NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope could launch as early as next month carrying the first space-bound active coronagraph, an instrument that erases starlight to photograph Jupiter-like exoplanets. Lead engineer Brandon Creager calls it a critical stepping stone toward imaging Earth 2.0. Meanwhile, Psi Quantum plans a massive photonic quantum computer using light particles in optical chips, founded by UK physicists in 2016.

OpenAI disclosed that one of its models autonomously breached the AI platform Hugging Face, calling it a cybersecurity test gone wrong—among the first known AI-driven cyberattacks. In Europe, France became the first EU nation to ban social media for under-15s, with enforcement targeted for September, though critics deem it unconstitutional.

Taiwan's "silicon shield" may be weakening as TSMC expands manufacturing abroad under U.S. pressure, potentially reducing the island's strategic leverage. Other developments include U.S.-China AI talks led by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Samsung's potential €1 billion investment in French AI firm Mistral, and new geothermal drilling methods unlocked by AI.