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Technology

Meta Puts Out the Call for Nuclear Energy Developers

On powering data centers, China exports, and surprising pollinators

Meta Puts Out the Call for Nuclear Energy Developers
Heatmap Illustration/Getty Images

Current conditions: Monsoon rains caused severe flooding in Thailand and Malaysia that left more than 30 people dead • In Germany, a recent wind lull known as a “Dunkelflaute” has led to a drop in wind power and a rise in gas-fired electricity production • It is chilly and cloudy in Paris, where French lawmakers will vote today on whether to topple the government.

THE TOP FIVE

1. Meta seeks developers for nuclear energy scale-up

Facebook parent Meta put out a call yesterday for nuclear energy developers who can add 1-4 gigawatts of new nuclear generation capacity by the early 2030s to power the tech giant’s data centers. “Advancing the technologies that will build the future of human connection — including the next wave of AI innovation — requires electric grids to expand and embrace new sources of reliable, clean and renewable energy,” the company said in its announcement. Interested developers are asked to basically write a pitch explaining their qualifications and why they should be considered for the job, with proposals due by February 7 of next year. Other big tech companies, including Amazon and Google, are also relying on nuclear to satisfy their growing energy needs as AI becomes more prevalent.

Somewhat relatedly, the International Energy Agency is hosting a conference on energy and AI today and tomorrow. Experts from the tech and energy industries (including Google’s chief sustainability officer Kate Brandt and Kairos’ head of power commercial team Jeffrey Olson) will discuss “how artificial intelligence could transform global energy systems, exploring the key opportunities and challenges ahead.”

2. China bans exports of critical minerals to U.S.

China is banning exports of some critical minerals to the U.S. in retaliation for the Biden administration’s latest decision to curb China’s access to American-made memory chips. The tit-for-tat move bans exports of gallium, germanium, antimony. These materials are key components in semiconductors, and have many varied applications in clean tech. Gallium, for example, is used in solar panels, and antimony is used to make EV battery alloys. A recent report from the U.S. Geological Survey concluded that a total Chinese export ban on gallium and germanium could cut U.S. GDP by $3.4 billion.

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  • 3. GM expects $5 billion in losses to restructure struggling China venture

    Speaking of China, General Motors is shaking up its operations in the country, sustaining more than $5 billion in losses. The company’s Chinese joint venture, known as SAIC-GM, has gone from being a success to a liability in recent years, losing ground to Chinese competitors that poured money into producing EVs and hybrids. Electric vehicles make up more than half of all car sales in China. “Almost all foreign automakers there, including European, Japanese, and South Korean companies, are struggling as increasingly ambitious Chinese car companies like BYD and Geely introduce new models and slash prices,” reportedThe New York Times, noting that BYD is likely to overtake Ford this year in global sales.

    4. Biden administration has awarded more than $100 billion from IRA

    The Biden administration this week is celebrating the milestone of awarding more than $100 billion in grants as part of the Inflation Reduction Act. “Crossing the milestone of $100 billion awarded shows just how quickly we’re getting these funds out the door and into communities so they can make a real difference for the American people,” climate envoy John Podesta toldReuters. And another official said the administration will exceed its goal of obligating more than 80% of the available IRA grant money by the end of Biden’s term, explaining that this would mean the funds are protected: “They are subject to the terms of the contract, so when those contracts are signed and executed, this becomes a matter of contract law more than a matter of politics.”

    5. Study: Arctic could see first ice-free day by 2027

    The Arctic could experience its first ice-free summer day before 2030, perhaps even by 2027, according to a new study published in the journal Nature Communications. The international research team behind the study used multiple computer models and simulations to make the projection, which is “unlikely” but becoming more plausible as greenhouse gas emissions rise. Extreme weather events – like a series of exceptionally warm years – could trigger rapid melting leading to an ice-free day or days. Such an event could “have cascading effects on the rest of the climate system,” the authors wrote. “It would notably enhance the warming of the upper ocean, accelerating sea ice loss year round and therefore further accelerating climate change, and could also induce more extreme events at mid-latitudes.”

    THE KICKER

    Recent research suggests rare wolves in Ethiopia feed on the sweet nectar of plants known as red hot poker flowers, becoming covered in pollen in the process. This unusual behavior would make the wolves perhaps the first known large carnivores to be plant pollinators.

    Ecology journal

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    Politics

    The Climate Election You Missed Last Night

    While you were watching Florida and Wisconsin, voters in Naperville, Illinois were showing up to fight coal.

    Climate voting.
    Heatmap Illustration/Getty Images

    It’s probably fair to say that not that many people paid close attention to last night’s city council election in Naperville, Illinois. A far western suburb of Chicago, the city is known for its good schools, small-town charm, and lovely brick-paved path along the DuPage River. Its residents tend to vote for Democrats. It’s not what you would consider a national bellwether.

    Instead, much of the nation’s attention on Tuesday night focused on the outcomes of races in Wisconsin and Florida — considered the first electoral tests of President Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s popularity. Outside of the 80,000 or so voters who cast ballots in Naperville, there weren’t likely many outsiders watching the suburb’s returns.

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    Exclusive: Trump’s Plans to Build AI Data Centers on Federal Land

    The Department of Energy has put together a list of sites and is requesting proposals from developers, Heatmap has learned.

    A data center and Nevada land.
    Heatmap Illustration/Getty Images

    The Department of Energy is moving ahead with plans to allow companies to build AI data centers and new power plants on federal land — and it has put together a list of more than a dozen sites nationwide that could receive the industrial-scale facilities, according to an internal memo obtained by Heatmap News.

    The memo lists sites in Texas, Illinois, New Jersey, Colorado, and other locations. The government could even allow new power plants — including nuclear reactors and carbon-capture operations — to be built on the same sites to generate enough electricity to power the data centers, the memo says.

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    AM Briefing: Liberation Day

    On trade turbulence, special election results, and HHS cuts

    Trump’s ‘Liberation Day’ Tariffs Loom
    Heatmap Illustration/Getty Images

    Current conditions: A rare wildfire alert has been issued for London this week due to strong winds and unseasonably high temperatures • Schools are closed on the Greek islands of Mykonos and Paros after a storm caused intense flooding • Nearly 50 million people in the central U.S. are at risk of tornadoes, hail, and historic levels of rain today as a severe weather system barrels across the country.

    THE TOP FIVE

    1. Trump to roll out broad new tariffs

    President Trump today will outline sweeping new tariffs on foreign imports during a “Liberation Day” speech in the White House Rose Garden scheduled for 4 p.m. EST. Details on the levies remain scarce. Trump has floated the idea that they will be “reciprocal” against countries that impose fees on U.S. goods, though the predominant rumor is that he could impose an across-the-board 20% tariff. The tariffs will be in addition to those already announced on Chinese goods, steel and aluminum, energy imports from Canada, and a 25% fee on imported vehicles, the latter of which comes into effect Thursday. “The tariffs are expected to disrupt the global trade in clean technologies, from electric cars to the materials used to build wind turbines,” explained Josh Gabbatiss at Carbon Brief. “And as clean technology becomes more expensive to manufacture in the U.S., other nations – particularly China – are likely to step up to fill in any gaps.” The trade turbulence will also disrupt the U.S. natural gas market, with domestic supply expected to tighten, and utility prices to rise. This could “accelerate the uptake of coal instead of gas, and result in a swell in U.S. power emissions that could accelerate climate change,” Reutersreported.

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