Anthropic moves AI agents out of software and into the lab

Anthropic moves AI agents out of software and into the lab

Anthropic’s Model Hardware Standard is designed to let AI agents operate instruments like this one directly Anthropic has opened a research preview of the Model Hardware Standard, a specification that lets AI agents discover and operate physical devices – microscopes, liquid handlers, robotic arms, lasers – without a custom integration for each one. The claim…

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Govt eyes SA’s place in global e-mobility space

Govt eyes SA’s place in global e-mobility space

Science, technology and innovation deputy minister Dr Nomalungelo Gina. Government is positioning South Africa to be a leading player in the global e-mobility and battery value chains, focusing on local manufacturing, mineral beneficiation, skills development and job creation. So said science, technology and innovation deputy minister Dr Nomalungelo Gina, speaking at the 2026 uYilo e-Mobility…

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Koeberg is completely offline

Koeberg is completely offline

The Koeberg nuclear power station. Image: 6000.co.za/BY-NC-ND 2.0 Africa’s only nuclear power station is generating no electricity. Eskom said on Thursday that Koeberg unit 1 was taken offline just before 1am following a turbine trip, and that the unit was removed from service safely and within procedure. The statement does not mention that unit 2…

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The stuff that doesn’t fit on the quote

The stuff that doesn’t fit on the quote

Every week or so, an e-mail lands in my inbox that says more or less the same thing. Somebody’s forwarded me a price from another IT company, and underneath it, one line: “Can you beat this?” Fair question. It’s the only question that seems to make sense, because from where you’re standing all of us…

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SA data centre operators push back amid sustainability probe

SA data centre operators push back amid sustainability probe

SA’s data centres face growing scrutiny over their environmental footprint. (Image created via Gemini) South Africa’s major data centre operators are pushing back against concerns their rapid expansion is placing unsustainable pressure on the country’s limited electricity and water resources, pointing to their renewable energy and tighter resource management initiatives. This comes as the sector…

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South African talk radio is now searchable

South African talk radio is now searchable

South African talk radio is the last big pool of news that nobody can search. Locl is an attempt to change that: a platform that listens to the live streams of the country’s major English-language talk stations, transcribes everything, indexes it and lets you look up any name, brand or subject and find every time…

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SITA prioritises exec placements as it looks to revival

SITA prioritises exec placements as it looks to revival

SITA’s head office in Erasmuskloof, Pretoria. (Photograph by Lesley Moyo) The State Information Technology Agency (SITA) has begun efforts to stabilise authority vacuums within the organisation by finalising recruitment of key executive positions, Parliament’s portfolio committee heard this week. This, as the Public Service Commission’s (PSC’s) probe of the government IT procurement’s affairs, for the…

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