Developers behind the proposed Frederick Digital Campus have pitched a $110 million package to Frederick County, Maryland residents to secure approval for the site, which would house tenants including Amazon and Aligned Data Centers. The package includes a $30 million elementary school, $40 million in recreational facilities, a $14.5 million workforce training center, $10.5 million for agricultural preservation, and up to $100 million toward a water reclamation system that would cut potable water use by 80%.
Y Combinator's newest Demo Day featured a batch skewed heavily toward deep tech, with startups like Atomarine pitching nuclear-powered floating data centers and Dipole Labs building optical networking hardware to cut power waste in AI clusters. TechCrunch surveyed early-stage investors who named nine companies that got flagged repeatedly as the standouts of the cohort. Investors noted the technology felt futuristic, but valuations across the batch were more restrained compared to recent quarters.
American cancer patients are increasingly traveling to China for CAR-T cell therapy, a personalized immunotherapy that reengineers a patient's white blood cells to fight cancer. The Wall Street Journal reports that Chinese providers, having scaled up production, now offer the treatment for $150,000 to $230,000 versus $550,000 to $850,000 in the US, with faster turnaround and included follow-up care.
AI companies are pouring billions into massive data centers and power plants to support 'agents'—AI systems that autonomously execute multi-step tasks rather than simply answering questions. Unlike a single chatbot query, an agent can generate hundreds of self-prompts to complete complex jobs, such as building an entire website over several hours. OpenAI recently touted a swarm of over 10,000 agents exchanging 2.7 million messages to tackle a longstanding math problem, though mathematicians have disputed the significance of that result.
Apple's Control Center houses both Do Not Disturb and Focus modes, with Do Not Disturb actually functioning as one type of Focus alongside Personal, Work and Sleep options. Users can customize each Focus mode individually, choosing exactly which apps and contacts can send notifications while that mode is active. Setup happens through Settings > Focus, where filters, smart activation and time-sensitive notification exceptions can also be configured.
A group of former EPA officials, working through the Environmental Protection Network, released a report identifying 30 federal actions since January 2025 that they say weaken environmental protections to speed AI data center construction. They argue this has pushed data centers toward dirtier power sources, worsening pollution exposure even for people who don't live near the facilities, and are calling on Trump to adopt a 'Data Center Health Protection Pledge.'
Insurers and reinsurers are exploring catastrophe bonds to help cover the massive, geographically concentrated value of hyperscale data centers, many of which sit in hurricane- and flood-prone regions. Industry experts told CNBC that while no dedicated data center cat bond has yet been issued, activity is building one step upstream through reinsurance vehicles like quota shares and sidecars as firms work out pricing and capacity.
A quarter century after the September 11 attacks, air travel remains defined by security measures introduced in their aftermath, even as some newer screening technologies now let passengers move through checkpoints with fewer restrictions. The anniversary prompts a look back at how flying was transformed almost overnight and how those changes persist today.
Oracle has requested proposals for 2 gigawatts of renewable energy in New Mexico as it faces local protests and legal challenges over the $165 billion Project Jupiter data center it's building with OpenAI in Santa Teresa. The facility, part of the Stargate AI infrastructure initiative, will still run on natural gas-powered fuel cells rather than direct renewable power, and analysts note the renewable investment is a 'synthetic' match rather than a direct power source for the site.
The EPA is proposing to eliminate a federal rule requiring states to notify the public and accept comments before approving air-pollution permits for industrial facilities, including data centers and the power plants built to supply them. A separate EPA proposal from last month would also allow developers to begin construction before permits are finalized. These changes come as data centers expand rapidly across the rural South, disproportionately affecting Black communities.
Nscale, a UK-based AI data center company, has named Fidji Simo, who recently departed OpenAI's No. 2 role, to its board of directors. She joins other prominent tech figures including Sheryl Sandberg, Susan Decker and Nick Clegg as the company prepares for a possible public listing this fall.
A retired NYPD officer treated for lung cancer linked to ground zero exposure describes losing multiple friends—construction workers, firefighters and police—to cancers and respiratory illness in the years after 9/11. The 25th anniversary ceremony at the World Trade Center will include a new moment of silence honoring those who died from post-exposure illnesses rather than the attacks themselves.
GoKawiil