Google’s new geothermal energy project is up and running. Google’s partnership with clean-energy startup Fervo has yielded a first-of-its-kind geothermal plant in Nevada, delivering 3.5 MW into the grid that feeds two data centers near Las Vegas and Reno. This pilot project uses innovative drilling and closed-loop stimulation techniques to tap subsurface heat with minimal surface impact, aligning with Google’s goal of operating on carbon-free energy around the clock by 2030. Beyond its modest scale, the installation demonstrates how data-intensive tech companies can pioneer sustainable power solutions.
“If you think about how much we advanced wind and solar and lithium ion storage, here we are — this is kind of the next set of stuff and we feel like companies have a huge role to play in advancing these technologies.” (theverge.com)
There’s a deeper problem hiding beneath global warming. Physicist Mark Buchanan argues that even after decarbonisation, humanity will face “deep warming,” a waste-heat dilemma built into every joule we use. As our per-capita energy consumption has doubled every 30–50 years, the heat expelled by cars, factories and data centers—though now only ~2 percent of the greenhouse imbalance—will grow to rival greenhouse warming within centuries. This thermodynamic ceiling underscores an urgent question: can societies cap total energy use while meeting rising demands?
“This deeper problem also raises Earth’s surface temperature but, unlike global warming, it has nothing to do with greenhouse gases and our use of fossil fuels.” (aeon.co)
“What I am calling ‘deep warming’ will be a big problem for humanity at some point in the not-too-distant future.” (aeon.co)Strictly analogue: Polaroid’s past, present and future – a photo essay. In a vivid visual tour, Guardian photographer Christian Sinibaldi takes readers inside the world’s last Polaroid film factory in the Netherlands. Through elegant large-format images of cleanrooms, coating machines and chemical processing baths, the essay captures the craft behind instant film’s layered emulsions, reflecting on the alchemy that powered a cultural phenomenon. From the rhythmic hum of precision rollers to the colorful ribbons of ejected film, the piece is a celebration of analogue processes in an increasingly digital age, evoking nostalgia and articulating the emotional resonance of tactile photography.
“Guardian photographer Christian Sinibaldi tours the world’s last Polaroid film factory, in the Netherlands, the only remaining factory still making film for the much-loved instant cameras.” (theguardian.com)
OpenAI’s Big Bet That Jony Ive Can Make AI Hardware Work. In a landmark $5 billion equity deal, OpenAI acquired Io, the hardware venture co-founded by Apple design legend Jony Ive, merging its 55-member team with OpenAI’s engineers. While LoveFrom remains independent, Io now reports to OpenAI’s VP of Product, positioning design at the core of future AI devices. Though details remain under wraps, the collaboration hints at a consumer-facing AI hardware prototype set to debut in 2026, reflecting OpenAI’s ambition to redefine personal computing and bridge AI research with intuitive, human-centered design.
“OpenAI has acquired Io, a hardware joint venture formed last year with renowned designer Jony Ive, in a $5 billion equity deal.” (wired.com)
“The project aims to debut its first product in 2026.” (wired.com)The Artificial Intelligence Revolution: Part 2. Tim Urban’s landmark essay delves into the mechanics and stakes of an intelligence explosion, mapping a “staircase” of AI development from narrow AI to superintelligence. He examines how a machine just two levels above human cognition could initiate rapid self-improvement—leaping from chimp-level to vastly superior “superpowers” such as strategizing, social manipulation and recursive self-enhancement. Urban’s clear infographics and philosophical musings illuminate existential questions about control, alignment and what it means to coexist with entities whose intellect dwarfs our own.
“In the scheme of the intelligence range we’re talking about today … the increased cognitive ability over us would be as vast as the chimp-human gap.” (waitbutwhy.com)
“Superpowers are cognitive talents that become super-charged when general intelligence rises.” (waitbutwhy.com)