News — 2026-04-19

Amsterdam‑based startup Schematik, founded by former maker Samuel Beek, has secured $4.6 million in seed funding from Lightspeed Venture Partners. The company’s new AI‑driven platform promises to guide users through the entire hardware‑building process, from design to parts sourcing, and even offers step‑by‑step assembly instructions. Early adopters have already used the tool to create everything from MP3 players to custom Tamagotchi‑style bots. Anthropic recently announced a Bluetooth API that lets developers connect its Claude model to physical devices, a move that aligns closely with Schematik’s vision. The startup aims to lower the barrier to entry for electronics creation while keeping safety at the forefront. Read more

Tools for Humanity’s World verification platform announced a global rollout of its “proof of human” technology, beginning with Tinder and expanding to concert ticketing, Zoom calls and document signing. The move aims to authenticate real users while preserving anonymity as AI‑generated content floods digital services. World will embed a verified World ID badge on Tinder profiles and partner with Ticketmaster, Eventbrite, 30 Seconds to Mars and Bruno Mars to reserve tickets for verified humans. The company also unveiled new verification tiers, including low‑friction selfie checks, to address scaling challenges. Read more

Nvidia chief Jensen Huang told listeners on the Dwarkesh Podcast that DeepSeek’s plan to run its upcoming V4 foundation model on Huawei’s Ascend 950PR processor would be “a horrible outcome” for the United States. The Chinese lab’s migration from Nvidia’s CUDA software to Huawei’s CANN framework threatens the hardware‑software dependency that has underpinned America’s AI dominance. Huang’s remarks come as U.S. lawmakers consider adding DeepSeek to the export‑control entity list, and as the industry watches whether Huawei’s chips can close the performance gap with Nvidia’s GPUs. Read more

Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei met with senior officials from the Trump administration this week, signaling a possible thaw in relations after the Pentagon labeled the AI firm a supply‑chain risk. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and White House chief of staff Susie Wiles joined the discussion, which the White House described as productive. While the Pentagon continues to challenge Anthropic’s models for military use, other agencies appear eager to explore the company’s technology for cybersecurity, AI safety and maintaining America’s lead in the AI race. Read more

Cerebras Systems, the San Diego‑based AI chip maker, filed to go public this week, targeting a mid‑May offering. The filing follows two massive funding rounds that lifted the company’s valuation to $23 billion and brought total capital raised to $2.1 billion. Recent contracts with Amazon Web Services and a reported $10 billion deal with OpenAI underscore the firm’s rapid ascent. Revenues hit $510 million in 2025, while net income reached $237.8 million, according to the prospectus. The IPO marks a new chapter for a startup that once withdrew a 2024 filing amid a federal review. Read more