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Texas halts new data centers as governor calls for audits
Texas Governor Greg Abbott directed the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT) and ERCOT to verify and audit new data center proposals before they can connect to the state energy grid. The move could significantly slow approvals for new facilities, even as tech companies have been drawn to Texas for its historically loose regulations and abundant power supply.
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OpenAI drags Apple's lawsuit into the court of public opinion
OpenAI publicly responded to Apple's trade secrets lawsuit in a blog post titled 'Apple is getting this wrong,' calling the suit 'careless, aggressive, and oddly personal' and sharing iMessage and email receipts to counter Apple's version of events. Meanwhile, Apple has widened its investigation, claiming in a new court filing that additional former employees may have retained or accessed confidential information before joining OpenAI.
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Nvidia's Open Secure AI Alliance shows progress just one week after launch
The Open Secure AI Alliance, spearheaded by Nvidia and now comprising over 120 companies, has already published proposals for defending against AI agent threats just one week after its formation. The rapid progress signals the industry's urgency around AI security standards.
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How an OpenAI influencer trip backfired
OpenAI organized an all-expenses-paid brand trip for influencers, a move that typically signals legitimacy but instead sparked significant public backlash. The incident highlights growing skepticism around AI companies' marketing strategies and attempts to court online creators.
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'Not healthy' LLM use is more common than you think
Popular YouTuber and science communicator Hank Green announced he is stepping back from production following fierce criticism of his AI use, which he himself described as 'not healthy.' Green clarified he used AI for finding research sources rather than writing scripts, but the backlash reflects a broader, ongoing tension around AI adoption among content creators.
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Can Reddit fend off a new wave of AI SEO spam?
Reddit is facing a growing wave of AI-generated SEO spam, with fake or automated accounts posting seemingly innocuous but commercially motivated comments in subreddits. The trend poses a significant challenge to Reddit's community trust at a time when its posts are increasingly surfaced in AI-powered search results.
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Anthropic signs $10B deal with AI cloud startup Volta
Anthropic has reportedly signed a $10 billion deal with AI cloud startup Volta, continuing a recent spree of major cloud partnerships. The deal underscores the surging demand for AI compute infrastructure and Anthropic's aggressive expansion strategy.
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AMD's data center business is booming while gaming takes a backseat
AMD's data center revenue more than doubled year-over-year to $6.7 billion in its latest earnings report, up 107 percent from $3.2 billion in the same period a year ago, driven by surging AI demand. CEO Lisa Su highlighted the strong momentum on the earnings call, even as the gaming segment took a back seat.
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SpaceX made more revenue as an AI company than a space company
SpaceX's AI revenue grew more than threefold to $2.6 billion year-over-year, primarily from deals to provide compute to other AI companies. The company's IPO documents indicate its AI division has become the primary revenue driver, outpacing its core space business.
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Elon Musk spends half his time talking robots and AI on Tesla earnings calls
An analysis of the last seven years of Tesla earnings calls reveals that Elon Musk increasingly dominates discussions with talk of robots and AI, paying comparatively little attention to Tesla's core car business. The finding illustrates how Musk's public focus has shifted dramatically toward AI and automation.
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SpaceX has bought $329M worth of Tesla Megapacks so far this year
SpaceX has purchased $329 million worth of Tesla Megapacks in 2026, illustrating the deep financial interconnections across Elon Musk's portfolio of companies. The purchase is likely tied to SpaceX's rapidly expanding AI compute infrastructure needs.
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Open-weight AI models are catching up to the frontier — but the safety gap remains
A new SaferAI report finds that Z.ai's open-weight GLM-5.2 model approaches frontier AI capabilities while lacking key safety mitigations. The findings renew concerns that powerful open models could outpace governance frameworks and safeguards.
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EON wants to move the data superhighway from ocean fiber to space lasers
Endeavor Optical Networks (EON) is planning to launch the fastest space laser communications system ever built, aiming to replace traditional undersea fiber optic cables as the backbone of global data infrastructure. The project could have major implications for AI data transfer speeds and global connectivity.
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Spotify expands AI remix and covers project with Merlin partnership
Spotify has added Merlin — representing over 30,000 independent labels and distributors — to its upcoming AI-powered remix and covers product, joining Universal Music Group as a backer. The paid tool will allow fans to create AI-generated covers and remixes while ensuring participating artists opt in, receive credit, and are compensated.
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Is the future of data centers portable? Runware builds a pod to find out
AI infrastructure company Runware has announced the Sonic Inference Pod, a modular, portable data center designed to offer flexible AI compute deployment. The launch reflects growing interest in alternative data center form factors as demand for AI infrastructure outpaces traditional facility construction.
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Meet Wrinkles, an app that uncovers the hidden stories of the places around you
Wrinkles is a new iOS and Android app that functions as an AI-powered audio tour guide, surfacing hidden histories and local stories about the places around a user. The app aims to make hyperlocal storytelling accessible and engaging for everyday explorers.
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