Month: December 2025

Cryptocurrency has gone from a niche idea to a global tool for business. But behind the scenes, it still takes real work to make digital payments safe, fast, and reliable.
Few companies have taken on that challenge with as much focus and discipline as ZixiPay.
Founded in 2017 by a small team of engineers and early blockchain investors, ZixiPay has grown into a trusted name in crypto payment processing and business wallet technology. Their path wasn’t flashy. It was steady, technical, and rooted in a simple goal: build a system people can depend on.
“We started because we saw businesses struggling with basic things—speed, security, compliance, and control,” the company explains. “We knew we could build something stronger if we owned the entire infrastructure ourselves.”
This spotlight takes a closer look at their journey, their technology, and why their approach is shaping the future of crypto payments.
The Early Vision: Control the Infrastructure, Control the Outcome
When ZixiPay began, crypto wallets were often tied together by third-party tools. That created weak spots. Outages. Delays. Security risks. The team behind ZixiPay wanted the opposite.
“From day one, we decided to own every layer we could. Blockchain nodes, APIs, security stack—everything,” they say.
This wasn’t a common approach at the time. Running your own blockchain infrastructure requires engineering talent and serious investment. But it paid off. Today, ZixiPay supports more than 2 million wallets and processes over $150 million in monthly transactions.
The founders say this wasn’t luck.
“We built slow and steady. That gave us stability. That stability brought trust.”
A Business Wallet Built for Real-World Problems
Many crypto wallets focus on everyday users. ZixiPay took a different route. They saw a gap in the market: businesses needed tools that could scale without headaches.
Fast Onboarding + Strong Compliance
ZixiPay chose to meet global standards early, even before many competitors.
They follow full KYC and AML compliance, and also use KYT (Know Your Transaction) monitoring to detect fraud or high-risk activity.
“We wanted businesses to know that using crypto didn’t mean ignoring regulations. It meant meeting them with better tools,” they say.
Because of this, ZixiPay became especially attractive to sectors with higher regulatory needs:

e-commerce
forex
iGaming and gambling
real estate

These industries needed predictable settlement times, secure wallets, and no chargebacks. ZixiPay built tools specifically for that.
A Wallet With Multi-Chain Support
Today, businesses can send, store, and accept:

Bitcoin
Ethereum
USDT across multiple networks
and other major digital assets

The company’s modular API design allows businesses to plug ZixiPay into their systems without long development cycles.
“Integration should take hours, not months,” they often say.
A Product Built on Simplicity and Security
While the technology behind ZixiPay is complex, the way they explain it is not. Their internal motto is straightforward: “Make it simple. Make it secure.”
They point to their no-chargeback payment model as an example.
“Businesses needed predictable payments. Crypto made that possible. We just built the tools to make it practical.”
Two-factor authentication, internal blockchain control, and monitored transactions form a security stack that feels more like a bank than a startup.
“People assume crypto is risky. It doesn’t have to be. Risk comes from poor design.”
Scaling Without Losing Focus
Growth can weaken a company if it isn’t handled carefully. ZixiPay seems aware of that. Their expansion has been methodical.
Some achievements they highlight:

2,000,000+ wallets created
$150,000,000+ processed monthly
Global availability with consistent performance
Zero reliance on outside blockchain service providers

Their approach is still grounded in practicality.
“We don’t chase hype. We chase reliability. Our best marketing is a system that works every time.”
What Makes ZixiPay Different in a Crowded Market
Cryptocurrency companies appear every month. Many disappear just as fast. ZixiPay’s endurance seems tied to three core principles they repeat often:
1. Own the Infrastructure
This gives them control over speed, uptime, and security—things that matter to enterprises.
2. Stay Compliant
By aligning with global KYC, AML, and KYT standards, they reduce risk for partners.
3. Keep It Simple
Their API-based model is built so businesses can “plug in and start.”
“Businesses don’t want to be blockchain experts. They want tools that work.”
Looking Ahead: A Secure Future for Global Crypto Payments
ZixiPay sees digital payments becoming more global, more automated, and more regulated. They believe the companies that survive will be the ones that built their foundations early.
“Crypto is maturing. The companies that grow with it will be the ones that already understand compliance, infrastructure, and security at scale.”
Their story is still being written, but one thing is clear: ZixiPay has positioned itself as a stable and thoughtful leader in a fast-changing world.
Not by chasing trends. Not by promising the moon.
But by building a reliable system that businesses actually trust.
If their past is any clue, the next chapter may be even more interesting.
Read more:
ZixiPay: Building a Safer, Smarter Future for Crypto Payments

Rachel Reeves has confirmed that she will deliver an early spring statement on 3 March, as the Treasury moves to restore confidence after a year in which prolonged tax speculation was blamed by businesses for weakening the UK economy.
In announcing the date, the Treasury said the chancellor had formally asked the Office for Budget Responsibility to prepare updated forecasts for the economy and the public finances. The move is intended to provide “stability and certainty” following widespread criticism of the extended build-up to November’s budget, which many business leaders said had stalled investment and hiring decisions.
Reeves has faced sustained criticism over the months of leaks, briefings and policy kite-flying that preceded the autumn budget, with economists and industry groups arguing that the uncertainty contributed to a downturn in consumer spending and a freeze in private sector activity. Official data later showed the economy unexpectedly contracted in October, while the Bank of England has warned that growth is close to flatlining at the end of the year.
Business surveys have also pointed to a sharp slowdown in activity around the turn of the year, with firms delaying spending decisions until greater clarity emerged on tax and regulatory changes. Economists said the uncertainty was exacerbated by the limited headroom Reeves initially left against her self-imposed fiscal rules, increasing the risk that even a modest deterioration in the public finance outlook could force further tax rises or spending cuts.
At the November budget, the chancellor sought to address those concerns by more than doubling her fiscal headroom to £22bn, arguing that the move would protect the public finances from future shocks and reduce the likelihood of sudden policy changes. She also signalled a shift in approach, confirming that the government would hold one major fiscal event a year.
Under that framework, the Treasury said it would respond to the OBR’s March forecasts with a formal statement to parliament rather than a full budget. Officials said the approach would help provide greater predictability for households and businesses, supporting the government’s wider growth agenda.
The spring forecasts are expected to be published before a permanent replacement is appointed for Richard Hughes, who stepped down as chair of the OBR after sensitive budget documents were accidentally published online ahead of Reeves’s November statement. Both the Treasury and the OBR are continuing internal investigations into the leak.
Reeves has previously acknowledged the damage caused by speculation in the run-up to the autumn budget and has pledged to improve discipline around fiscal announcements. Setting an early March date is seen within Whitehall as an attempt to draw a clear line under that episode and to reset relations with businesses and financial markets ahead of the new financial year.
Read more:
Rachel Reeves sets early March date for spring statement as OBR prepares forecast

Former mineworkers and their families are celebrating a “historic” boost to their pensions after the government handed over a £2.3bn reserve fund, delivering increases worth up to £100 a week and backdated lump sums averaging £5,500.
Members of the British Coal Staff Superannuation Scheme will see their pensions rise by 41% from Tuesday, following the transfer of the government’s share of the scheme’s surplus. The move brings long-awaited relief to tens of thousands of former workers who had campaigned for years against an arrangement that allowed the state to take half of any surplus while members bore all the risk.
The changes mainly affect around 40,000 former staff who worked in non-mining roles at collieries, including more than 5,000 women. Similar reforms were introduced last year for the Mineworkers’ Pension Scheme, which covers about 100,000 former miners.
For many, the uplift marks a turning point after years of financial anxiety. Julie Creed, from Mansfield, who worked in British Coal’s salaries office, said the extra income would make a “massive difference” as household bills continue to rise. She added that her mother-in-law, now in her 80s, would no longer have to worry about whether she could afford to heat her home following the death of her husband, who worked in the mines.
Campaigners had previously warned that some pensioners were “dying in abject poverty” after billions were taken from the schemes over decades. Ministers announced an end to the arrangement in the autumn budget of 2024, describing it as a long-overdue correction of an injustice rooted in the industry’s privatisation.
Cheryl Agius, chair of trustees of the pension scheme, called the change a landmark moment. She said it marked “the result of a year of determination, advocacy and collaboration” and represented a clear break from the past.
Steve Yemm, the Labour MP for Mansfield, whose constituency has the highest proportion of former mineworkers in the UK, said the move delivered justice but warned that more work remained. He said members were still seeking clarity over how future surpluses would be shared and urged ministers to reach a fair agreement quickly.
Energy secretary Ed Miliband paid tribute to former mineworkers and campaigners, saying the uplift would give thousands a better retirement. He added that receiving a 41% increase just before Christmas was recognition of the contribution mineworkers had made and the hardship many had endured since the industry’s decline.
Read more:
Former mineworkers celebrate ‘historic’ £100-a-week pensions boost

UK job vacancies fell for a fifth consecutive month in November as employers became increasingly cautious in the run-up to the autumn Budget, according to new figures that underline the growing fragility of the labour market.
Data from Adzuna showed a 6.4 per cent month-on-month drop in advertised roles, with total vacancies falling to 745,448. Compared with November last year, vacancies were down 15 per cent — the sharpest annual decline recorded so far in 2025.
November is typically a strong month for recruitment, particularly as businesses hire ahead of the Christmas trading period. However, weeks of speculation about possible tax rises appear to have prompted firms to delay or cancel recruitment plans, contributing to what Adzuna described as one of the toughest environments for jobseekers in recent years.
Andrew Hunter, co-founder of Adzuna, said the figures reflected a marked shift in employer behaviour. “November is historically a strong month for hiring, so this latest contraction is yet further proof employers are erring on the side of caution,” he said. “The autumn Budget added further uncertainty as we headed into the festive period, and that has weighed heavily on recruitment decisions.”
The slowdown has been particularly severe for those entering the workforce. Adzuna reported a 24 per cent fall in entry-level vacancies, pushing them to their lowest level since 2021. The company said youth unemployment in the UK is now rising at the fastest pace among G7 economies.
Official figures published earlier this month by the Office for National Statistics showed the unemployment rate rising to 5.1 per cent in the three months to October — the highest level since the pandemic. The ONS also confirmed that the UK economy contracted by 0.1 per cent in October, adding to concerns about weakening demand.
The deteriorating outlook helped prompt the Bank of England to cut interest rates to 3.75 per cent from 4 per cent in an effort to stimulate growth and support employment.
Competition for available roles has intensified as vacancies decline. Adzuna estimates there are now more than two candidates for every advertised job, increasing pressure on applicants across most sectors.
While advertised wage growth remains elevated at more than 7 per cent according to Adzuna’s data, this contrasts with official pay figures from the ONS, which show private sector wages rising at closer to 3 per cent — suggesting a disconnect between advertised salaries and actual earnings growth.
Sector-level data points to particularly sharp cutbacks in logistics, where vacancies fell almost 15 per cent over the month. Retail roles dropped by 5 per cent, reflecting weak consumer demand at a critical time of year.
Retailers will be hoping for a late surge in spending to salvage the Christmas period, but the ONS reported last week that retail sales volumes slipped by 0.1 per cent in November despite Black Friday falling within the month — a worrying sign for a sector heavily reliant on year-end trading.
With vacancies continuing to fall and employers remaining cautious, economists warn that the jobs market may remain under pressure into the new year unless confidence improves and demand begins to recover.
Read more:
UK job vacancies fall for fifth month as employers rein in hiring

UK businesses have experienced a sharp decline in activity over the past month and expect trading conditions to remain weak until at least March, according to a new survey from the Confederation of British Industry.
The CBI’s latest growth indicator for the private sector showed a weighted balance of -34 per cent, indicating that a significant majority of firms reported falling activity over the past three months. Companies surveyed said they expected the sluggish conditions to persist into the early spring, underscoring continued fragility across the economy.
Economists said the downturn was partly driven by cautious consumers, who reined in spending amid weeks of intense speculation ahead of November’s Budget. Despite that uncertainty now easing, businesses report little evidence of a rebound.
Alpesh Paleja, deputy chief economist at the CBI, said the figures capped a disappointing year for private sector growth. “They mark a continuation of the headwinds that have plagued businesses over the past 12 months: tepid demand conditions, with households cautious around spending, and strong cost pressures squeezing margins,” he said.
Paleja added that pre-Budget uncertainty had delayed investment decisions and major projects, leaving pipelines of work constrained. “The latest growth indicator suggests that the alleviation of this uncertainty hasn’t materially boosted activity,” he said.
The survey echoes other recent data pointing to a fragile economic backdrop. The Office for National Statistics reported earlier this month that the UK economy contracted by 0.1 per cent in October, while retail sales volumes also fell in November despite the annual Black Friday promotions.
Labour market indicators have also weakened. Hiring intentions across the services sector have dropped to their lowest level since July 2020, during the early stages of the Covid-19 pandemic. Analysts link the slowdown in recruitment to higher employment costs following the £25 billion rise in employers’ national insurance contributions and a 6.7 per cent increase in the minimum wage, combined with subdued consumer demand.
While inflation has eased — falling to 3.2 per cent in November from 3.6 per cent the previous month — businesses are planning to raise prices more quickly over the coming quarter to offset rising costs. The fall in inflation prompted the Bank of England to deliver its fourth interest rate cut of the year last week, offering some relief to households and firms.
Looking ahead, the outlook remains muted. The International Monetary Fund expects the UK economy to grow by 1.3 per cent in 2026, a pace that remains weak by pre-pandemic standards. Financial markets believe the Bank of England could cut interest rates once or twice more next year, a move that may help support consumer confidence, spending and growth — but for now, businesses appear braced for a challenging start to the year.
Read more:
Firms hit by sharp slowdown in activity as confidence weakens, CBI finds

First vinyl records made a comeback, then baggy jeans. Now Britain’s most nostalgic comfort food is enjoying a revival, as a TikTok-famous jacket potato business plots a nationwide expansion.
SpudBros, the family-run baked potato brand founded in Preston, is preparing to roll out across the UK after striking a partnership with EG On The Move, the roadside retail group led by Zuber Issa.
The move comes more than five years after the collapse of Spudulike, once a familiar fixture on British high streets, and signals renewed confidence in a product many thought had been left behind in the 1990s.
SpudBros was launched in 2020 by brothers Jacob and Harley Nelson after they took over an old hot potato cart in Preston, Lancashire. During the pandemic, they turned to social media, particularly TikTok, to build a loyal following, using short-form videos to showcase oversized baked potatoes loaded with toppings such as garlic butter, cheese, beans, chilli con carne, tuna coleslaw and bolognese sauce.
That online popularity translated into real-world growth. The brand has since expanded beyond Preston, opening sites in London, Liverpool and Sheffield, while attracting celebrity fans including Will Smith, Joe Jonas, Liam Neeson and YouTube star MrBeast.
The latest step in its growth is a deal with EG On The Move, which operates around 160 petrol forecourts across the UK. SpudBros Express outlets opened last week at EG locations in Blackburn, Lancashire, and Wakefield, West Yorkshire, on a trial basis. If successful, the partnership could see the concept rolled out across EG’s wider national network.
Jacob Nelson said the early launches were just the start. “I am confident Blackburn and Wakefield are just the beginning of a much bigger journey with EG On The Move,” he said.
Salim Hasan, chief operating officer at EG On The Move, said the group expected the partnership to become a long-term fixture at its roadside sites. “Working alongside the SpudBros Express leadership and brand team, we anticipate the opening of these two trial stores will be a strong and successful long-term roadside partnership,” he said.
Earlier this year, the Nelson brothers also signed a deal with Taster to help develop the SpudBros Express concept and explore franchising opportunities. EG On The Move already operates more than 200 food and drink concessions nationwide, with partners including Starbucks, Subway and Greggs.
The return of jacket potatoes to prominence marks a sharp contrast with the fate of Spudulike, which closed its remaining 37 UK branches in 2019 after struggling with falling high street footfall and rising costs. Its demise came during a period when several casual dining chains, including Carluccio’s and Ed’s Easy Diner, also shut sites, although some brands, such as Jamie’s Italian, are now attempting comebacks of their own.
For SpudBros, the combination of social media clout, comfort food nostalgia and high-footfall roadside locations could prove a powerful mix. If the EG On The Move trials succeed, the humble jacket potato may once again become a staple of Britain’s eating habits – this time driven by Gen Z rather than office lunch breaks.
Read more:
Jacket potatoes are back as TikTok star SpudBros plots UK forecourt expansion

A UK maritime robotics startup led by a 22-year-old founder has raised more than £750,000 to develop autonomous robots designed to clean ships’ hulls, reduce fuel consumption and remove the need for hazardous underwater diving work.
Edinburgh-based ScrubMarine, founded by Rohith Devanathan while he was still a student, has secured the funding in a venture round led by SFC Capital and PXN Ventures. The investment will allow the company to complete its first commercial prototype, expand its engineering team in Whitehaven, grow its Edinburgh operations and move towards live trials with customers.
ScrubMarine is developing autonomous hull-cleaning and inspection robots that target biofouling – the build-up of algae, barnacles and slime on ships’ hulls. This growth increases drag, driving up fuel consumption and emissions. Devanathan estimates biofouling adds more than $100 billion a year to global shipping costs.
“Biofouling is a hidden problem, but it’s a massive one,” he said. “It increases drag on the vessel, which increases fuel burn. That’s a huge cost for operators, and it’s also bad for the environment.”
Traditional hull cleaning often requires ships to be dry-docked or divers to work underwater alongside large vessels, a process that is costly and can be dangerous. “The diving issue isn’t just about cost,” Devanathan said. “It’s also a serious safety concern. Divers do lose their lives in incidents like these, and that’s why we’re building robots to take people away from that risk.”
The company’s first robot, known as the Turtle, is a lightweight autonomous system that clings to a ship’s hull and removes biofouling using cavitation technology. The process uses microscopic water bubbles that implode on the surface to dislodge debris without damaging the vessel’s protective coatings. The robot also captures inspection data in the same pass, allowing operators to assess hull condition at the same time as cleaning.
Unlike many existing systems, which can be the size and weight of a small car, the Turtle weighs less than 50 kilograms. That makes it easier to deploy without cranes or support divers, significantly lowering operational complexity and cost.
ScrubMarine is also developing a larger autonomous deployment vehicle, nicknamed the Whale, designed to transport multiple Turtle units to offshore vessels and retrieve them without the need for crewed boats or port infrastructure. The system is intended to serve ships operating offshore, including in sectors such as offshore wind, oil and gas and superyachts.
The company believes the technology could scale rapidly. Its business plan forecasts annual revenues of £56 million within five years, with applications across global shipping and marine energy markets.
Born in Chennai and raised in Edinburgh, Devanathan began building websites and small businesses as a teenager before enrolling on a robotics degree at Heriot-Watt University at the age of 17. He founded ScrubMarine in 2024 while studying robotics engineering, where he met co-founder Clyne Albertelli, who was researching robotic systems for maritime use.
The funding round was also backed by the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund, which supports early-stage companies across the north of England. Private investors include Graham Westgarth, former president of the UK Chamber of Shipping, and Colin Greene, a former Apple country chief executive.
With prototype development nearing completion, ScrubMarine is now preparing for its first commercial trials, as it looks to bring automation, cost savings and safer working practices to one of the shipping industry’s most persistent challenges.
Read more:
Edinburgh startup secures £750k to build robots that clean ships’ hulls

Leonardo has warned the UK government that it may be forced to shut down its helicopter manufacturing operations in Britain if it fails to secure a flagship £1 billion Ministry of Defence contract, a move that would threaten the future of the country’s last remaining helicopter factory.
In a letter to defence secretary John Healey, Roberto Cingolani, chief executive of the Italian defence group, said the contract to replace the long-serving Puma helicopter was central to Leonardo’s long-term commitment to the UK. Without it, the company would be compelled to reassess its entire British footprint, including its historic manufacturing base in Yeovil, Somerset, which employs around 3,300 people.
Leonardo’s AW149 helicopter is currently the sole remaining contender for the programme, after Airbus and Lockheed Martin withdrew from the competition last year. The company submitted its final bid in April, with a decision now resting with ministers.
Cingolani warned that any delay or cancellation of the programme would have serious consequences. In his letter, first reported by the Telegraph, he said the absence of new UK defence contracts would force Leonardo to reconsider further investment in areas such as electronics and cybersecurity, in addition to core helicopter manufacturing.
Leonardo, the successor to Westland Helicopters, has produced military aircraft in Yeovil for decades and currently builds and supports more than 100 helicopters for the British armed forces, including the Merlin and Wildcat fleets. The site also services export orders for customers in the Middle East and North Africa, but senior executives have made clear that overseas work alone cannot sustain the factory indefinitely.
Speaking to investors last month, Cingolani said Leonardo could not “subsidise Yeovil forever”, noting that the company had gone more than a decade without securing a major new helicopter manufacturing contract from the UK government. “At some point we should consider why we keep a plant there for 15 years and don’t get anything,” he said.
The Ministry of Defence has sought to downplay concerns, insisting that no final procurement decision has yet been made. A spokesperson said officials were continuing to assess the business case for the new medium helicopter programme, adding that the tender submitted by Leonardo was still under active evaluation.
Defence minister Luke Pollard reiterated that position in the House of Commons last week, saying that while Leonardo’s bid had been assessed, the process remained commercially sensitive and no details on aircraft numbers, delivery schedules or contract value could yet be disclosed.
The warning comes as Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has pledged to significantly increase UK defence spending, committing to raise it to 3 per cent of GDP in the next parliament and to 3.5 per cent by 2035 under Nato obligations. For Leonardo, the Puma replacement contract is seen as a test of whether that rhetoric will translate into sustained investment in Britain’s defence manufacturing base.
Industry figures say the outcome could define the future of sovereign helicopter production in the UK, with Yeovil’s fate hanging on a single decision that could either secure decades of skilled work — or mark the end of an era for British aerospace manufacturing.
Read more:
Leonardo warns it could exit UK helicopter manufacturing without £1bn defence contract

Jia Xu is a computer scientist and AI researcher with a global academic career spanning Europe, Asia, and the United States. She is currently where her work focuses on natural language processing and large language models.
Xu began her academic journey in Germany. She completed her bachelor’s and master’s degrees at TU Berlin, studying and working entirely in German. She later earned her PhD from RWTH Aachen University under Professor Hermann Ney, a leading figure in machine translation. During this period, she also completed research visits at Microsoft Research and IBM Watson, gaining early exposure to industry-scale AI systems.
Her academic career continued in Asia. Xu served as an Assistant Professor and PhD adviser at Tsinghua University and later became an Associate Professor at the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Across these roles, she led research teams working on dialogue systems, machine learning generalisation, and efficient AI models.
Jia Xu is known for combining theory with real-world application. She has authored around 50 research papers and holds 12 patents and provisional patents. Her teams have ranked among the top performers in 18 major AI competitions, including second place in the Amazon Alexa Prize Social Bot Challenge.
In recent years, Xu’s work has focused on making large language models smaller, smarter, and more sustainable. She believes true success in AI comes from lasting impact, not scale alone.
An Interview with Jia Xu on Building a Global Career in AI
Your career has taken you across Europe, Asia, and the United States. Where did it all begin?
I began my academic journey in Germany when I was nineteen. I moved there to study computer science and had to learn how to live, study, and think in a new language at the same time. I completed both my bachelor’s and master’s degrees at TU Berlin entirely in German. That experience shaped how I approach challenges. I learned early that progress often comes from patience and persistence rather than speed.
How did that early experience influence your research mindset?
It taught me resilience. When language is limited, fundamentals speak.. Fundamentals lead. Listening sharpens. Preparation deepens. That mindset stayed with me during my PhD at RWTH Aachen University, where I worked under Professor Hermann Ney in machine translation. At the time, machine translation was still considered very difficult. Seeing how long-term research could slowly turn impossible ideas into real systems left a strong impression on me.
You also spent time in industry research labs. What did those experiences add?
During my PhD, I had research visits at Microsoft Research Redmond and IBM Watson. Those environments showed me how research operates at scale. I am grateful for that time and my mentors and colleagues. Industry labs care deeply about whether ideas can work in real systems. That balance between theory and application stayed with me. It reinforced my belief that strong research should eventually connect to real use cases.
After your PhD, you moved into academic leadership roles in Asia. What stood out during that phase?
I served as an Assistant Professor and PhD adviser at Tsinghua University and later as an Associate Professor at the Chinese Academy of Sciences. These were intense and productive years. I worked with talented students and researchers on machine learning and natural language processing. Different academic cultures value different things, and adapting to those expectations helped me grow as a leader. I learned that thinking is just as important as directing.
Many people know your work through AI competitions. Why were those important to you?
Competitions test whether ideas actually work. My teams contributed to 18 top-ranking results in major natural language processing challenges. One highlight was earning second place in the Amazon Alexa Prize Social Bot Challenge. That project forced us to think about long-term conversations, system robustness, and user experience. It showed clearly that accuracy alone is not enough. Real systems must be reliable, efficient, and engaging.
In recent years, your research has focused on efficiency and smaller models. Why does that matter?
Large language models are impressive, but they are expensive and resource-heavy. Many organisations cannot use them easily. I am interested in making models smaller and smarter so they can be deployed more widely. Efficiency is not about lowering standards. It is about better design. A well-built, smaller model can be more practical and trustworthy in real-world settings.
How do you personally define success in your field?
I measure success using two standards. One is my own judgement as a researcher. I understand the depth and impact of my work. The second is social feedback. If an idea is recognised and helps make the world better, then it matters. Decades ago, machine translation seemed unrealistic. Today, it is part of everyday communication. Being part of that long journey of turning the unreachable into something achievable is meaningful to me.
You place strong emphasis on values and integrity. Where does that come from?
Every career includes challenges that test your principles. I believe lasting success comes from staying aligned with one’s goals and social values, even when it can be difficult sometimes. Authenticity matters. It affects how one works with colleagues, mentors students, and chooses research problems. For me, success is not just about achievement. It is about contributing something that lasts beyond oneself.
What role does mentorship play in your work today?
Mentorship is at the heart of my work. I help students view research not as a series of immediate wins, but as a long-term journey where setbacks are stepping stones. Success is built through steady effort and curiosity. At the same time, I learn from my students, their questions, fresh perspectives, and fearless curiosity constantly push me to grow and evolve. For me, mentorship is a team journey of discovery, resilience, and shared growth.
Read more:
Jia Xu on Building a Global Career in Artificial Intelligence