software developers

The Dutch government is developing an alternative to Microsoft's software stack, built on NixOS, the reproducible Linux-based operating system. The project, associated with the DAWO community platform, aims to reduce dependence on proprietary vendors in public administration. The move fits a broader European push for digital sovereignty and open-source adoption in government IT.

JetBrains has introduced Air, described as a system of products for agentic software development, where AI agents take on coding tasks alongside developers. The announcement is drawing attention from developers debating how far agentic tools should be integrated into professional IDEs and what it means for JetBrains' flagship products.

Thales, Bull and the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) are joining forces to develop software for quantum computers intended for use by the French armed forces. The partnership, reported by Clubic, links major French industrial and research players around quantum technology with defence applications, drawing attention in French tech circles.

NVIDIA's GTC conference is in the news as the company's flagship event for announcing new AI chips, software and partnerships. The gathering typically draws developers, investors and cloud providers looking for updates on NVIDIA's GPU roadmap and its role in the artificial intelligence boom, with markets watching closely for product news and guidance.

Anthropic, the AI company behind the Claude chatbot, has drawn attention for operating a biology laboratory, an unusual move for a software firm. The lab is understood to be connected to safety testing, examining whether AI models can assist with dangerous biological work. The story raises questions about how AI developers evaluate biological risks posed by advanced models.

Microsoft has moved GitHub's coding engine into the office application that workers already use daily, tying its developer tools directly into mainstream productivity software. The move signals Microsoft's push to bring automated coding assistance beyond developers to everyday business users, reinforcing its position in workplace AI tools.

A Lisbon-based startup is developing insurance products designed for AI agents, aiming to cover the risks that arise when autonomous software acts on behalf of businesses. The venture highlights a growing niche in European insurtech, as companies deploying AI systems look for protection against errors, liabilities and unintended outcomes. Sifted reports the story as part of wider coverage of early-stage startups working on AI risk.

Docker and the Cloud Native Computing Foundation are jointly developing an open specification for sandboxed agent permissions, detailed in a new Docker blog post on the Docker Sandbox Kit spec. The effort aims to define a standard way to control what autonomous software agents are allowed to do on a system, addressing a growing security gap as agents are deployed more widely.

Developers report that continuous integration costs are climbing sharply as AI-assisted coding tools dramatically increase the volume of code being written and tested. Teams say automated pipelines are running far more builds, putting pressure on budgets and prompting a debate about how infrastructure pricing should adapt to the AI-driven surge in software development.