Ford to Build New Partly Electric Car at Spanish Plant From 2027

Ford currently assembles its Kuga SUV at the plant, which employs 4,800 people ( Reuters)
Ford currently assembles its Kuga SUV at the plant, which employs 4,800 people ( Reuters)
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Ford to Build New Partly Electric Car at Spanish Plant From 2027

Ford currently assembles its Kuga SUV at the plant, which employs 4,800 people ( Reuters)
Ford currently assembles its Kuga SUV at the plant, which employs 4,800 people ( Reuters)

US automaker Ford plans to start production of a new partly electric car at its plant in the Valencia region of Spain starting in 2027, a company spokesperson said on Friday.

Ford had said in March that it was considering making a new, multi-energy passenger car at its Valencia plant, Reuters reported.

Spain's Industry Ministry said the carmaker aimed to produce 300,000 units of the new vehicle annually. "It is a model that will guarantee the workload for this factory and prepare it for the future," the ministry said in a statement.

Ford currently assembles its Kuga SUV at the plant, which employs 4,800 people, after cutting back output of other models in recent years.

The Ford Spain spokesperson said the new car will be assembled for markets in Europe and elsewhere.



OpenAI Wins $200 Mn Contract with US Military

FILE PHOTO: OpenAI logo is seen in this illustration taken May 20, 2024. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: OpenAI logo is seen in this illustration taken May 20, 2024. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo/File Photo
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OpenAI Wins $200 Mn Contract with US Military

FILE PHOTO: OpenAI logo is seen in this illustration taken May 20, 2024. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: OpenAI logo is seen in this illustration taken May 20, 2024. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo/File Photo

The US Department of Defense on Monday awarded OpenAI a $200 million contract to put generative artificial intelligence (AI) to work for the military.

San Francisco-based OpenAI will "develop prototype frontier AI capabilities to address critical national security challenges in both warfighting and enterprise domains," according to the department's posting of awarded contracts.

The program with the defense department is the first partnership under the startup's initiative to put AI to work in governments, according to OpenAI.

OpenAI plans to show how cutting-edge AI can vastly improve administrative operations such as how service members get health care and also cyber defenses, the startup said in a post.

All use of AI for the military will be consistent with OpenAI usage guidelines, according to the startup.

Big tech companies are increasingly pitching their tools to the US military, among them Meta, OpenAI and, more predictably, Palantir, the AI defense company founded by Peter Thiel, the conservative tech billionaire who has played a major role in Silicon Valley's rightward shift.

OpenAI and defense tech startup Anduril Industries late last year announced a partnership to develop and deploy AI solutions "for security missions."

The alliance brings together OpenAI models and Anduril's military tech platform to ramp up defenses against aerial drones and other "unmanned aircraft systems", according to the companies.

"OpenAI builds AI to benefit as many people as possible, and supports US-led efforts to ensure the technology upholds democratic values," OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman said at the time.