GoKawiil
Tech News
Firma Power is offering data center operators a way to source power from new wind, solar and battery storage projects rather than defaulting to gas plants. The startup's pitch comes as the U.S. is set to add a record 86 gigawatts of clean energy capacity this year, with many more low-cost projects awaiting connection to the grid.
New York Democratic Representative Ritchie Torres plans to introduce the Power to the Players Act, which would direct the FTC to ensure consumers actually own purchased video games rather than licensing them, and to require offline modes when publishers shut down servers. The bill cites NBA 2K25 as an example, noting the $70 game will be delisted October 30 and lose online server support by December, just two years after release.
TechCrunch is offering discounted Founder and Investor Passes for its Founder Summit, taking place November 4 at Boston's SoWa Power Station, with savings of up to $200 ending October 16. Founder Passes currently cost $199 and Investor Passes $399, covering roundtables, breakout sessions, and networking sessions. The event expects around 1,000 founders and investors, with speakers including Kent Bennett of Bessemer Venture Partners, Lior Div of 7AI, and Vineet Edupuganti of Cogent Security.
Representative Ritchie Torres has proposed federal legislation that would direct the FTC to create rules guaranteeing that purchased video games are owned outright rather than licensed, and would require games with online-dependent features to offer offline modes before servers are shut down. Torres cites NBA 2K25, which is being pulled from digital stores on October 30 and losing its servers on December 31, as an example of the problem the bill targets.
Researchers cryopreserved pig kidneys in a glass-like frozen state—one for more than a year—then rewarmed and tested them before transplanting them into pigs. The organs regained color and produced urine, indicating they functioned after transplant. The team says it is a major step but still needs to determine whether the technique translates to human organs.
Constellation announced it will spend more than $4.3 billion to boost output at 11 of its nuclear reactors through a process called a power uprate, which involves upgrading equipment like turbines, pumps and transformers to handle more steam from enriched fuel. The company says the added capacity will generate enough electricity to power roughly 700,000 US homes.
An Entrepreneur contributor published a personal essay describing being publicly humiliated and called names by a former boss, timed around National Boss's Day. The piece outlines three recommended steps for employees facing a 'bully boss': refusing to normalize the behavior, documenting incidents with dates and witnesses, and understanding legal protections available to employees who speak up.
Anker's Travel Essential power bank, which offers 20,000mAh capacity and 87W output with a built-in USB-C cable, is currently discounted by 14%, bringing its price down to $59.99.
OpenAI has announced the departure of its top computing executive, the person overseeing the company's infrastructure buildout. The company has outlined plans to spend roughly $750 billion on computing capacity through 2030 to support its AI operations.
Apple published a support document specifying that the wall-mounted HomeView needs a separately purchased USB-C power adapter rated at least 20W with 9V/2.22A support, since it ships without a mount or adapter in the box. Apple warns that using an insufficient adapter can trigger a 'Not Enough Power' message, and some third-party mounts allow hardwiring to a home's electrical system instead.
Cambridge, Massachusetts startup Cambridge Heavy Industries has been developing a small, benchtop fusion reactor near MIT that uses lasers to compress a fuel target in an inertial confinement approach. CEO Yun Kai says the compact design allows 50 to 80 test shots per day, with data feeding AI-driven simulations to refine the reactor. The company has raised a $6.2 million seed round led by Azolla Ventures, with Overlay, Neta Foundation, P3A, MassCEC, and the Rothrock family also participating.
Licube, a startup licensing lithium separation technology from Hirosaki University in Japan, is presenting at TechCrunch Disrupt's Startup Battlefield. The company aims to purify lithium-6, a rare isotope that fusion reactors need to breed tritium fuel on site, since it makes up only about 7.5% of naturally occurring lithium. CEO Yohei Kiguchi told TechCrunch he expects the lithium-6 market to reach $50 billion by 2040 if fusion power becomes commercially viable.