GoKawiil
Tech News
Google plans to launch a fridge-sized prototype satellite carrying roughly the computing power of one server, aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket as soon as October 1. The satellite is part of Project Suncatcher, an effort to test whether AI data center hardware can operate in orbit powered by continuous sunlight, and could remain in space for up to six years.
Bloomberg reported that Oracle sent a 'force majeure' notice tied to its Project Jupiter data center campus in New Mexico, citing people familiar with the matter. The notice reportedly aims to let Oracle delay payments if the facility, being developed with Blue Owl Capital, isn't operational by 2028 as planned. Oracle shares dropped about 4% following the report.
Elon Musk's companies, including Tesla, SpaceX and X, have concentrated major new capital projects—such as chip foundries, rocket launch facilities and data centers—across Sunbelt states. State governments are reportedly competing to attract these investments, which represent billions of dollars in planned spending.
Investment in AI data centers has surpassed the combined historical spending on canals, railroads and the electrical grid, according to reporting on the current buildout. The surge is generating jobs and lifting stock valuations tied to AI infrastructure, even as it strains construction resources and materials markets.
The Justice Department issued guidance stating that citizens and noncitizens engaging in public activity, including demonstrations, that furthers a foreign power's goals must register with the government or face criminal liability. Days earlier, President Trump posted on social media calling AI and data-center critics 'Conspiracy Theorists, Treasonists, Traitors, and Leakers' and linked opposition to AI development to China.
Meta's Muse assistant, which the company says can call businesses on a user's behalf to make reservations or complete tasks, is actually routing some calls to human agents rather than handling them autonomously, according to 404 Media. An internal announcement reviewed by the outlet said Muse can 'hand requests to a trained human agent, who places the call and works it through,' and the feature remains in an internal testing phase Meta calls 'dogfooding.'
A benchmark description surfaced detailing how an AI system referred to as GPT-6 Astra was evaluated on a driving course, measuring progress along a centerline, GPS-based distance, finish time, and accepted motion commands. The metrics track whether the run stayed within 4 meters of the course, whether it finished or collided, and how commands like set_motion and stop_now were executed during the attempt.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed seven bills requiring data center operators to disclose electricity and water consumption details starting next year. The legislation also directs the California Public Utilities Commission to create separate electricity rates for data centers so their grid connection costs aren't passed on to other ratepayers, and pushes facilities toward greater renewable energy use.
UK neocloud firm Nscale disclosed in documents tied to its US IPO that a ByteDance subsidiary called Spring accounted for $24 million of its $33 million 2025 revenue, giving Spring access to 2,304 Nvidia B200 chips at Nscale's Glomfjord, Norway facility. The ByteDance link surfaced not in Nscale's S-1 but in a supporting $105 million loan document with Macquarie, and the Financial Times reports the arrangement was legal under current US export rules.
American Supercritical, a startup founded by Simon Shuham and others, emerged from stealth with $8 million in funding for technology that uses supercritical carbon dioxide to boost the efficiency of gas turbines powering data centers. The company plans to retrofit simple-cycle turbines—common at data centers but far less efficient than combined-cycle plants—so they generate more electricity without increasing fuel use, though the turbines will still emit carbon pollution from burning gas.
China's CAS Space launched the Kinetica 1 Y18 rocket on September 20, carrying nine satellites including the Supercomputing-1 (S-AIDC-1), built by S-AIDC. The satellite combines a high-resolution optical payload with an onboard AI computer to process Earth-observation data in orbit rather than transmitting raw data to ground-based data centers, reportedly cutting processing times from hours to minutes.
Residents in rural Texas towns like Bells are organizing against proposed AI data center developments, citing concerns over water use, noise, light pollution, rising utility bills and falling property values. The opposition, sparked by incidents like survey markers appearing near homes, has grown into public pushback at local meetings, with some communities moving to block or restrict such projects.