Today\u2019s tech news below. \u2014Andrew Nusca<\/p>\n
Want to send thoughts or suggestions to\u00a0Fortune Tech?\u00a0Drop a line\u00a0here<\/a>.<\/p>\n And the Nobel Prize in Physics goes to\u2026quantum computing Karl Mondon\/AFP\/Getty Images<\/p>\n It\u2019s official: John Clarke, Michel Devoret, and John Martinis have won<\/a> the Nobel Prize in Physics for their research into quantum mechanics.<\/p>\n (Per the Nobel committee, it\u2019s specifically \u201cfor the discovery of macroscopic quantum mechanical tunnelling and energy quantisation in an electric circuit,\u201d but I\u2019m sure you already knew that.)<\/p>\n Clarke conducted his research at the University of California, Berkeley; Martinis at UC Santa Barbara; and Devoret at Yale and also at UC Santa Barbara.\u00a0<\/p>\n Two of the three have ties to Google: Martinis headed Google’s Quantum Artificial Intelligence Lab until 2020; Devoret is currently the chief scientist of Google Quantum AI.<\/p>\n The Nobel committee said the trio\u2019s work\u2014on display in the transistors of any computer chip\u2014will help facilitate the development of \u201cthe next generation of quantum technology, including quantum cryptography, quantum computers, and quantum sensors.\u201d<\/p>\n The researchers will share a cash award of 11 million Swedish kronor (almost $1.2 million) and lifelong respect in their field.<\/p>\n It\u2019s hardly the first time tech pioneers have won the Nobel Prize in Physics. Just last year, AI luminaries John Hopfield and Geoffrey Hinton won<\/a> for their \u201cfoundational discoveries\u201d in machine learning and artificial neural networks. \u2014AN<\/p>\n NYSE owner plows up to $2 billion into Polymarket<\/p>\n Polymarket was once a niche crypto platform. Now, the startup is moving<\/a> into the ranks of mainstream finance thanks to a $2 billion investment from trading giant Intercontinental Exchange.\u00a0<\/p>\n Under the terms of the deal, announced on Tuesday<\/a>, the cash investment will value the company at $9 billion, and the parent company of the New York Stock Exchange will distribute the prediction market\u2019s data.<\/p>\n The two companies will also work together on tokenization initiatives, or the act of putting financial assets into blockchain wrappers, according to a press release.<\/p>\n The nearly $2 billion injection into Polymarket comes as investors are ponying up cash to capitalize on growing enthusiasm for prediction markets, or arenas where investors can bet on whether China will invade Taiwan or the future price of cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum.<\/p>\n Proponents say these markets combine the \u201cwisdom of the crowd\u201d with financial repercussions that encourage participants to be intellectually honest about whether an event will occur. \u2014Ben Weiss<\/p>\n Qualcomm acquires Arduino<\/p>\n One of the world\u2019s leading chipmakers has acquired a geek favorite.<\/p>\n Qualcomm said Tuesday<\/a> that it bought Arduino, an Italian open-source electronics platform that DIY types can\u2019t get enough of.\u00a0<\/p>\n The purchase price wasn\u2019t disclosed, but Arduino was valued at $160 million a couple of years ago\u2014practically an impulse buy for a Fortune 500 company.<\/p>\n Qualcomm says the smaller company will \u201cretain its independent brand, tools, and mission\u201d and continue to \u201csupport a wide range of microcontrollers and microprocessors from multiple semiconductor providers.\u201d<\/p>\n Qualcomm\u2019s value to Arduino is clear\u2014massive resources, global footprint, etc. But what\u2019s the value in the other direction?\u00a0<\/p>\n For one, getting its AI products in the hands of makers in the open-source community. And perhaps laying groundwork for a bigger push into robotics (which loves an Arduino kit) and physical AI, which according to Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang is the next wave of AI after agentic. \u2014AN<\/p>\n More tech<\/p>\n \u2014AI-related debt is now $1.2 trillion<\/a>, according to J.P. Morgan.<\/p>\n \u2014Tesla abandons Optimus robot goal<\/a>. Reported technical challenges with their hands. (Seriously.)<\/p>\n \u2014Anthropic and IBM partner<\/a>. Claude comes to Big Blue\u2019s software development platform.<\/p>\n \u2014Big Tech to Intel CEO\u2019s rescue<\/a>. Satya Nadella, Jensen Huang, Michael Dell, and others reportedly came to Lip-Bu Tan\u2019s defense in the wake of President Trump\u2019s withering criticism.<\/p>\n \u2014Dell boosts outlook<\/a>. Projected annual revenue growth between 7% and 9%, up from 3% to 4%, thanks to all that AI demand.<\/p>\n \u2014xAI gets a CFO.<\/a> Morgan Stanley\u2019s Anthony Armstrong will also oversee the books for X.<\/p>\n![\"John](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/GettyImages-2239362118.jpg\"\/)
<\/a>John Clarke (left), emeritus professor of physics at the University of California, Berkeley, on October 7, 2025.\u00a0<\/p>\n