Tags: clean energy

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is leaving the board chair of fusion startup Helion amid reports that the two companies are in early talks for a power agreement. The potential deal could give OpenAI a share of Helion’s future production, which aims for five gigawatts by 2030 and 50 gigawatts by 2035. Helion, which raised $425 million last year, is developing a magnetic‑based reactor that directly converts fusion energy into electricity. Helion confirmed Altman's departure but did not comment on new customer agreements beyond existing deals with Microsoft and Nucor. Lire la suite

Microsoft AI chief Mustafa Suleyman revealed a new team dedicated to creating a "humanist superintelligence" that is deliberately limited in autonomy and designed to serve humanity. The initiative emphasizes keeping humans "at the top of the food chain" and rejects narratives of a race to artificial general intelligence. Suleyman outlined three primary applications: an AI companion for learning and productivity, support for the healthcare sector, and breakthroughs in clean‑energy science. The move follows a new agreement with OpenAI that lets Microsoft pursue AGI independently or with partners, while leveraging OpenAI’s intellectual property. Lire la suite

Google is researching the concept of placing AI hardware in low‑earth orbit through a project called Suncatcher. The plan envisions solar‑powered satellites carrying Tensor Processing Units (TPUs) to run machine‑learning models using continuous, clean energy. While the idea promises higher power efficiency and reduced carbon emissions, Google acknowledges significant technical hurdles such as radiation exposure, high‑speed inter‑satellite data links, and precise formation flying. Economic analysis suggests comparable power efficiency to Earth‑based data centers by the mid‑2030s, and the company aims to launch prototype satellites by 2027 to test the concept. Lire la suite

Amazon is moving forward with a small modular reactor (SMR) project in Richland, Washington, to help power its AI and cloud services with cleaner energy. Partnering with Energy Northwest and SMR developer X-energy, the company plans to build up to twelve modular units at the Cascade Advanced Energy Facility, beginning with four that would provide 320 megawatts of power. Construction is slated to begin before the decade ends, with operations expected in the 2030s. The effort follows other tech giants’ recent forays into nuclear power for AI workloads. Lire la suite