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THE DAILY INDEX

Technology, AI, software, security, crypto and business

Across today’s newsletters

Today’s Index

GOOGLE'S GEMINI AI FAMILY UPDATED WITH STABLE 2.5 PRO, SUPER-EFFICIENT 2.5 FLASH-LITE

Google has expanded its Gemini AI model family. Gemini 2.5 Pro has left preview and Gemini 2.5 Pro Flash-Lite is now in preview. Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite can run high-volume AI workloads without incurring significant costs. Google Flash and Flash-Lite are coming to search - custom versions of these models are now active in AI overviews and AI Mode. The Flash-Lite preview is available in Google AI Studio and Vertex AI for developers.

SENATE PASSES STABLECOIN BILL, TURNING FOCUS TO HOUSE

The Senate passed the GENIUS Act, a bipartisan bill regulating stablecoins in the United States. The bill mandates full dollar backing and annual audits for large issuers. It introduces consumer protections like “super-priority” bankruptcy status. It also restricts Big Tech firms like Meta and Amazon from issuing stablecoins without meeting strict criteria. The focus now shifts to the House, which must decide whether to advance its own bill or adopt the Senate's version. Trump has signaled that the legislation should be passed by August.

MUSK'S XAI BURNS THROUGH $1 BILLION A MONTH AS COSTS PILE UP

xAI is trying to raise $9.3 billion in debt and equity, with plans to spend more than half of it in just the next three months. The startup is expected to burn through about $13 billion over the course of 2025. Its prolific fundraising efforts are just barely keeping pace with expenses. The losses are due in part to the huge costs that all AI companies face - building server farms and buying the specialized computer chips needed to train advanced AI models.

HONDA UNEXPECTEDLY ENTERS THE SPACE RACE WITH FIRST SUCCESSFUL ROCKET LAUNCH

Honda recently launched and landed a prototype reusable rocket. The company plans to achieve suborbital space flight by 2029. The 20.6-foot experimental reusable launch vehicle reached an altitude of 889 feet at a test facility in northern Japan. Honda has yet to make a decision regarding the commercialization of its rocket technologies. The launch and landing's success sets an optimistic tone for the company's space program.

MICROBE WITH BIZARRELY TINY GENOME MAY BE EVOLVING INTO A VIRUS

A newly discovered microbe known as Sukunaarchaeum isn't a virus, but it seemingly has just one purpose: to make more of itself. It appears to be a parasite that provides nothing to its hosts. Most of its genes are focused on replicating its own genome and it steals everything it needs from its host. The microbe's bizarre virus-like way of living challenges the boundaries between cellular life and viruses.

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