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Articles · 32
Google DeepMind and Meta back Biohub virtual cell with $300M
Google DeepMind, Meta, and Isomorphic Labs are investing $300 million in Biohub to build AI datasets for a virtual cell model. The funding is part of a $1.8 billion initiative that also includes contributions from the Department of Energy and National Institutes of Health.
Google Signs Deal with Constellation for Nuclear Power
Google has contracted for power from Constellation Energy, with new nuclear energy accounting for about a quarter of the supply. The 20-year deal will enable more than $4.3 billion in new investment and upgrades at 11 nuclear units in the PJM grid.
Emerald AI, Google, and NVIDIA Launch AEMA to Flex AI Data Centers on the Grid
Emerald AI, Google, and NVIDIA announced the AI Energy Management Alliance on September 16, 2026, to advance AI data centers that adjust electricity use with grid conditions. TechCrunch’s September 17 report adds Anthropic and several major utilities as launch partners and attributes a roughly 100 GW interconnection upside to the alliance’s demand-response pitch.
SB Energy Files for US IPO With $439B Backlog
SB Energy, the SoftBank-backed developer of AI data centers, filed for a US IPO on Tuesday, reporting 66.4% revenue growth in the first half of 2026 and a $439 billion backlog while disclosing it has no operational facilities and is substantially dependent on OpenAI. The filing underscores the tight linkages among OpenAI, SoftBank, and Nvidia in the $500 billion Stargate project as the company seeks to broaden its customer base through acquisitions.
NASA and SpaceX Prepare for Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope Launch
NASA and SpaceX are targeting a 7:26 AM EDT Sunday liftoff of a Falcon Heavy from Kennedy Space Center carrying the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope. The observatory will travel to Sun-Earth L2, where its Wide Field and Coronagraph instruments will search for exoplanets and study dark energy.
Rebirth Clings to Factory, Solar Fire Averted, Battery Tests Reveal Gaps
Rebirth Group is fighting eviction from its Normandy factory over unpaid rent, a homeowner personally put out a solar panel fire in Moselle, and German lab tests revealed usable-capacity shortfalls in 16 home batteries. The stories illustrate the practical frictions that continue to accompany the energy transition.
Germany brings around 260MW of BESS online through three fresh deals
Alpiq, CATL-backed CNTE and Terralayr have each activated battery storage projects in Germany that together bring around 260MW of operational capacity, including the country’s former largest system at Bollingstedt. The developments arrive weeks before the Energy Storage Summit Germany 2026 opens in Berlin.
LG Energy Solution starts LFP and NMC battery production in Michigan
LG Energy Solution has begun production of LFP and NMC battery cells at its Lansing, Michigan factory, announced on 18 August. The plant is expected to reach more than 35 GWh annual capacity to supply both BESS and EV customers including Toyota.
NVIDIA Locks in Initial 4.25 IT-GW at Ohio AI Campus Backed by SB Energy
NVIDIA has partnered with SB Energy to secure an initial 4.25 IT-GW of AI capacity at the PORTS-Pike campus in Ohio, with OpenAI as the customer for the full 8 IT-GW site under a 20-year lease. The agreement features a $1.5B NVIDIA investment in SB Energy, credit support for the buildout, creation of tens of thousands of jobs and an $80M community benefits fund.
Europe BESS round-up: Encavis, OX2 advance in Italy, Sunotec commissions Bulgaria project
Encavis has acquired its first utility-scale standalone BESS in Italy, OX2 has purchased two projects from Hanwha in the Italian market, and Sunotec has commissioned a 379MWh installation in Bulgaria as part of its debut collaboration with GEN-Is.
DCC Agrees £5.75bn Takeover by KKR and Energy Capital
DCC Energy has agreed to a £5.75 billion sale to KKR and Energy Capital Partners, offering shareholders £65.25 per share plus additional payments. The deal highlights surging foreign private equity interest in undervalued UK-listed firms, pushing 2026 M&A to a record $197 billion year-to-date.
Brookfield to Buy Aypa Power From Blackstone Funds at $7 Billion Valuation
Brookfield Asset Management will acquire Aypa Power from Blackstone-managed funds at an enterprise value of approximately US$7 billion, gaining a 6.5GW portfolio plus a development pipeline exceeding 20GW that is 95% contracted under 17-year average terms.
BlackRock Subsidiary GIP Targets Majority Stake in Summit Ridge Energy
Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP), a BlackRock subsidiary, intends to acquire a majority stake in community and commercial solar company Summit Ridge Energy. The partnership is expected to improve capital access and help the developer lead consolidation across a fragmented solar sector.
Energy Dept. Orders Data Centers to Use Backup Power
The Department of Energy has authorized PJM to require data centers to use backup power during a heat wave straining the grid this week. The move highlights growing electricity demand from AI-driven data centers in a region with the world's largest concentration of such facilities.
Infineon Launches €5 Billion Chip Facility in Dresden
Infineon opened its €5 billion ($5.7 billion) Smart Power Fab in Dresden on July 2, 2026, three months early. The EU-supported factory will make power-management chips for electric vehicles, renewable energy and AI data centres while advancing Europe's target of doubling its global semiconductor share to 20 percent by 2030. Construction began in May 2023.
BMW unveils electric iX5 with 845 km range
BMW has launched the iX5, its first electric X5 that shares a multi-energy platform with gasoline, diesel, plug-in hybrid and hydrogen variants while promising 845 km range and a 23-minute recharge. The large SUV adopts Neue Klasse styling, panoramic screens and premium interior materials on dimensions of 4.99 m long.
Walmart signs first nuclear power purchase agreement
Walmart signed its first nuclear power purchase agreement with Constellation Energy on June 23, securing about 176 MW of zero-emission electricity from the Dresden Clean Energy Center in Illinois via two 15-year contracts that begin in 2029 and 2030. The deal includes 30 MW of new generation capacity and represents the retailer's initial step into nuclear energy procurement for clean power supply.
EU signs tripartite pact to speed energy storage rollout
The European Union has launched a first-of-its-kind tripartite agreement to accelerate storage deployments, with 22 member states pledging capacity over the next two years. The Commission cited 30-35GW while the formal document states 45GW; the pact aims to lower system costs, reduce price volatility and strengthen local manufacturing. The bloc is estimated to need around 200GW by 2030 against 55GW installed at the beginning of this year.
Fire Engulfs Process Unit at Pennsylvania Refinery Owned by Delta Air Lines
A large fire broke out at Monroe Energy's Trainer refinery in Pennsylvania on June 25, prompting a shelter-in-place order for nearby residents. The Delta Air Lines subsidiary reports no community health risks from its air monitoring, while firefighters continue battling the blaze that started in a process unit pump room.
IBM reveals nanostack transistor design targeting sub-1nm performance
IBM has detailed a nanostack transistor architecture it calls the world’s first sub-1 nanometer chip technology, enabling nearly 100 billion transistors on a fingernail-sized die. The approach is projected to yield 50 percent higher performance or 70 percent better energy efficiency than the prior 2nm generation while delivering a 40 percent SRAM scaling gain for AI workloads.
Qualcomm launches Dragonfly C1000 CPU for data centers with Meta as key client
Qualcomm introduced its Dragonfly C1000 data center CPU engineered for agentic AI on Wednesday and confirmed Meta as a customer once production begins in 2028. The announcement underscores the mobile-centric chipmaker's drive into higher-growth data center segments where energy efficiency has become a decisive factor amid surging AI-agent workloads.
Energy Fuels Agrees to Buy German Magnet Producer Vacuumschmelze
Energy Fuels will acquire Vacuumschmelze GmbH for about $1.9 billion, creating a fully integrated rare earth supply chain from mine to magnet. The purchase aligns with Western efforts to lessen reliance on China for materials used in EVs, defense and advanced technology.
Octopus Energy partners with CATL on Swaptopus battery swap venture for electric trucks
Octopus Energy and CATL have created Swaptopus, a joint venture that will deploy battery-swapping stations for electric trucks across the UK and Europe by adapting technology already proven at scale in China.
Fed Removes Easing Bias in Revised Rate Statement
The Federal Reserve released a shorter, heavily revised June policy statement that removes easing bias language and adds emphasis on delivering price stability. The updates reflect a shift in tone amid noted supply shocks including energy, signaling tighter focus on inflation control.
Helion becomes first fusion company to win regulatory licenses for power plant
Helion Energy received the world’s first regulatory licenses for a fusion power plant from the Washington Department of Health. The milestone clears a key safety hurdle for the Orion facility that aims to supply Microsoft data centers with fusion-generated electricity by 2028.
Google invests $1.5B to expand Alabama data center
Google is spending $1.5 billion to expand its Jackson County, Alabama data center from 2026 to 2027 while fully funding energy infrastructure to protect local rates. The site will eventually draw nuclear power under a 2025 agreement, accompanied by millions in community grants for efficiency, education, and workforce programs.
Sembcorp completes US$4.32B Alinta Energy acquisition
Sembcorp Industries completed its AU$6.5 billion (US$4.32 billion) acquisition of Alinta Energy, adding 3.4GW operational and 10.4GW in development assets to its Australian holdings. The move expands Sembcorp's Renewables East portfolio across China, Southeast Asia and Oceania following regulatory clearances.
GM Activates V2G for 250,000 Existing EVs
GM activated vehicle-to-grid capability for more than 250,000 existing bidirectional EVs with no new hardware required. The move positions parked vehicles as a major distributed energy resource to support grid stability amid rising demand.
GM Launches Energy Pass for Unified EV Charging
GM announced Energy Pass, a unified interface in its existing vehicle apps that connects to major charging networks representing nearly 70% of US DC fast chargers. It reduces friction from multiple apps and accounts while rolling out Plug&Charge capabilities and aligning with GM's full shift to native NACS ports.
New York Passes One-Year Moratorium on New Large Data Centers
New York lawmakers approved a one-year moratorium on new large data centers, the first such statewide measure if signed by Governor Hochul. The pause aims to study environmental and energy impacts amid growing AI-driven demand.
Meta Taps Tesla for 365 MW Wyoming Solar and Battery Project
Meta has partnered with Enbridge on the first phase of the Cowboy Project, a 365 MW solar farm and 200 MW/1,600 MWh Tesla battery system near Cheyenne, Wyoming, to supply its data centers. The initiative supports Meta's renewable energy commitments while addressing grid reliability challenges from AI-driven data center demand growth.
Tesla Launches £199 Monthly Renewable Energy Bundle in UK
Tesla now provides a UK Renewable Energy Bundle featuring eight solar panels and a Powerwall 3 for £199 monthly, available to existing owners on four-year zero-interest terms after a £1,747 deposit. A £494 package also bundles in a Model 3 as the company extends its US lease strategy to cut upfront costs.
From the feed · 60
Taiwan-based iBase Solution is expanding from industrial computers and energy storage into liquid-cooled prefabricated modular data centers. The move targets AI infrastructure EPC contracts.
Apple's EU energy label for the iPhone Duo lists a combined 4,883 mAh battery across 2,962 mAh and 1,921 mAh cells, MacRumors reports. That sits between the eSIM-only iPhone 18 Pro at 4,288 mAh and Pro Max at 5,567 mAh, per iFixit.
Two minutes at 7am delivers the top story from tech, gaming, markets and energy, plus six verified wire briefs. Every item is checked against its source. Free, no paywall. The morning email: https://thecircuitry.to/brief
U.S. generation from small-scale solar systems under 1 megawatt rose from 18,812 GWh to 92,979 GWh over the last decade, the Energy Information Administration estimates. California accounted for 37% of the 2025 total.
Dan Taylor, director of engineering at Arenko, details standardization needs and third-party data choices for effective BESS analytics strategies.
Up to $1M raised by two-person Seattle startup TriMagnetix for nanomagnetic chips that run on electrical pulses instead of constant power. Early lab tests show 800 times less energy use than a traditional chip, and satellites are a key target, GeekWire reports.
848-kW rooftop system offsets 95% of electricity use at Vanguard Furniture’s Hillsville, Virginia plant. Pisgah Energy’s third project for the North Carolina craft maker.
TagEnergy’s 240 MW battery in the Marne, built from 140 Tesla Megapacks, is now the most powerful in service in France, with 480 MWh of storage, Frandroid reports.
20.4GWh of grid-scale BESS deployed globally in September, up 61% from the prior year. Year-to-date installations reached 208GWh, a 43% increase.
The Energy Department issued an emergency order amid above-average temperatures, The New York Times reports.
Ripple Prime launched real-world asset (RWA) perpetual swaps for institutional clients, tied to perpetual futures listed by Trade.xyz on Hyperliquid. The swaps cover more than 100 reference markets across equities, ETFs, metals, energy and FX, trade and settle 24/7, and Virtu is among the first clients.
UC San Diego announced its participation in a Department of Energy project that applies AI to geothermal energy development.
Local and state governments from the Midwest to New York are adding zoning rules and moratoriums on BESS and data centre projects.
300MW total at Nightpeak Energy's Bocanova BESS site in Brazoria County, Texas, after the 150MW/300MWh Bocanova 2 project reached financial close and commercial operation.
790MWh BESS, Greece's largest, inaugurated by Metlen and Karatzis Group. Prime Minister said storage should accompany renewables.
A Japanese consortium of NYK Line, NTT Facilities, Eurus Energy, and MUFG Bank is developing floating datacenters moored at ports to avoid land constraints. The group has an MOU with Yokohama for a renewable-powered demonstration that began testing in March.
Ember finds insufficient progress on the Energy Storage and Grids Pledge two years after dozens of countries endorsed it at COP29, despite higher ambitions.
A 100MW/1GWh CO2-based storage system from Exa Energy has connected to the grid in China. Energy Dome says it is taking appropriate action to defend its IP rights.
Ukraine resumed strikes on Russian oil refineries Thursday after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said a brief energy ceasefire was over, AP reports.
Rivian expanded its partnership with Redwood Materials: Redwood will collect retired Rivian battery packs through service centers, repurpose suitable ones for stationary energy storage, and recycle the rest along with manufacturing battery scrap.
CenterPoint Energy's September data breach affected 1,062,060 Texas customers, according to a filing with the Texas attorney general's office. Exposed data includes names, addresses, Social Security numbers and driver's license numbers, and the filing shows customers had not yet been notified.
Delta Electronics unveiled a production-ready containerized Solid-State Transformer DC power system at Energy Taiwan 2026 for AI factories and high-density computing, paired with its Solid Oxide Fuel Cell distributed generation solution. The debut marks the company's 55th anniversary.
Ambrosia Energy has begun work on a 10 GWh battery factory near Austin, Texas, to supply its solar-plus-battery power plants for off-grid data centers, CEO Ben Longmier said at TechCrunch Disrupt. The 150,000-square-foot plant should reach full production in two to three years.
Nights at the Moon's south pole can drop to -328°F, so NASA's SPEARS project is testing solid ceramic and polymer batteries that have so far survived extreme cold without damage. They still need warming but require less energy-intensive thermal management than lithium-ion cells, and could be used on future Artemis missions.
Soaring energy prices are pushing inflation higher, The New York Times reports.
Nightpeak Energy has brought its Bocanova 2 Tesla Megapack battery facility online in Brazoria County, Texas, Sawyer Merritt reports. It is the second phase of the site; the first 150 MW phase, Bocanova 1, began commercial operation in August 2025.
Standard Solar acquired two Washington solar projects from OneEnergy Renewables, adding 15.79 MW of ground-mounted capacity in eastern Washington. The 12.1 MW Palouse Junction and 3.69 MW Cunningham sites are slated for Q1 2027 completion with local utilities as offtakers.
438MW short of its 600MW target, Illinois Power Agency's summer battery storage procurement is now drawing stakeholder feedback.
BESS experts at the Battery Asset Management Summit UK & Ireland 2026 examined long-term service agreements and the contract terms owners actually require.
Nscale has formed Energy & Power as a new unit. The move targets power infrastructure for large-scale compute.
Cities in France's Côte-d’Or region cut document search time from weeks to minutes and reduced operating costs by 10% with NVIDIA-powered AI agents and digital twins, targeting 30% at scale. Similar deployments are underway in the UK, Italy, Belgium and Sweden for mobility, energy and safety tasks.
Europe has stepped back from second-life repurposing of EV batteries for stationary BESS. Voltfang CEO David Oudsandji argues the market simply is not ready for those business models.
Bracco Imaging and Genera New Energy opened a biomethane facility designed to lower emissions from industrial operations.
Qualcomm said edge AI in phones and cars faces tighter power and cooling limits than data centers, with memory-and-logic stacking positioned as a route to lower energy use amid persistent thermal and manufacturing challenges.
Exposure to merchant revenue is dividing battery storage investors in Japan, Singapore and Australia, according to DLA Piper findings reported by Energy-Storage.news.
LG Energy Solution is reportedly restructuring its ESS equipment supply chain after Daejin Machinery entered financial difficulties and court-led rehabilitation. The company is moving some orders to existing suppliers while adding new partners to limit disruption risk.
Shell has agreed to sell its Nigeria domestic gas distribution business, Shell Nigeria Gas, to Nigerian firm Vaaris Energy. The deal needs regulatory approval, and Shell says it will keep its deepwater and integrated gas positions in Nigeria, including Nigeria LNG.
FERC approved Duke Energy Carolinas large-load tariff rules on a 4-1 vote. The measures require 75% committed revenue contributions over 15 years for loads of 100 MW or larger, plus monthly charges for network upgrades.
California’s clean-energy grid met its highest electricity demand since 2022 while handling climate-driven extreme heat.
Consumer Liaison Group examined the expanding role of energy storage in grid operations. The session focused on integration challenges and consumer impacts as deployment scales.
14,000 legacy solar inverters now fall under Integrated Power Services after its acquisition of Bold Renewables, adding more than 4 GW across 3,000 sites in the US and Canada. Bold also brings exclusive OEM parts, firmware and field service for Advanced Energy models.
Talen Energy will report third quarter 2026 financial results on November 3, 2026.
The ASEAN Centre for Energy launched the 9th ASEAN Energy Outlook (AEO9) on Oct. 8, projecting the region's energy system to 2060. Under its business-as-usual scenario, final energy consumption more than quadruples between 2025 and 2060.
Russia hit no Ukrainian energy targets overnight into Tuesday for the first time since Trump's weekend 'energy ceasefire' announcement, Reuters reported, while striking transport and logistics. It was unclear whether this was deliberate, and Russia had struck six energy sites on Monday.
560 million people across Africa still lack electricity access, even as the continent maps its substantial energy resources.
The Battery Asset Management Summit UK & Ireland opened with bankability, offtake, and regulatory reform as the main panel topics. Speakers stressed getting comfortable with regulatory change as a standing risk.
Clearway Energy has expanded its Honeycomb Energy Centre in Southern Utah to 2,120MWh after adding 210MW of storage capacity. The independent power producer now operates the larger fleet in the region.
Foss & Company closed a $58 million partnership flip to finance GridStor's BESS project in Hidalgo County, Texas.
Amwins now extends its C&I insurance to battery storage systems and EV charging sites. The move adds coverage for energy storage and charging infrastructure under existing commercial lines.
Neoen, BW ESS and MN8 have joined the Energy Storage Contract Alliance to standardize BESS procurement contracts. The move targets simpler, more consistent terms across downstream battery storage projects.
Valo, the joint venture continuing Wärtsilä’s energy storage business, is in discussions with strong players on US domestic content manufacturing and supply chain investments, including factories.
ATE Energy reported NT$6.667 billion in revenue for the first three quarters of 2026, up 132% year over year. Growth came from engineering work on major energy projects in the Philippines.
Formosa Smart Energy says global cloud providers have approached it about siting AI data centers at Formosa Plastics Group industrial locations to tap existing power infrastructure, surplus electricity, and available land.
Samsung C&T referred an 800MWh BESS in Victoria’s Gippsland region to Australia’s EPBC Act for environmental assessment.
Energy prices rose after Trump’s proposed ‘energy ceasefire’ failed to shift Russia or Ukraine.
Fervo Energy has begun commercial power sales from its 33-megawatt Cape Station unit in Utah, the first utility-scale enhanced geothermal project to reach the grid.
142MW/802MWh BESS project now online in Chile from Engie, while Grenergy secured financing for the final 1,769MWh stage of its Oasis de Atacama solar-plus-storage project.
Voltus raised $225 million in an oversubscribed Series D round to expand its virtual power plant network in the US and Canada.