The Republic of Korea’s National Growth Fund decided to lend 400 billion won at a low interest rate in the 3% range for Naver’s artificial intelligence data center expansion and graphics processing unit server adoption project. Naver has independently developed HyperCLOVA X, a Korean language-based AI model, to reduce dependence on U.S.-made AI models.
Maine is poised to become the first state in the U.S. to temporarily ban the development of large data centers. But Governor Janet Mills has said the measure needs to have an exemption for a proposed $550 million project at the former Androscoggin paper mill in Jay to get her support.
South Africa’s Sibanye Stillwater is seeking concessions from the European Union to reportedly shield Europe’s first large-scale lithium mining and processing venture from price volatility and unfair competition. The Keliber lithium project is located in Finland.
Molex, a global electronics and connectivity innovator, announced an agreement to acquire Teramount Ltd., an Israel-based developer of detachable fiber-to-chip connectivity solutions optimized for high-volume co-packaged optics and other silicon photonics applications.
Redwood Materials, a Nevada-based critical materials and energy technology company, partnered with U.S. automotive and technology company Rivian to deploy pioneering battery energy storage at Rivian’s Normal, Ill., manufacturing facility. The system will use more than 100 second-life Rivian battery packs to provide 10 megawatt-hours of dispatchable energy.
Scientists from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory are partnering with San Francisco Bay Area fusion energy startup Inertia Enterprises Inc. to advance fusion laser technology, as well as inertial fusion target manufacturing and designs.
The International Commission on Glass appointed Erik Muijsenberg, group business development director of Glass Service, as its president for the period 2026–2029. He will take over from Hiroyuki Inoue, Emeritus Professor at the University of Tokyo in Japan. The ICG Council also approved Edgar Dutra Zanotto as vice president.
The Otto Schott Research Award 2026 honored two U.S. glass scientists, ACerS members Steve Martin and Kathleen Richardson, for their fundamental contributions to materials research.
The U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Critical Minerals and Energy Innovation announced approximately $5.4 million for five projects to help establish a secure, domestic supply chain for gallium.
A CRN Asia article looks at why Odisha’s new glass-based advanced packaging facility is less about manufacturing scale and more about intellectual property, ecosystem control, and long-term enterprise relevance.
