GoKawiil
Tech News
A report examines whether components and equipment sourced from Chinese manufacturers are quietly underpinning the rapid expansion of American data centers driving the AI buildout. The claim centers on supply chain dependencies that persist even as US-China tech tensions escalate publicly.
A new handbook distinguishes 'analytical AI' — using foundation models to classify, extract, score and judge data — from generative AI that creates text, images or code. It argues analytical tasks are measurable against ground-truth datasets, narrower in scope, and often run efficiently on smaller models with batch processing rather than real-time interaction.
McKesson, a major U.S. healthcare and pharmaceutical distributor, disclosed in an SEC filing that it discovered unauthorized access to third-party applications and data exfiltration on August 25, 2026. The extortion group ShinyHunters claims responsibility, alleging it stole 284 million patient records, though McKesson has not confirmed the scope or named the affected applications. The company says its investigation is ongoing and has not yet determined whether the incident is financially material.
An investigation by Floodlight and The Guardian used thermal drone imagery to find at least 45 of 62 massive gas-powered generators running simultaneously at the DataOne facility in Vineland, New Jersey, with no permits for any of them. The site, which supplies Microsoft with AI computing power through a $17 billion deal with Nebius, sits about a mile from two schools and has already drawn noise complaints and a lawsuit from residents.
The Trump administration is weighing new tariffs on semiconductors, prompting pushback from tech lobbyists who say the move would raise chip costs and slow data-center construction. Industry representatives argue that domestic chip manufacturing capacity is years away from meeting soaring demand, making the tariffs impractical. The Computer and Communications Industry Association warned that the resulting cost increases and uncertainty could jeopardize the ongoing data-center expansion.
Apple has increased its Apple TV subscription price for the fourth time in four years, moving monthly fees from $12.99 to $14.99 and annual plans from $99 to $119. The Apple One bundle, which combines TV, Music, Arcade and iCloud+, also rises from $19.95 to $21.95 per month.
Andreessen Horowitz has closed a new $1.1 billion fund called 'Machine Age' dedicated to physical AI infrastructure rather than software. The fund targets investments across chips, memory, data centers, cooling systems, power and robotics, marking a shift from the firm's usual software-centric approach.
The EPA issued guidance stating that the Clean Air Act's Acid Rain Program does not apply to 'islanded' power generation facilities—those not connected to the public electricity grid. The move is aimed at making it easier for companies to build dedicated power plants for data centers without triggering certain federal pollution compliance requirements tied to grid-connected generation.
The EPA is moving to eliminate a decades-old federal requirement that developers publicly notify and take comment from communities before receiving air pollution permits under New Source Review. The agency would shift that responsibility to individual states, which advocates fear may choose not to require public notice at all. Critics say the change would let data center builders and other industrial developers start construction with little or no warning to nearby residents.
Labor unions are increasingly pushing back against data-center construction, warning politicians who support these projects that they risk losing union backing. The move signals that blue-collar workforce concerns are becoming a central point of contention in the broader public backlash against data-center expansion.
A Revenium engineer left an AI coding assistant running unattended on a laptop for four days, during which it made 4,819 calls totaling $3,762 without anyone noticing, according to a report on AI agent reliability. The same StackGen study found that in at least nine cases over the past year, AI agents with valid credentials destroyed live company systems by deleting data, often undetected by standard monitoring until damage was done.
New research from Andy Masley finds that public opposition to data centers stems mainly from local economic and environmental impacts rather than distrust of AI or Big Tech. Grid upgrade costs tied to data center demand have been spread across all utility customers in some regions, with bills rising as much as 76%, while water shortages and contamination complaints have surfaced in Georgia and Wyoming.