Energy

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…

Researchers at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) have developed a method to convert plastic waste into hydrogen, which can be used for clean energy. They published their findings in Engineering.  Using a photocatalyst to oxidize plastic  The researchers engineered a porous tungsten oxide (WO3) photoanode that interacts with polystyrene (PS) plastic. PS…

The NJ HAX Plasma Forge, a new partnership between the New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA), SOSV venture capital firm and the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL), will help launch and grow startups focused on plasma technology. The NJ HAX Plasma Forge will be located near the PPPL in Princeton, NJ and will feature approximately…

[Last updated on June 18, 2025] Amazon CEO Andy Jassy recently hinted that AI would result in jobs cuts across the e-commerce giant, declaring “we will need fewer people doing some of the jobs that are being done today” as the company accelerates development of over 1,000 generative AI applications. He counseled employees to begin…

Two Harry S. Truman Fellows are undertaking research to translate advanced quantum optical principles from laboratory concepts into scalable, manufacturable devices. Truman Fellow Sam Peana focuses on quantum photonics research. As a doctoral student, he contributed to a team thaat identified a novel single-photon emitter found in silicon nitride-oxide materials. He subsequently developed techniques for…

Sandia National Laboratories is thawing out what reportedly amounts to the world’s largest molten-salt test facility after a seven-year freeze, armed with a $2.5 million DOE grant that will let companies stress-test pumps, valves and heat-exchangers at 600°C. Sandia intends to complete the restart next year. Once up and running, the revived 7,000-gal Molten Salt…

Laura McGill, two weeks into her tenure as Sandia National Laboratories director, addressed the organization’s New Mexico staff on May 14. She stated that the lab would double down on its core role as the nation’s nuclear-weapons system integrator while also scaling up digital-engineering and AI projects. She announced a projection of up to $5…

The AI race hinges not just on algorithms and silicon, but increasingly on raw power. The International Energy Agency (IEA) projects that global electricity consumption by data centers will more than double by 2030, with AI-specific data centers alone expected to quadruple in consumption. By then, the energy used for AI processing in the U.S.…

Most people bring a blanket to the beach to soak up the sun — this “blanket” soaks up pollution instead. Researchers at Ohio State University have created a solar-activated “nanomat” that floats on water like a beach mat, but instead of providing comfort, it goes to work cleaning up harmful contaminants. The lightweight, reusable material…

With tech shake-ups, automotive layoffs, and healthcare funding cuts all recent themes, the R&D World Index dipped nearly 4% last week. Specifically, the R&D World Index (RDWI) for the week ending March 14, 2025, closed at 3,951.90 for the 25 companies in the RDWI. The Index was down -3.76% (or -154.52 basis points). Five RDWI…

In 1926, British aerodynamicist Hermann Glauert introduced an equation that shaped a century of wind turbine development — a third-order polynomial that determines the optimum axial induction factor. Yet, at Penn State nearly one hundred years later, Divya Tyagi, an engineering student revisited and improved this classical result by deriving missing analytical approaches for rotor…

The R&D World Index saw a slight gain of 0.22% last week, closing at 4,163.38 points. Corporate actions focused heavily on new manufacturing investments, with Apple doubling its Advanced Manufacturing Fund and Eli Lilly announcing plans for four new U.S. drug manufacturing plants. Technology companies continued their push in advanced computing, with Amazon and Google…

Researchers from the University of California, San Diego (UC San Diego) and the French lab CEA-Leti unveiled a novel microactuator driving system at the International Solid-State Circuits Conference (ISSCC) 2025. The system combines solid-state battery technology with integrated circuit designs for simultaneous energy storage and voltage boost conversion. The research, detailed in the paper “An Autonomous…

Scientists at the CEA’s WEST facility (operated at the Cadarache center in southern France) have reached a milestone in magnetic confinement fusion research, sustaining a superheated plasma for 1,337 seconds—just over 22 minutes. Achieved on February 12, this feat outstrips the previous record set a few weeks ago by China’s EAST tokamak and marks a…

The R&D World Index saw gains this week, driven partly by a surge in Intel’s value amid significant developments across various sectors. Honda and Nissan have ended their merger talks, citing concerns over autonomy and decision-making, while GlaxoSmithKline consolidates its vaccine R&D in Cambridge, MA. Novartis is set to reacquire rights to a blood clot…

Scientists at Russia’s state nuclear corporation Rosatom have reported developing a plasma engine for deep space travel. They announced that they have already built a laboratory prototype of the craft. This engine uses electrically accelerated plasma (ionized gas) instead of chemical combustion, enabling considerable exhaust velocities. The scientists estimate that they could send a spacecraft…

NASA and DARPA have unveiled plans to test a novel nuclear thermal rocket engine—a technology capable of tripling propulsion efficiency compared to conventional chemical rockets. The project, dubbed DRACO, hinges on recent advances in nuclear fuel, with General Atomics reporting significant progress in testing fuel elements capable of withstanding the extreme conditions of an Nuclear…

Commercial fusion power, often compared to harnessing the sun’s energy, has the potential to provide a sustainable and virtually limitless energy source. However, significant scientific and engineering challenges must be addressed before fusion power can become a practical reality. Among the most pressing obstacles are the materials required to withstand the extreme conditions inside a…

Welcome to our weekly briefing on R&D headlines shaping technology, energy, manufacturing, and more. In this edition, we continue to explore how the Chinese startup DeepSeek is potentially rewriting AI training assumptions, the potential ripple effects on global energy demand, new tariffs upending automotive supply chains, plus highlights from the Idaho National Laboratory, Procter &…

Researchers at Incheon National University in South Korea have developed an inventive optimization model designed to improve the operation of microgrids. The model addresses challenges posed by unpredictable energy supply and demand, aiming to enhance energy efficiency and ensure a stable power supply. It could prove particularly valuable in regions with unreliable grid infrastructure or…

Every day seems to bring new developments in rechargeable battery research, with teams racing to surpass conventional lithium-ion technology, which has significant room for enhancement. As the adoption of electric vehicles rises and the need for storing renewable energy becomes increasingly important, the search intensifies for safer, lighter, and more sustainable power sources. Recent breakthroughs…

Imec, a partner in EnergyVille, in collaboration with the University of Cyprus, has reported significant progress in the development of perovskite solar modules, demonstrating long-term outdoor stability after two years of real-world testing. Mini-modules measuring 4 cm² retained 78% of their initial power conversion efficiency (PCE) after one year in outdoor conditions in Cyprus. This…

As 2025 gets underway, concerns are mounting about the stability of some high-paying STEM and R&D roles in an economy many once believed would remain recession-proof for engineers, software developers, and research scientists. A few bright spots include quickly-growing positions such as data scientists (36% growth, $108,020 median pay, according to BLS in 2024), computer…

Sandia National Laboratories has partnered with leading research institutions to tackle a potential energy crisis driven by the increasing energy demands of artificial intelligence (AI) and other advanced technologies. Jeffrey Nelson, a principal investigator at Sandia, highlighted the issue’s urgency: “Computing alone is projected to consume a significant portion of the total planetary energy production…

A partnership between the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) and the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) is streamlining inspections of nuclear reactor components and materials by using advanced algorithms and advanced imaging technology. Initially focused on additively manufactured nuclear parts, the collaboration has expanded to include inspections of nuclear fuel, enabling quicker and safer evaluations. Key…