out in member states, widening access to the agency’s forensics and data-analysis capabilities.

Eurojust gets its own tech upgrade: a new information system will let Eurojust and Europol flag cases and information relevant to both agencies, tightening the link between judicial and law enforcement cooperation. Eurojust’s mandate is also being widened into emerging crime areas, including cybercrime, breaches of EU restrictive measures, and gender-based violence, alongside greater power to open coordination on its own initiative.

Separately, the Commission wants to update the European Investigation Order, the standard mechanism for gathering evidence across borders in criminal cases, by clarifying procedures and removing operational snags. A new European Remote Participation Order would let suspects, accused persons and victims take part in criminal hearings remotely from another member state.

“Criminals are highly adept at exploiting the opportunities of the digital realm, operating effectively across borders without limitations,” said Henna Virkkunen, Executive Vice-President for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy yesterday at the announcement.

“With today’s proposals, we are strengthening both Europol and Eurojust so that Europe can respond faster, including in the fight against online criminal activities, share information more effectively, and bring criminals to justice more efficiently.”

“Serious organised crime is becoming increasingly sophisticated, digital and transnational,” said Michael McGrath, Commissioner for Democracy, Justice, the Rule of Law and Consumer Protection. “Eurojust must be equipped to keep pace with these evolving threats. This reform strengthens the agency’s capacity to support national judicial authorities, coordinate complex cross-border investigations and enhance cooperation with partners across Europe and beyond.

“By modernising Eurojust’s mandate, we are reinforcing the rule of law and ensuring that justice can respond with the same speed and agility as the criminal networks it seeks to disrupt,”

The proposals now move to the European Parliament and member states for negotiation.

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Smart bulbs have really caught on in recent years, and it’s easy to see why. They are a breeze to use, work exactly as advertised and offer a simplified introduction into the world of smart home automation. Also, there’s just something fun about barking “turn the lights off” like a spoiled monarch and getting the bulb to do your bidding.

Smart bulbs tend to be filled with some nifty, albeit relatively simple, tech, leaving many to wonder if they use more energy than traditional LED bulbs. After all, they do contain more components to enable communication with your smartphone or Wi-Fi. So are these gadgets truly energy efficient or does the convenience come with a price? 

Do smart bulbs use more energy than standard LED bulbs?

The answer is yes. Smart bulbs do use a tad bit more energy than regular LED bulbs. This is due to the nature of the technology. The two types of bulbs use the same amount of energy when illuminating a space, but standard LEDs draw no power when turned off. Smart bulbs do draw a bit of power when not in use, so they can remain connected to Wi-Fi or a hub. 

According to a 2019 study published in ScienceDirect, “when a user turns off a smart LED bulb from a mobile device, the bulb stops emitting light; however it is constantly consuming power.” The study found that of the 30 smart LED bulbs tested, 21 had standby power consumption levels of less than 0.5 watts, which met the requirement set out by the Energy Star program.

How much more energy does a smart bulb use?

Smart bulbs use very little electricity in standby mode. This varies depending on the manufacturer and model, but we’ve found devices like the TP-Link Tapo that are advertised as consuming about 0.2 watts in standby, while Philips Hue stated in a whitepaper that most of its “more modern products” consume less than 0.5 watts while in standby mode. 

A single bulb’s standby power consumption will increase your energy bill by $0.35 to $1.30 per year, though this will vary depending on local utility costs. For many, this difference in consumption will be negligible and won’t impede smart bulb adoption.

The US Department of Energy notes that devices left in standby mode make up around 5 to 10 percent of a home’s total electricity use. The biggest standby power thieves are things like microwaves, televisions, routers and computers, though.

Can you still save money in the long run?

Absolutely. The additional power draw of a smart bulb is so small that the various benefits offered could offset the cost and even reverse it. One of the primary functions of a smart bulb is the ability to turn it on or off at will via an app or smart assistant. Another primary function is the ability to create schedules. Taken together, this can drastically reduce the amount of time the bulb is being used. Many models even allow for dimming, which further lowers the energy load.

Are there any other hidden costs with smart bulbs?

There is one other fairly significant cost factor, but it’s not hidden at all. That’s the price of the actual bulbs. Smart bulbs tend to be more expensive to purchase when compared to regular bulbs. Traditional LEDs cost anywhere from $1.50 to $4 per bulb, and combo packs can lower the price even further. Smart bulbs start at around $6, in the case of IKEA’s latest offering, and shoot all the way up to around $90. However, the average price sits at around $8 to $15 per bulb. Combo packs can help keep costs down.

Do smart bulbs last longer than traditional LEDs?

No, but it’s a bit more complicated than that. Smart bulbs are typically rated slightly under traditional LED bulbs when it comes to lifespan. This is primarily because of the additional components involved with a smart bulb, which can wear down as the years go on. On paper, regular LEDs last for 20 to 40 years and smart bulb LEDs last anywhere from 15 to 25 years.

Once again, this can be offset by the nature of the technology. Smart bulbs won’t stay powered on as long as old-school light bulbs, but the added control options will likely translate to a more economical usage schedule.

• Swaptopus plans battery hubs capable of supporting 300,000 electric trucks
• CATL and Octopus want truck batteries swapped within minutes
• Europe’s freight sector could avoid lengthy charging delays through swapping

Octopus Energy has outlined plans for large-scale battery projects aimed at accelerating the shift towards electric freight transport across Europe.

The company is working with battery giant CATL on battery technologies for freight transport, energy storage, and grid services.

Ice cream for breakfast? Well, sure, why not, especially when it’s a wholesome and nutritious high-protein ice cream you make in your Ninja Creami. It might even be healthier than the breakfast you had this morning.

There are several different models of the Ninja Creami, including the Swirl, which I used. You can read my Ninja Creami Swirl review here. Any model will do for making delicious and healthy breakfast ‘ice cream’, the Swirl can just make it into soft serve if you like. You must freeze your ingredients in the provided container for 24 hours, so be sure to plan a day ahead.

Protein shakes

Trustpilot has struck a partnership with Shopify that will let the platform’s merchants display and manage Trustpilot reviews directly inside their online stores. The integration goes live on June 29 and is the Danish review company’s first native tie-up with a major ecommerce platform. Financial terms were not disclosed.

The deal arrives at a moment when AI is rewriting how shoppers discover products. Trustpilot said click-throughs from AI-powered search engines rose 1,490 percent during its most recent financial year, which ended in March. A study by analytics firm Promptwatch ranked Trustpilot as the fifth most-cited domain globally on ChatGPT, behind only Wikipedia, YouTube, Reddit, and LinkedIn.

That surge is what makes the Shopify tie-up more than a distribution deal. As AI assistants start recommending products and handling purchases on a shopper’s behalf, the data those assistants rely on to form an opinion becomes critical infrastructure. Trustpilot’s argument is that verified human reviews are the trust layer AI needs to make good recommendations.

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“The rise of AI is transforming how consumers discover, evaluate and purchase products,” CEO Adrian Blair said. “Shopify merchants will now be able to build trust with customers at the point of decision.”

The partnership is not exclusive. Trustpilot said in March that it was pursuing integrations across banking, insurance, utilities, and other ecommerce platforms. The Shopify deal is the first to be announced, and the company has framed it as a template for what comes next.

Shopify merchants have long been able to display third-party reviews through apps, but native integrations carry more weight with both AI engines that scan product pages and with shoppers who are learning to distrust unverified ratings. A Recomaze study earlier this month found that AI assistants ignored 60 percent of online stores entirely, often because the product data was not structured in a way the engine could read.

The timing also reflects a broader anxiety about review integrity. AI-generated fake reviews have become a growing concern across the industry, and Trustpilot has positioned its verification systems as a defence against them. The company reported removing more than four million fake reviews in its last fiscal year, using its own machine-learning detection tools.

Trustpilot’s shares have climbed sharply this year on the back of its AI-search tailwind, with Bloomberg reporting a 46 percent gain year-to-date. The company reported $16 million in operating profit for FY25, its first full year in the black after years of losses. Revenue grew 19 percent to $211 million.

Whether the AI-search boom is durable remains an open question. The 1,490 percent click-through increase is measured from a small base, and the company has not disclosed what share of its total traffic now comes from AI engines. What is clear is that Trustpilot is betting its next phase of growth on being the source AI turns to when it needs to know whether a product or a merchant can be trusted.

Valve just released Steam Machine, a compact computer designed to run SteamOS in living room settings. It arrives as a small black cube with ports along the base and a simple power button. The package includes a matching controller and targets people who want console convenience without giving up access to a full game library. A popular YouTuber who focuses on hardware decided to explore what sits inside one of these units. ETA Prime bought the 2TB version and set out to document every step of opening it while also pushing the specifications higher.

The outer casing is made of plastic, with a metal-reinforced rear part for added strength. A few screws hold the whole contraption together, with two in the rear and four more buried in the rubber feet. To detach the faceplate, press firmly down with a plastic spudger along the front edge, taking care not to yank it off with brutal force. Inside the case, a large cooling system takes center stage; copper pipes and thick aluminum fins do an excellent job of keeping the processor and graphics chip cool, and a custom fan is hidden in its own small shroud. The motherboard is wedged between the cooling block and the power supply, explaining why it appears tight at first glance.

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Getting to the memory is a little difficult because you have to detach the antenna cables for the wireless features and remove a few screws from the small boards near the ports before sliding the whole internal assembly out. The heatsink assembly is removed using four screws, however there is no need to reapply thermal paste because the contact surfaces remain intact throughout the process. One memory stick was already installed and running in single channel mode, but ETA Prime removed it and replaced it with a matched pair of 32GB Crucial modules. They match the original speed rating exactly, and with both modules installed, the system now claims 64GB of memory, with approximately 62GB accessible for use. When the second stick is inserted, dual channel operation is instantly enabled.

To be honest, storage access is straightforward because you only need to remove one panel on the side to see the drive region. The OEM device featured a smaller 2230 size M.2 solid state drive attached via an adapter and ribbon cable, however there was just enough room in the chassis for a full size 2280 drive, thus no modifications were necessary. A 4TB Kingston Fury Renegade drive replaced the original, and the read and write speeds are far quicker than before. To avoid having to reinstall the operating system, the previous disk was cloned onto the new one with free software on a different computer, which proceeded smoothly. After installation, the bigger drive exhibited its full capacity.

Reassembly is simple and gets everything back up and running quickly. You reattach the cables in the opposite sequence, screw everything back in place, and the outer case clicks into its groove. The computer booted into SteamOS without any warnings or missing hardware messages. The system information appears immediately, including the total memory quantity and the new storage size, with little fuss. Gameplay tests revealed that it continues to play as smoothly as possible, with occasional slight frame rate increases. For instance, the graphics chip only has 8GB of video RAM, thus adding system memory will make little impact in more demanding titles. Nonetheless, the dual channel RAM and increased storage facilitate multitasking and allow you to save a big number of games on the laptop without the use of external media.

However, the hardware required for the improvements is somewhat expensive, with the new memory kit costing around $820 and the new solid state drive costing nearly $1,000. Then you have to factor in the initial purchase price to get to around $3,247 for the full setup. Some believe that 64GB of RAM is too much for this system, but it’s comforting to know that Valve left the design open to a number of upgrades in important areas. Storage upgrades are easy and require little specialized tools.
[Source]

China now has the world’s fastest supercomputer, overtaking the United States. The system, known as LineShine and installed at the National Supercomputing Center in Shenzhen, displaced the US system El Capitan from the top spot in the TOP500 ranking in terms of computing power.

The breakthrough comes amid an intense competition between Beijing and Washington for technological supremacy, marked by high tariffs and restrictions on a wide range of hardware components and software.

Since 1993, the TOP500 ranking has identified the world’s most powerful supercomputers every six months through a series of standardized benchmarks that evaluate each system’s performance, taking into account both its theoretical speed and its real-world performance, as well as its energy efficiency.

Historically, the ranking has been dominated by US-developed systems. However, LineShine has returned China to the top after nearly a decade out of first place.

El Capitan, located in Livermore, California, had held the top position since 2024. Now, benchmark results have confirmed that LineShine exceeds the US system’s processing capacity by more than 20 percent.

With a power consumption of approximately 42.2 megawatts, the Chinese supercomputer delivers 2,198 exaflops, meaning it can perform more than 2 quintillion operations per second.

One of LineShine’s most striking features is that, unlike most next-generation supercomputers, it does not use graphics processing units (GPUs). Instead, it relies exclusively on central processing units (CPUs), components widely used in smartphones, desktop computers, and laptops but rarely found in large-scale scientific computing systems.

Another notable feature is that its entire infrastructure is built with hardware and software developed in China. LineShine’s architecture is based on the LingKun platform and consists of roughly 45,000 LX2 processors. Each processor has 304 cores and operates at a clock speed of 1.55 GHz.

The nodes are connected through a high-speed network called LingQi, designed to minimize latency and accelerate data exchange. The entire system runs on Kylin OS, a Linux-based operating system widely used in China’s scientific and government computing infrastructure.

A Clear Message From China to the US

China’s return to the top of the TOP500 ranking has been interpreted as an achievement that goes beyond simply possessing the world’s fastest supercomputer, as the country is eager to show the world its tech industry can thrive despite lacking access to key US technologies.

During Donald Trump’s first administration and throughout Joe Biden’s presidency, the United States imposed strict export controls on components, software, and platforms related to advanced computing in an effort to slow China’s technological progress. In response, Beijing adopted similar measures.

Those restrictions have intensified during Trump’s current administration, particularly through tariffs and limits on imports of GPUs, advanced chips, and other components related to artificial intelligence (AI), a technology that now underpins a significant share of the world’s most powerful supercomputers.

These restrictions have forced China to invest in developing new architectures and technologies capable of building supercomputers that can compete with the highest-performing US systems despite lacking access to certain state-of-the-art resources.

This story originally appeared in WIRED en Español and has been translated from Spanish.

The best Apple Watch overall has every feature you could want in a smartwatch (aside from satellite messaging, but I presume that isn’t a dealbreaker for most of you). There’s blood oxygen sensing, sleep tracking, electrocardiogram reading capabilities, and high blood pressure notifications. Best of all, the battery lasts for a full 24 hours, and it’ll get watchOS 27. And at $279, it’s the cheapest it’s been sold out for the past few months.

This is the best-value Apple Watch. It’s compatible with the latest watchOS and has several basic fitness features, though it lacks the extended battery life and some of the more high-tech tracking capabilities of the more-expensive Watch 11. But if you don’t need blood oxygen or ECG readings, and you don’t need a super-bright display, this affordable smartwatch is a smart buy. And now’s a good time to buy, as it’s $20 cheaper than it’s typically sold out, even when on sale.

Best MagSafe and Accessory Deals

Photograph: Julian Chokkattu

Not everyone needs a stylus to work with the iPad, but for artists or avid notetakers, there’s no better option than the Apple Pencil Pro. It supports all sorts of gestures and magnetically attaches, pairs and charges.