
Formula E and FIA agree contract extension to at least 2048
The Liberty Global-controlled series said the 10-year extension, with sources indicating an option for a further five years, provided a solid platform for long-term growth and investment opportunities.
Formula E expects its cars to be on the same level as, or exceeding the performance of, other top tier series including Formula One by the middle of the century.
The current Gen3 Evo car can already accelerate from 0-60 miles per hour (0-96kph) in 1.82 seconds, 30 per cent faster than a Formula One car with a top speed of 200mph (321kph).
"We've believed in Formula E since day one, and this extension reaffirms our confidence in where it's headed," said Liberty Global CEO Mike Fries.
"With the FIA's continued backing, we can now take the next big steps - scaling the sport, growing its global fanbase, and continuing to push the boundaries of what electric racing can achieve."
Formula E chief executive Jeff Dodds said the series had shown extraordinary growth in 11 seasons so far.
"With this longterm extension, the opportunity that Formula E now has to impact world motorsport will be truly transformational," he said.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


CNA
9 hours ago
- CNA
Commentary: Why we need to be wary of AI as an enabler of terrorism
SINGAPORE: Terrorism presents a persistent danger to Singapore. The latest Singapore Terrorism Threat Assessment Report, released on Tuesday (Jul 29), attributed this threat to a 'volatile global landscape' fuelled by global developments such as the Gaza conflict and a growing range of extremist ideologies, some of which have already manifested in Singapore. The continued risk should not come as a surprise, nor should the growing influence of technology and digital platforms in enabling terror threats. But what stood out in this year's report was the emergence of innovations in artificial intelligence as a factor in the growing complexity of the local and global terrorist threat. Not that this was surprising either, given the rapid development and adoption of AI. But we are only beginning to see the impact of AI on everything from jobs and education to the way we form human connections – and its emerging role in terrorism is concerning. The Internal Security Department (ISD) said that new technology like AI and 3D printing have thus far not been proven to have been used in any terror attack plot in Singapore, but they have featured in the self-radicalisation of local youths. A 17-year-old Islamic State supporter detained in September 2024, for example had used an AI chatbot to generate a bai'ah or pledge of allegiance to ISIS, as well as a declaration of armed jihad against non-Muslims to inspire other Muslims in Singapore to engage in armed violence. In another case, a 17-year-old supporter of far-right extremist ideologies detained in March this year had searched for instructions on an AI chatbot on how to produce ammunition, and considered 3D-printing his own firearms as part of his plans to conduct attacks locally. ISD said that, given the increased sophistication and ease of access to these and other emerging technologies, potential terror activities and plots in the future can be expected to feature such technologies going forward. EVOLVING TACTICS AND TECHNIQUES There are a number of ways that new and evolving technology like AI can be harnessed by terrorist organisations to advance their aims. First, in accelerating radicalisation and recruitment. AI has been used to generate disinformation at a scale and speed much faster than what could be achieved by manual means alone. Many extremists misappropriate, misinterpret or manipulate religious prophecies or social narratives to suit their ideologies and win more supporters to their cause. In that vein, AI would be able to make such efforts, which bear significant similarities to disinformation operations, more effective and efficient. AI-powered chatbots tap into our human need for companionship, but have also been shown to be easily manipulated. Isolated individuals may find seemingly empathetic connections and be nudged toward extremist ideology. Another risk is how AI could be deployed by terror organisations in ever more innovative ways to create chaos and confusion. A recent investigation by the BBC unearthed evidence that identities of British public sector workers had been cloned using AI by a Russian-linked disinformation campaign. For example, an emergency medical adviser in the UK had his voice faked in a video campaign spreading fear ahead of Poland's presidential election earlier this year. In the recent Israel-Iran conflict, AI-driven disinformation such as fake videos and images showing the purported prowess and success of both sides were shared widely in the online space, with the aim of bolstering support for each side's campaign. Third, AI could be used by radicalised individuals to generate and suggest plans and strategies to conduct terror attacks, which would be especially appealing to younger, more vulnerable individuals who may not have been exposed to formal training or direct contact with terror organisations. Combined with existing trends such as using AI to produce deepfake videos, and the other tactics detailed in the report, these present a complex and complicated environment that can only increase the chances of terrorism threats permeating across the world. WHAT CAN BE DONE While the report makes clear that there is currently no specific intelligence of an imminent terrorist attack against Singapore, it is important to not take such relative peace for granted. All eight Singaporeans dealt with under the country's Internal Security Act since last July were self-radicalised by extremist materials they found online. ISD said that such platforms have accelerated the time taken between individuals' first encounter with terrorist and radical elements, and their subscription to violent extremist ideologies. Statistics show that the time taken for self-radicalisation for cases detected in Singapore has essentially halved from 24 months prior to 2015, to an average of 12 months between 2021 and 2025. Some cases took mere weeks. In particular, the vulnerability of the youth to radicalisation remains a pressing concern. Much of ISD's prescribed efforts to counter the risk of terrorism and violent extremism are focused on enhancing counter-terrorism capabilities, beefing up border security, and working with social and education agencies to address the threat early. However, given the potential for emerging and evolving technologies such as AI to be used by terrorist organisations to enable and enhance their efforts and operations, equal emphasis should be placed on identifying such threats as early as possible. This will require close collaboration between the government and security agencies and technology counterparts in the private sector, while also ensuring the people are educated and kept up to date on such threats as soon as they are detected, whether at home or abroad.


CNA
9 hours ago
- CNA
Meta to share AI infrastructure costs via $2 billion asset sale
Meta Platforms is pressing ahead with efforts to bring in outside partners to help fund the massive infrastructure needed to power artificial intelligence, disclosing plans in a filing on Thursday to offload $2 billion in data center assets as part of that strategy. The strategy reflects a broader shift among tech giants — long known for self-funding growth — as they grapple with the soaring cost of building and powering data centers to support generative AI. The social media giant said earlier this week that it was exploring ways to work with financial partners to co-develop data centers to help finance its massive capital outlay for next year. 'We're exploring ways to work with financial partners to co-develop data centers,' Meta Chief Finance Officer Susan Li said on a post-earnings conference call on Wednesday. While the company still expects to fund much of its capital spending internally, some projects could attract 'significant external financing' and offer more flexibility if infrastructure needs shift over time, Li said. The company did not have any finalized transactions to announce, she said. The disclosure in Meta's quarterly filing, however, signals that plans are firming up. In its quarterly filing on Thursday, Meta said it had approved a plan in June to dispose of certain data center assets and reclassified $2.04 billion worth of land and construction-in-progress as "held-for-sale". These assets were expected to be contributed to a third party within the next twelve months for co-developing data centers. Meta did not record a loss on the reclassification, which values the assets at the lower of their carrying amounts or fair value less costs to sell. As of June 30, total held-for-sale assets stood at $3.26 billion, according to the filing. Meta declined to comment for this story. CEO Mark Zuckerberg has laid out plans to invest hundreds of billions of dollars into constructing AI data center 'superclusters' for superintelligence. 'Just one of these covers a significant part of the footprint of Manhattan,' he said. The Instagram and WhatsApp owner on Wednesday raised the bottom end of its annual capital expenditures forecast by $2 billion, to $66 billion to $72 billion.


CNA
16 hours ago
- CNA
Liberty Global says Virgin Media O2 will still play role in consolidation
LONDON :Liberty Global said Britain's Virgin Media O2 - its joint venture with Telefonica - would still play a role in fibre consolidation after the Spanish company said a plan to spin off the network had been scrapped. "I do see us playing a role in altnet (alternative fibre networks) consolidation, which was one of the main benefits of the Netco project that we were exploring together," Chief Executive Mike Fries told analysts after the group reported second-quarter results on Friday. "I think there are many things about the Netco strategy that Telefonica would agree with and other aspects they don't. "And so as good partners we will work to find the areas of agreement and head forward." Telefonica's Chief Executive Marc Murtra told Reuters on Wednesday the plan to spin off Virgin Media O2's fixed network had been scrapped.