Boom Supersonic breaks the sound barrier

Top News

• Hugging Face Launches Open-R1: Researchers at Hugging Face have announced Open-R1, a project aimed at replicating DeepSeek’s R1 reasoning AI while fully open-sourcing its components. While DeepSeek’s R1 has been praised for its performance, concerns about its lack of transparency have prompted this community-driven effort. Open-R1 seeks to provide accessible datasets and training details, with over 10,000 GitHub users supporting the initiative within days. Hugging Face hopes the project will pave the way for future advancements in open reasoning models.

• OpenAI rolls out ChatGPT Gov: OpenAI has unveiled ChatGPT-Gov, a dedicated and secure cloud-based version of its AI chatbot, specifically designed to meet the needs of U.S. government agencies. This platform is designed to assist with tasks such as drafting reports, analyzing data, and providing real-time information to support decision-making processes. ChatGPT-Gov emphasizes enhanced security and compliance features to meet federal standards, ensuring that sensitive government data remains protected. This marks a significant milestone for the integration of AI into highly regulated industries.

• Helion secures a $426M funding round: Helion Energy, a nuclear fusion startup from the TWiST500, has raised $425 million in Series F funding from investors like SoftBank's Vision Fund 2, bringing its valuation to $5.4 billion. This investment aims to accelerate the development of Helion's futuristic fusion reactor, which generates carbon-free electricity by replicating the processes that power the sun. Notably, Helion has an agreement to supply Microsoft with fusion-generated power starting in 2028. The company plans to use the funds to produce key components in-house, accelerating its growth and expansion.

TWiST500

Big news today from a TWiST500 company we’ve been keeping an eye on: Boom Supersonic. The company, building what promises to be the world’s fastest airliner, just made history. Their XB-1 demonstrator became the first independently developed civil aircraft to break the sound barrier, hitting Mach 1.1 during a test flight over California’s Mojave Desert.

This is a monumental achievement—not just for Boom but for the future of aviation. Supersonic travel, which disappeared with Concorde’s retirement in 2003, is finally making a comeback, and Boom is leading the charge with smarter, more sustainable innovations.

The XB-1 is more than a technical milestone—it’s a stepping stone to Overture, Boom’s planned 64-passenger supersonic airliner that will fly at Mach 1.7. With orders already secured from American Airlines, United, and Japan Airlines, Boom is well on its way to revolutionizing long-haul travel. Blake Scholl, Boom’s founder and CEO, called this a “Falcon 1 moment,” likening it to SpaceX’s early breakthroughs that proved startups could take on industries dominated by governments and legacy players.

Blake joined us on the podcast back in September to talk about the challenges of building supersonic jets, the boldness of hardware startups, and how Boom plans to reshape global travel. Yesterday’s flight shows they’re delivering on that vision.

If you missed the episode, check it out here!

— Maddie

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This Week in Startups

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E2075: Alex covers The Stargate Project, other hot news items, and two great interviews. Created By Humans’ Co-founder Trip Adler talks about the future of copyrights and AI. Gene Berdichevsky, Co-founder and CEO of Sila, discusses the future of batteries and our clean energy future.

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