Power
power
Jon Keegan
1/14/25

White House executive order offers up federal sites for AI data centers

With only days left in his administration, President Biden issued another AI executive order as part of his effort to make development of the technology a national priority.

The new order directs the Department of Energy and the Department of Defense to identify federal sites owned by the agencies to lease to the private sector for building “gigawatt-scale AI data centers.”

In the announcement of the new order, President Biden wrote:

“We will not let America be out-built when it comes to the technology that will define the future, nor should we sacrifice critical environmental standards and our shared efforts to protect clean air and clean water.”

Microsoft is planning on investing about $40 billion on data centers in the US this fiscal year. The tech giant and its peers may now enjoy a smoother process in this build-out to facilitate the AI boom.

The order also calls for fast-tracking permitting these AI infrastructure projects, and even allows for “categorical exclusions” of environmental regulations for certain low-impact projects.

One of the most demanding parts of building out AI infrastructure is providing the incredible amount of energy required to run these projects. As part of the executive order, the DOE and DOD are ordered to facilitate hooking these new power-hungry data centers to the grid, and to help “catalyze deployment” of new clean-energy sources for the data centers.

The private developers who build infrastructure through this program are required to pay all costs associated with developing and running the facilities, and must ensure that local consumer energy prices don’t shoot up.

Statement by President Biden on the Executive Order on Advancing U.S. Leadership in Artificial Intelligence Infrastructure | The White House

Statement by President Biden on the Executive Order on Advancing U.S. Leadership in Artificial Intelligence Infrastructure | The White House

In the announcement of the new order, President Biden wrote:

“We will not let America be out-built when it comes to the technology that will define the future, nor should we sacrifice critical environmental standards and our shared efforts to protect clean air and clean water.”

Microsoft is planning on investing about $40 billion on data centers in the US this fiscal year. The tech giant and its peers may now enjoy a smoother process in this build-out to facilitate the AI boom.

The order also calls for fast-tracking permitting these AI infrastructure projects, and even allows for “categorical exclusions” of environmental regulations for certain low-impact projects.

One of the most demanding parts of building out AI infrastructure is providing the incredible amount of energy required to run these projects. As part of the executive order, the DOE and DOD are ordered to facilitate hooking these new power-hungry data centers to the grid, and to help “catalyze deployment” of new clean-energy sources for the data centers.

The private developers who build infrastructure through this program are required to pay all costs associated with developing and running the facilities, and must ensure that local consumer energy prices don’t shoot up.

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power
Max Knoblauch
9/11/25

The DOJ is suing Uber, alleging the company discriminates against passengers with disabilities

The Department of Justice has filed a lawsuit against Uber on Thursday, alleging that the company routinely and illegally discriminates against passengers with physical disabilities.

The lawsuit, filed in federal court in San Francisco, alleges that Uber’s drivers regularly refuse service to passengers with service animals and stowable wheelchairs. Some passengers are charged cleaning fees for service animals and cancellation fees after being refused a ride, the lawsuit alleges. According to the complaint, others are insulted or denied requests like sitting in the front seat due to mobility issues.

“Uber’s discriminatory conduct has caused significant economic, emotional, and physical harm to individuals with disabilities,” the lawsuit reads.

A survey last year by the organization Guide Dogs for the Blind found that more than 83% of people who are blind or visually impaired said they’ve been denied ride-share service.

In a statement to Bloomberg, Uber disagreed with the lawsuit, saying it has a “zero-tolerance policy for confirmed service denials.”

power
Jon Keegan
9/9/25

Draft Senate bill gives AI companies a two-year pass on federal regulation, Bloomberg reports

Bloomberg reports that a draft bill from Senator Ted Cruz would give AI companies a two-year pass from any federal regulation when they apply to be part of a White House-controlled “regulatory sandbox.” Such a regulatory framework frees participating companies from federal agency oversight while simultaneously handing President Trump broad powers to shape a still nascent and increasingly powerful industry.

The draft bill allows companies approved for the waiver to request renewals for up to eight years, according to the report.

The fast-moving generative-AI boom that took the tech world by storm was kicked off by the release of OpenAI’s ChatGPT less than three years ago. A potential decade free of federal regulations would be a huge win for companies like Meta, Google, OpenAI, and Amazon.

In July, the US Senate voted 99-1 to kill a planned provision from President Trump’s massive tax bill that would have prevented any state from regulating AI for 10 years.

Draft Senate Bill Waives Federal Rules on AI Companies During Testing

Draft Senate Bill Waives Federal Rules on AI Companies During Testing

The fast-moving generative-AI boom that took the tech world by storm was kicked off by the release of OpenAI’s ChatGPT less than three years ago. A potential decade free of federal regulations would be a huge win for companies like Meta, Google, OpenAI, and Amazon.

In July, the US Senate voted 99-1 to kill a planned provision from President Trump’s massive tax bill that would have prevented any state from regulating AI for 10 years.

Rani Molla
9/2/25
Google soars on court ruling that doesn’t force the search giant to sell Chrome

Google has $26 billion in deals with companies like Samsung and Apple.

Google sign
Max Knoblauch
8/21/25
Hertz falls, erasing its Amazon bump, as Congress looks into its AI damage scanners

Hertz shares are trading down more than 5% on Thursday.

Hertz In San Diego
power
Max Knoblauch
8/20/25

Airbus faces a 10-day strike from UK workers, mirroring Boeing’s labor strife

Thousands of UK union Airbus workers plan to strike for 10 days in September amid a contract dispute.

The union workers build wings for Airbus’ commercial jets, threatening a production slowdown for the European plane maker.

As Airbus’ labor tension builds, rival Boeing’s has already boiled over: earlier this month, more than 3,000 Boeing workers who build military aircraft started a strike that remains ongoing. The action came less than a year after the company faced a two-month stoppage from a machinist strike.

Airbus, for now, says it doesn’t see the strikes affecting full-year deliveries.

Airbus UK workers to strike for 10 days over pay

Airbus UK workers to strike for 10 days over pay

As Airbus’ labor tension builds, rival Boeing’s has already boiled over: earlier this month, more than 3,000 Boeing workers who build military aircraft started a strike that remains ongoing. The action came less than a year after the company faced a two-month stoppage from a machinist strike.

Airbus, for now, says it doesn’t see the strikes affecting full-year deliveries.

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