Tech
Google Partners with BlackRock to Develop Solar Energy Projects in Taiwan
Google announced a significant partnership with BlackRock on Monday to develop a 1 gigawatt pipeline of new solar capacity in Taiwan. This move aims to increase energy capacity and reduce carbon emissions in the face of rising demand fueled by the artificial intelligence boom. The collaboration involves a capital investment in Taiwanese solar developer New Green Power, a BlackRock portfolio firm, to facilitate the expansion of large-scale solar projects. This investment, however, is pending regulatory approval.
Investment Goals and Impact
Google has not disclosed the specific amount of its investment in New Green Power. The primary objective is to enhance the clean energy infrastructure on Taiwan’s local electricity grid, aiding Google in its ambitious target of achieving net-zero emissions across all operations and its value chain by 2030. This new solar capacity will be instrumental in powering Google’s data centers and cloud region in Taiwan. Additionally, a portion of this clean energy will be made available to Google’s chip suppliers and manufacturers in the region.
Solar Energy Procurement
Amanda Peterson Corio, Google’s global head of data center energy, stated in a blog post that Google expects to procure up to 300 megawatts of solar energy from this pipeline through power purchase agreements (PPAs) and associated energy attribute certificates (Taiwan Renewable Energy Certificates or T-RECS). This energy will meet the electricity demands of Google’s data center campus, cloud region, and office operations in Taiwan.
Commitment to Clean Energy
David Giordano, BlackRock’s global head of climate infrastructure, emphasized the importance of investing in clean energy amid growing demand for digital services driven by AI and data-centric technologies. This partnership reflects Google’s commitment to sustainable development and its strategic efforts to align with global climate goals.
Tech
OpenAI CTO Mira Murati Announces Departure After 6 Years
OpenAI’s Chief Technology Officer, Mira Murati, has announced her departure from the company after six and a half years. In a memo shared on X, Murati expressed that she had made the “difficult decision” to step away from OpenAI, citing her desire for personal exploration and reflection.
“There’s never an ideal time to step away from a place one cherishes, yet this moment feels right,” Murati wrote, emphasizing her commitment to ensuring a smooth transition for the company during this critical time.
Her exit follows other high-profile departures from the company, including co-founder Ilya Sutskever and former safety leader Jan Leike in May, as well as co-founder John Schulman, who left last month to join rival company Anthropic.
Murati’s departure comes at a time when OpenAI is pursuing a new funding round, potentially valuing the company at over $150 billion, with significant investments anticipated from major players like Thrive Capital, Microsoft, and Nvidia. OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, has seen rapid growth since 2022 but has also faced internal controversies and employee turnover, sparking concerns about its ability to scale safely.
Murati became a public figure when she was appointed interim CEO last November after the abrupt ousting of CEO Sam Altman. Despite her departure, she remains focused on supporting OpenAI’s momentum in the coming months.
Tech
CrowdStrike Exec Apologizes to US Lawmakers for July IT Outage
During a congressional hearing, CrowdStrike executive Adam Meyers issued a formal apology for the massive IT outage in July, which affected millions of computers globally. In his opening remarks, Meyers expressed deep regret, stating, “On behalf of everyone at CrowdStrike, I want to apologize. We are deeply sorry this happened and are determined to prevent it from happening again.”
Meyers assured lawmakers that the company is committed to learning from the incident and making significant improvements. This includes enhancing testing and checks on updates, as well as altering how future updates are issued to avoid similar disruptions.
Tech
Caroline Ellison May Avoid Jail Time for Role in FTX Scandal
Caroline Ellison, the former CEO of Alameda Research and key witness in the criminal case against FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried, faces sentencing this Tuesday. Despite her involvement in the massive fraud that led to FTX’s collapse, Ellison may avoid significant jail time due to her cooperation with federal authorities.
Ellison admitted to defrauding investors and misappropriating billions of dollars from FTX customers, redirecting funds to Alameda’s speculative trading and debt repayment. Both Ellison and Bankman-Fried face the same serious charges, which carry a potential maximum sentence of 110 years. However, her cooperation with prosecutors has been deemed “extraordinary,” leading the federal Probation Department to recommend “time served” with three years of supervised release.
Her testimony was crucial in portraying Bankman-Fried’s role in the collapse, particularly due to their close personal relationship. This unique insight into his operations helped strengthen the government’s case. While Ellison was involved in fraudulent activities, legal experts believe her lesser control compared to Bankman-Fried will likely result in a lighter sentence, potentially no more than 18 months in prison.
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