Business & Tech
The latest stories from independent business & tech media.
OpenAI's overhead will rise 20 percent for some workloads as it hardens security
Expanded multistage chain of thought monitoring makes frontier model work more expensive
Cerebras CS-4 rack systems juice chips for every last drop of AI performance
Next-gen systems double per-chip performance while cramming 3x as many into a rack
CMA warns fuel retailers over slow price cuts as margins remain high
Fuel retailers have been criticised by the CMA for failing to pass falling wholesale costs on to motorists quickly enough, as the competition watchdog warned that profit margins remain historically high.
Poundland owner explores sale just a year after £1 takeover
Poundland owner Gordon Brothers is exploring a sale of the discount chain just over a year after acquiring the business for a nominal €1. The investment firm is understood to be in talks with advisers about launching an auction of Poundland, which currently operates around 600…
UK taxman discovers low code doesn't mean low cost with £657M awards
Those legacy systems won't fix themselves
Inflation spikes to 2.9% as war in the Middle East navigates ‘clunky ceasefire’
UK inflation rose by 2.9% in the 12 months to July 2026 as the war in the Middle East continues to put pressure on household bills. The latest Consumer Price Index (CPI) figures, published today (19 August), show consumer price inflation increased by 0.3%, up
Andy Bell: Burnham’s Odyssey – monsters, Sirens and the small matter of paying for it all
Christopher Nolan’s cinematic take on Homer’s 2,800-year-old epic, The Odyssey, looks destined to be one of the biggest films of the year. It tells the story of Odysseus and his attempt to return home following the Trojan War. It does not go smoothly. It may
NASA estimates the size of the hole SpaceX made in the moon
As the latest Starship finds its way to an obscure part of Australia, for observations
Baidu says Chinese buyers want local AI chips due to ‘supply chain’ issues
It seems like Nvidia’s not getting back into the Middle Kingdom anytime soon
Robert Dyas launches on Deliveroo in first on-demand delivery move
Robert Dyas has launched on Deliveroo through an exclusive partnership, marking its first move into on-demand delivery. The tie-up will give customers access to around 6,000 Robert Dyas products across homeware, electricals, DIY, garden and small appliances through the delivery…
Iceland cuts store losses by 80% with AI-powered theft detection
Iceland has slashed losses from theft and shrink by 80 per cent after rolling out an AI-powered loss prevention platform across its store estate.
Klarna cuts revenue outlook as European retail slowdown hits
Klarna has slashed its full-year revenue and sales volume forecasts as weaker consumer spending across Europe, particularly in Germany, weighs on the company.
Space NK and PURESEOUL open new stores at Lakeside
Space NK and PURESEOUL have opened new stores at Lakeside as the Essex shopping centre strengthens its beauty and wellness line-up. K-beauty retailer PURESEOUL has made its regional debut at the centre with a 1,919 sq ft store on Level 1.
Australian hotel chain leaks guests’ PII after breach at third-party database operator
Unknown parties know where you stayed last summer, down under, across 120 Quest properties
Expired credit cards revived by researchers to make unauthorized payments
Gaps in expiry checks could let dead plastic make purchases again
Klarna shares dip on revised guidance
Shares in bu now, pay later giant Klarna took a dive after the company reduced its guidance for revenue and transaction income over the coming year.
OpenAI took a two-week break from training new models to improve safety. Now what?
We'll soon find out if improvements to OpenAI's alignment, monitoring, and security practices were enough to prevent another Hugging Face incident.
M&S becomes first major grocer to back campaign tackling abuse of retail workers
Marks & Spencer has become the first major UK grocer to publicly back the Retail Trust’s Let’s Respect Retail campaign as it calls for tougher action against abuse and intimidation of shopworkers.
UK inflation jumps to 2.9% as energy costs bite
UK inflation accelerated to 2.9 per cent in July as soaring household energy costs pushed up the cost of living, raising fresh concerns over pressure on consumers and retailers.
Depop’s Steve Dool breaks down its Zara Larsson collab
Resale platform Depop recently launched a new campaign starring Swedish singer Zara Larsson. As part of the platform’s marketing drive, Larsson provided an exclusive edit featuring 20 to 30 pieces of her personal wardrobe, alongside upcycled merchandise and “one-of-a-kind”…
Frasers Group tightens grip on Hugo Boss as stake climbs to 48%
Frasers Group has tightened its grip on Hugo Boss after increasing its stake in the company to almost 48 per cent, bringing Mike Ashley’s retail empire closer to taking control of the business.
How investors can find genuine asset class parity with nature-based solutions
Issues of biodiversity and conservation have often been subjects left to philanthropic efforts and left out of major budgetary discussions in fintech and banking boardrooms.
CISA gives feds 3 days to fix actively exploited Ray RCE bug
Phishing, malvertising attacks could target devs to gain access to private corporate networks
Fanatics launches multi-year partnership with Ryder Cup and DP World Tour
Fanatics has launched a multi-year partnership with The European Tour Group, spanning the DP World Tour and Ryder Cup Europe. As part of the agreement, Fanatics will become the exclusive operator of the Official DP World Tour Store and the European Ryder Cup Store.
Stablecoins offer little cost or speed advantage for remittances - Banca d'Italia
Stablecoins show no systematic cost advantage over traditional remittance channels for cross-border payments, researchers at Banca d'Italia have found.
Mobile wallets gain traction in the UK
Cards continue to dominate UK payments but mobile wallets are increasingly popular, with nearly two thirds of the population registered with at least one provider, according to the latest industry data.
Westpac to reshape software engineering with Amp Frontier Corporation
Westpac has contracted with San Franciscop-based Amp Frontier Corporation to build a suite of AI agents for software engineering tasks.
