Exein Raises $270M, Becomes Europe's Highest-Valued Hardware Cybersecurity Firm

Key Takeaways

• <ul><li>Exein raised $270 million at a $1.7 billion valuation, becoming Europe's highest-valued hardware cybersecurity firm</li><li>Exein's Pulsar and Photon products protect over 1.5 billion devices from AI-generated attacks at the kernel level</li><li>OpenText and Cohere partnered on agentic AI for government and regulated industries, with clients expected in early 2027</li><li>Anthropic, Google, and OpenAI proposed a self-regulatory body for AI, while Trump dismissed safety warnings</li><li>China's Moonshot AI is drawing global investor interest from Europe, Asia, and the Middle East</li><li>Mozilla reports China's open-weight AI models trail US models by only about 4 months in capability</li><li>Meta is giving 130,000 AI-powered glasses to legally blind veterans across the US for free</li><li>Tech executives struggle to measure ROI on AI investments despite heavy spending</li><li>Nvidia, Anthropic, and Google leaders are divided on who should write AI guardrails</li><li>Exein's valuation grew thirtyfold in just two years since its 2018 founding</li></ul>

Exein raises $270M to secure Physical AI systems

Exein, an Italian cybersecurity startup, raised $270 million in a funding round led by Headline. The round values the company at $1.7 billion, making it Europe's highest-valued hardware cybersecurity firm. The company protects over 1.5 billion devices worldwide from cyberattacks on industrial firmware and Physical AI systems. Exein plans to use the funding to expand into the US and Asia-Pacific markets.

Exein reaches unicorn status with $270M funding round

Exein, a hardware cybersecurity company founded in Rome in 2018, reached unicorn status with a $270 million round led by Headline at a $1.7 billion valuation. The company's value has grown thirtyfold in two years. Exein focuses on securing Physical AI systems like industrial robots, self-driving vehicles, and drones through embedded security. Its products Pulsar and Photon protect devices at the kernel level to block attacks before they execute.

Exein becomes unicorn with $1.7 billion valuation

Italian startup Exein raised $270 million in a round led by Headline and backed by the European Investment Bank. The funding gives the company a $1.7 billion valuation, making it Europe's highest-valued hardware cybersecurity firm. Exein was founded in 2018 by CEO Gianni Cuozzo and now has offices in Germany, the US, and Taiwan with about forty employees. The company's technology protects over 1.5 billion devices worldwide from AI-generated attacks.

Exein valued at $1.7bn as unicorn status reached

Exein, an Italian Physical AI security startup, reached unicorn status after closing a $270 million funding round. The company's value increased thirtyfold in just two years. Founded in Rome in 2018, Exein protects autonomous systems like robots, self-driving cars, and drones from cyberattacks using embedded security. Its two main products, Pulsar and Photon, operate at the kernel level to block threats before they can infect devices.

OpenText and Cohere partner on agentic AI platform

OpenText and Cohere announced a partnership to combine trusted data with agentic AI for governments and regulated industries. OpenText provides the data and context layer while Cohere contributes its North agentic platform and enterprise AI models. The solution is expected to reach clients in early 2027 and allows deployment on-premises or in private, public, or sovereign clouds. The partnership includes product integration, go-to-market coordination, and a strategic reseller relationship through SOLEX.

OpenText and Cohere partner on AI for government and regulated industries

OpenText announced a strategic partnership with Cohere on September 16, 2026. The collaboration will bring Cohere's AI technology to government, financial services, and healthcare customers. The goal is to help regulated industries adopt AI for better decision-making. OpenText CEO Mark Barrenechea and Cohere CEO Louis Martin-Huot both spoke about the benefits. The partnership will also offer AI-powered solutions in data analytics, process automation, and content management.

An AI slowdown is needed regardless of safety concerns

This article discusses the need for a slowdown in artificial intelligence development. The piece was published alongside Federal Reserve interest rate news. The Federal Reserve is widely expected to raise interest rates for the first time in over three years. The article argues that an AI slowdown should happen whether or not safety issues are resolved.

Companies struggle to measure returns on their AI investments

Tech executives are spending heavily on AI but struggle to measure exact returns. The issue was a key topic at the WSJ Technology Council Summit. Glean founder and CEO Arvind Jain said it is hard to measure much of the ROI. Executives agreed AI delivers big value in some cases but wastes money in others. Better observability tools are being developed but are still in early stages.

AI leaders call for regulation as Trump dismisses safety warnings

Anthropic, Google, and OpenAI are working on a self-regulatory body for the AI industry. The proposal comes from Google DeepMind's Demis Hassabis, modeled after the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority. Hassabis called for a federal organization to test powerful AI systems before public release. Former OpenAI employee Jacob Coxen and former Google DeepMind researcher Bilal Chughtai raised alarm about AI risks. Trump dismissed the warnings as hoaxes, a move applauded by Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang. Canadian AI company Cohere's chief Aidan Gomez said guardrails are needed but disagreed on who should write them.

Global investors flock to China's Moonshot AI amid growing US tech interest

China's Moonshot AI has attracted global investor interest from Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. The Beijing-based developer of the Kimi family of AI models is seeing mounting interest from overseas players. European investment firms and Middle East family offices are among those showing interest. Some investors are seeking indirect exposure through special-purpose vehicles. The growing attention reflects increasing appetite for US tech rivals in China.

Meta gives free AI glasses to blind veterans across the US

Meta is providing 130,000 AI-powered glasses to legally blind veterans in the United States for free. The company is working with the Blinded Veterans Association to hand out the glasses at events like one held in Cincinnati. The glasses can read print and help veterans regain independence in daily tasks. One recipient, Charly Sapp, is an 84-year-old Navy engineer who lost his sight 8 to 10 years ago.

China's open AI models trail US by just 4 months, Mozilla finds

A Mozilla report says China's open-weight AI models are only about 4 months behind top US models in capability. The report used METR research to score models by how long tasks take to complete. Open models cost much less than closed ones, with some scoring near Claude Opus at less than one-fifth the price. However, closed providers still took 96% of model-layer revenue on OpenRouter from May to September 2025.

3 AI infrastructure stocks institutions are betting on

Three mid-cap semiconductor companies are positioned at the center of AI infrastructure demand. Marvell Technology Group makes chips used in many AI applications. Micron Technology produces memory chips for AI systems. NVIDIA develops GPUs that power most AI workloads. All three are seen as leaders well-positioned to benefit from growing demand for AI infrastructure despite high costs.

John Deere expands into farm data and AI technology

John Deere holds nearly 35% of the U.S. agricultural machinery market and now is moving deeper into farm data, software and AI. The company says farmers should stay in control of their data and understand how it is used. A nonprofit group called Farm Action says major firms are acquiring precision agriculture and AI companies. These moves expand dominant firms' control across the digital side of modern farming.

Investors stay bullish on stocks despite rising bond yields and oil prices

The 10-year Treasury yield crossed 5% and oil prices surged, but investors remain optimistic about stocks. A Bank of America survey found 49% of money managers stayed overweight global equities in September. Expectations for double-digit earnings growth were at their highest since August 2021. BlackRock and UBS said AI spending and investment can support growth even amid near-term market volatility.

Sources

• Exein Secures $270M at $1.7B Valuation for Physical AI Security
• Exein Hits Unicorn Status With $270M Round for Physical AI Security
• Exein becomes unicorn: Italian Physical AI security start-up valued at $1.7bn
• Exein becomes unicorn: Italian Physical AI security start-up valued at $1.7bn
• OpenText, Cohere Partner to Combine Trusted Data with Agentic AI
• OpenText, Cohere Form Artificial Intelligence Partnership for Regulated Sectors
• An AI Slowdown Has To Happen Regardless of Safety
• Companies Struggle to Explain Their Own AI Investment Returns | The Morning Download for Sept. 16
• AI leaders call for regulations, Trump dismisses 'hoaxes'
• As appetite for US tech rivals grows, global funds flock to China’s Moonshot AI
• Meta providing free AI glasses to help blind veterans with everyday life
• China's open-weight AI models are now just 4 months behind frontier US offerings, Mozilla report claims — models still lag in some benchmarks but are drastically cheaper to use
• 3 AI Infrastructure Stocks Institutions Love but Most Retail Investors Never Heard Of
• John Deere dominates farm machinery. Now it’s moving deeper into farm data and AI.
• Bond yields are spiking, oil is up — but investors aren’t giving up on stocks