New York Governor Kathy Hochul signs a first-in-nation executive order imposing a one-year moratorium on hyperscale AI data centers exceeding 50 megawatts, citing energy grid strain, water supply concerns, and noise pollution, as a new Gallup poll reveals 7 in 10 Americans oppose local data center construction.
Runway, now valued at $5.3 billion, is pivoting from AI filmmaking tools to building world models designed to simulate physical environments, targeting transformative applications in robotics, drug discovery, and climate modeling — but faces stiff competition from Google, OpenAI, and compute resource challenges.
Microsoft is considering abandoning its 2030 clean energy goal of matching 100% of its electricity use with renewable energy, as rapidly expanding AI data centers create power demands that make the ambitious target increasingly difficult to meet.
OpenAI is in advanced talks to buy up to 50 gigawatts of fusion energy from startup Helion by 2035, a landmark deal that could reshape AI's power future — though key milestones, including a production site, remain unresolved.
Google launches Groundsource, a Gemini-powered AI system that analyzes 2.6 million historical flood events across 150+ countries to predict urban flash floods up to 24 hours in advance, with forecasts now available on Google's Flood Hub and the dataset released open-source for global researchers.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman fires back at viral claims that ChatGPT consumes 17 gallons of water per query, calling them 'completely untrue,' while acknowledging AI's real energy demands and urging a rapid global expansion of nuclear, wind, and solar power.
Tesla accelerates Cybercab autonomous vehicle testing with high-speed highway trials and cold weather validation in Buffalo, targeting production start in April and commercial deployment by late 2026.
AI systems now generate up to 80 million tons of carbon emissions annually, matching New York City's entire output, while consuming hundreds of billions of liters of water equivalent to global bottled water usage as tech companies resist transparency about their environmental impact.
Google DeepMind launches WeatherNext 2, a revolutionary AI weather model that generates predictions 8 times faster than its predecessor, delivering forecasts in under a minute while outperforming the previous version on 99.9% of variables and integrating across Google's platforms including Search, Maps, and Pixel Weather.
Department of Energy warns blackouts could surge 100-fold by 2030 as 104 gigawatts of reliable power plants shut down without replacement, while AI data centers and advanced manufacturing drive electricity demand to record highs, potentially causing annual outage hours to skyrocket from single digits to over 800 hours yearly.