data centers

Exploring SiC, GaN and 2D materials in high-power and high-frequency applications For more than half a century, silicon has been the primary material in semiconductor technology. Its mature processing infrastructure and favorable electronic properties made it the default choice for most electronic devices. As demands for higher power density, faster switching and greater energy efficiency…

For the first time since the agency was created in 2000, the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) has furloughed about 1,400 federal employees, roughly 80% of its workforce, because of the October shutdown. About 375 employees remain on duty for essential functions. That’s a break with the 35-day 2018–2019 shutdown, when NNSA avoided furloughs. Sen.…

Researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory have demonstrated a circuit breaker that could finally make medium-voltage DC power distribution economically viable for data centers and manufacturing facilities, the lab announced in a press release. By using 1950s-era thyristors instead of modern semiconductors, the team achieved sub-50-microsecond interruption times at a fraction of the cost. The…

President Trump has signaled his continued support for the AI industry, but the recently released 28-page AI Action Plan is particularly brash in its support. “As our global competitors race to exploit these technologies, it is a national security imperative for the United States to achieve and maintain unquestioned and unchallenged global technological dominance,” the…

For years, rumors have swirled about OpenAI’s plans to build a massive data center project codenamed Stargate. Those plans were formalized in a January 2025 White House event in which OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, flanked by Oracle and SoftBank top brass, described plans to bring those dreams to fruition. But in the months since, conflicting…

Google’s recent sustainability report reveals that the company has more than doubled its electricity use in the past four years. In 2024, Google’s data centers used 30.8 million megawatt-hours of electricity, up from 14.4 million megawatt-hours in 2020. In 2024, data centers accounted for 95.8% of the entire company’s electricity use.  While Google reported that…

The R&D World Index (RDWI) for the week ending August 30, 2024 closed at 3,969.84 for the 25 companies in the RDWI. The Index was up 0.57% (or 22.41 basis points). Seventeen RDWI members gained value last week from 0.08% (Microsoft) to 7.30% (Intel). Eight RDWI members lost value last week from -0.12% (Stellantis NV)…