9.1: The nonprofit Electric Power Research Institute estimates that data centers will drain up to 9.1% of US electricity by 2030. Last year it was just 4%, but the rise of artificial intelligence has placed newfound demands for easily accessible computing power.
54: The increased energy demands from AI have even slowed US plans to close coal plants. 54 gigawatts of coal-based power generators are expected to be retired by 2030, a number that has fallen 40% from last year’s estimate from S&P Global Commodity Insights.
2: Only 2% of Brits say they use ChatGPT or another AI technology every single day, according to a new survey from Reuters Institute and Oxford University. “Large parts of the public are not particularly interested in generative AI, and 30% of people in the UK say they have not heard of any of the most prominent products, including ChatGPT,” the report’s lead author said.
480 million: Palantir won a $480 million deal with the US Army for a computer vision project. The Peter Thiel-founded company already works extensively with the military and has worked with allied militaries, including Ukraine’s in the war against Russia.
47.5 billion: In the face of stringent US export controls that limit China’s ability to gain access to important semiconductors, the Chinese government announced its third chip fund after similar investments in 2014 and 2019. This fund is a $47.5 billion investment into chip companies, aimed at getting a stronger foothold on the chips necessary for training and running AI models.1,170: The number of high-rise buildings in Kyiv that were left without heating following a barrage of Russian attacks last night on Ukraine’s capital and its energy facilities, per Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko.
U.S. President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi hold up signed documents regarding securing the supply of critical minerals and rare earths, at a bilateral meeting at Akasaka Palace in Tokyo, Japan, October 28, 2025.
Representatives from the European Union, United Kingdom, Japan, and others will meet in Washington this week to discuss a strategic alliance on critical minerals.
80,000: The number of people estimated to be in the streets of Czechia on Sunday to show their support for President Petr Pavel after he blocked the nomination of an environmental minister who performed the Nazi salute and posted Nazi memorabilia.
The US has started handing $1,000 to the bank accounts of newborn babies. But can policies like this one help boost sagging birthrates in advanced democracies?