Topic: environmental impact
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OpenAI DevDay 2025: Key Updates Revealed
The 2025 OpenAI DevDay addresses ongoing public debates, including leadership, AI ethics, environmental impacts, and disputes with figures like Elon Musk. Key announcements focus on a consumer AI hardware project with Jony Ive, updates to the Sora video generator, and a potential proprietary brow...
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Sustainable AI: Scaling Data Infrastructure for the Future
Australia is emerging as a major hub for AI infrastructure and data centers, attracting significant investment from global tech firms while facing the challenge of balancing growth with environmental responsibility. AI-driven data storage is growing faster in Australia than in many other countrie...
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Microbes Unlock Copper as AI Demand Soars
The surging global demand for copper, driven by AI infrastructure and data centers, is outpacing supply, with accessible reserves dwindling and projected demand reaching 37 million tonnes annually by 2031. A startup named Endolith is using bioleaching, a process involving microbes to extract copp...
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ÄIO Makes Edible Fat From Sawdust and Farm Waste
ÄIO, an Estonian startup, produces edible fats from agricultural byproducts like sawdust and farm waste using a unique yeast strain that converts sugars into fats instead of carbon dioxide or alcohol. The resulting fats are versatile, resembling chicken fat in solid form or vegetable oils like ca...
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Why Your US Power Bill Is Skyrocketing
U.S. households are experiencing a sharp and persistent rise in electricity bills due to converging economic and infrastructural pressures, disproportionately burdening low-income families. The "energy wallet" concept highlights that electricity is just one part of total household energy spending...
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US Takes Historic Stake in World's Largest Lithium Mine
The U.S. government has acquired a 5% equity stake in Lithium Americas and its joint venture with General Motors to boost domestic lithium production, with the Thacker Pass mine set to become the largest lithium source in the Western Hemisphere by 2028. Once fully operational, the mine is project...
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Bill Gates Predicts AI Will Slash Work Week to 2 Days by 2035
Bill Gates predicts AI could enable a two-day work week by 2035 by handling routine tasks, allowing more time for personal pursuits, though feasibility and societal impacts are uncertain. AI's potential to provide accessible problem-solving could revolutionize fields like healthcare and education...
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OpenAI's 'Stargate' Expands with 5 New US AI Data Centers
OpenAI is expanding its AI infrastructure with five new U.S. data centers as part of Project Stargate, highlighting the massive computational and energy needs of advanced AI systems. The project, backed by partnerships and significant funding, is ahead of schedule and aims to supply 7 gigawatts o...
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Hitachi Energy Powers Geita Gold Mine with Cleaner, Low-Carbon Energy
AngloGold Ashanti's Geita Gold Mine in Tanzania has connected to the national grid, enabling over 45% of its electricity to come from renewable sources and cutting diesel use by 80%, which reduces annual CO2 emissions by 50 kilotons. The project, a collaboration with the Tanzanian government and ...
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The Trillion-Dollar Infrastructure Fueling the AI Revolution
The immense computational needs of AI are fueling a global construction and investment boom, projected to cost trillions and fundamentally reshape the digital infrastructure landscape. Strategic partnerships between AI developers and cloud providers have become standard, with massive investments ...
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Big Tech Eyes Data Centers in Orbit
Data centers, especially those for AI, are rapidly increasing energy consumption and emissions, threatening climate goals and prompting consideration of space-based alternatives. Influential tech leaders like Sam Altman and Jeff Bezos are exploring orbital data centers to leverage continuous sola...
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Google Chrome Integrates Gemini AI as Browsing Gets Smarter
Google Chrome now integrates Gemini AI as a built-in assistant, adding a dedicated button for accessing the chatbot and enabling AI-powered searching, research, and information synthesis. These AI tools, initially for premium subscribers, are now available to all desktop users in the U.S. browsin...
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AI's Energy Future: The Download
AI's rapid growth is significantly increasing global electricity demand, largely due to surging data center energy consumption. Despite its high energy use, AI offers potential benefits like optimizing grid operations and enhancing renewable energy integration. The debate continues on whether AI'...
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Apple's AirPods Pro 3 Won't Include a Charging Cable
The AirPods Pro 3 will not include a charging cable, requiring users to purchase one separately or use existing cables or wireless charging. This change may be manageable for users who already own USB-C cables and could help reduce electronic waste by minimizing unused accessories. Apple's decisi...
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iPhone 17 Series Unveils Biggest Design Overhaul in Years
Apple's iPhone 17 series introduces major design changes, including a new ultra-thin iPhone Air model and a redesigned horizontal camera layout on Pro models. The iPhone Air is the slimmest iPhone ever, featuring a titanium frame, Ceramic Shield 2 glass, and advanced connectivity with the C1X mod...
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Is AI Reinforcing Gender Inequality?
AI systems absorb and amplify societal biases, often reintroducing and intensifying misogyny in new forms, which deepens gender inequalities. Laura Bates, through her work and personal experience, highlights that AI is lowering barriers to creating harmful content like deepfake pornography, facil...
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Starship's Fuel Hurdle: SpaceX's Ingenious Solution
SpaceX must overcome major logistical hurdles to achieve its high-frequency Starship launch goals, including building one Starship per day at its Texas facility and managing two launch pads. Each Starship launch requires over a million gallons of propellant, far exceeding industry norms, and curr...
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Hyundai Develops Plant-Based Leather That Smells Like the Real Thing
Hyundai, in partnership with Uncaged Innovations, is developing plant-based leather that mimics the look, feel, and scent of genuine animal hide, offering a sustainable alternative with a significantly reduced carbon footprint. The material is highly customizable for automotive needs, competitive...
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Designing Sustainable Products with AI Innovation
Siemens redesigned a robot gripper using AI-driven generative design, reducing its weight by 90% and parts by 84%, despite it being only 2% of the robot's mass. This redesign results in an annual reduction of 3 tons of CO2 emissions per robot, which is significant when scaled across the global fl...
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US Electricity Demand Growth Shows Signs of Cooling
US electricity demand growth has slowed in early 2025, with a 3% increase compared to the previous year, indicating a more moderate consumption trajectory. Coal generation growth has eased slightly but remains elevated, while solar power has expanded significantly, gaining nearly 40% and offsetti...
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3 Ways to Tackle AI's Soaring Energy Demands (Without Quitting Chatbots)
AI's rapid growth is driving high energy and water consumption, straining resources and raising sustainability concerns. Data centers, essential for AI operations, consume significant electricity and water, with usage projected to rise sharply by 2030. Mitigating AI's environmental impact require...
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Roman Concrete's CO2 Footprint Matches Modern Concrete
Roman concrete, the ancient building material that constructed iconic structures like the Colosseum and Pantheon, has long been praised for its durability. However, new research reveals its environmental impact might not be as different from modern concrete as previously believed. While Roman...
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Beyond the Screen: What the New Age of Computing Means for You
▼ Summary - Quantum computing is advancing rapidly, using qubits to solve complex problems far beyond traditional computers' capabilities, with applications in medicine and cryptography.- AI and machine learning are…
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Nvidia CEO: New AI Supercomputing Tech Is a 'Miracle'
Nvidia's AI supercomputing advancements are revolutionizing industries by exponentially boosting computing performance, enabling breakthroughs in healthcare, autonomous systems, and scientific research. The technology combines advanced hardware and software algorithms to enhance efficiency, reduc...
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Wealthy Travelers Swap Business Class for Private Jets
Private jet travel is increasingly valued for efficiency over luxury, catering to high-powered executives and professionals who prioritize productivity and flexibility. The pandemic accelerated private aviation's growth, with businesses now viewing it as an efficiency investment, while remote wor...
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Eric Schmidt Invests in Relativity Space for Orbital Data Centers
Eric Schmidt's investment in Relativity Space aims to address AI's growing energy crisis by exploring orbital data centers, leveraging space for unlimited solar power and natural cooling. AI's energy demands are skyrocketing, with projections showing data centers could consume up to 99% of total ...
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