XRlabs, a London-based surgical AI company, raised $8.4 million in seed funding led by Playground Global, with participation from Eka Ventures. The money will fund engineering and clinical hiring, regulatory work in the UK, Europe, and the US, and wider clinical testing. Founded by neurosurgeon Dr. Ali Haddad, the startup builds software that adds real-time AI to existing operating room equipment. Its platform has been used in more than 100 surgical cases on three continents. The company's technology helped design skull implants for the separation of craniopagus twins in Abu Dhabi in 2025, which it calls a world first for AI-designed implants. Former Medtronic chief executive officer Omar Ishrak has joined as board chair.

Mesa Quantum has raised $11.8 million in funding led by Playground Global, bringing its total funding to nearly $16 million. DCVC and J2 Ventures also participated in the round. The startup develops chip-scale quantum sensors for navigation, timing, and synchronisation without GPS. The technology uses microscopic glass chambers containing atoms that react predictably to acceleration, rotation, and magnetic fields, enabling precise measurements even when GPS signals are unavailable. Mesa's sensors are designed to be small and affordable enough for use in drones, satellites, and critical infrastructure. The company has already secured more than $5 million in non-dilutive awards from US government agencies, including SpaceWERX. The funding will support scaling development and production, expanding manufacturing facilities in New Mexico, and deploying field-ready systems to defence and commercial customers.

Delos Data, a chip startup founded by Intel veterans, has raised $100 million to develop networking chips and software for AI data centres. The technology aims to prevent expensive processors from sitting idle whilst waiting for data. Early AI data centres typically ran Nvidia graphics processing units connected with Nvidia networking equipment, which worked well for training large models. However, operators are now incorporating different types of accelerators from competitors including Advanced Micro Devices and Cerebras Systems, as well as multiple Nvidia chip lines. Delos Data's solution addresses the complexity of managing these mixed fleets of processors, ensuring faster communication between different chip types and reducing costly downtime in AI infrastructure.