Tandem PV, a pioneer in high-efficiency perovskite-silicon solar panels, announced the opening of its commercial demonstration factory in Fremont, Calif. The line has approximately 40 MW of annual nameplate capacity, and the panels are roughly 60 times larger than Tandem PV’s R&D-scale devices.
The foundation stone for India’s first 3D chip packaging unit was laid in Bhubaneswar, Odisha. Once operational, the plant is expected to produce 70,000 glass panels annually, along with 50 million assembled units and approximately 13,000 advanced 3D heterogeneous integration modules.
Kyocera International Inc. announced an expansion that adds 30,000-psi cold isostatic press capabilities at its fine ceramics manufacturing plant in Hendersonville, N.C. The new capabilities enable the forming of larger, more uniform ceramic structures.
TerraPower announced the official start of construction on its flagship Natrium plant, Kemmerer Unit 1. Kemmerer Unit 1 is on track to be the first utility-scale advanced nuclear power plant in the United States.
USA Rare Earth Inc. announced a definitive agreement to acquire 100% of Serra Verde Group, owner of the Pela Ema rare earth mine and processing plant in Goiás, Brazil. Serra Verde production is expected to represent more than 50% of total non-China heavy rare earths supply by 2027.
Fujitsu Limited and Carnegie Mellon University announced the launch of the Fujitsu–Carnegie Mellon Physical AI Research Center. At the Center, Fujitsu and CMU will jointly advance research and development of core technologies to enhance the capabilities and scalability of physical artificial intelligence, with the aim of serving as a global research hub that drives the social implementation of these technologies.
Noviqtech Ltd. subsidiary Coralia signed a research partnership with Swinburne University of Technology to explore how biochar can be used in low-carbon concrete, with an initial focus on nonstructural applications linked to data center infrastructure. If successful, the project could progress to investigating scalability and structural concrete applications for data centers.
The European Union and United States signed an agreement to coordinate on the supply of critical minerals needed for key industries including defense. The U.S. also unveiled critical minerals action plans with Mexico and Japan, alongside a supply framework with Australia and others.
Iran’s semi-official Tasnim News Agency, linked to its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, warned about the vulnerability of undersea internet cables in the Strait of Hormuz. The report noted that more than 97% of global internet traffic runs through the fiber-optic networks on the seabed of the narrow waterway.
The European Commission and European Committee of the Regions signed a new Joint Action Plan to enhance the role of cities and regions in research and innovation. This plan builds on a first iteration, which ran from 2020 to 2025.
South Africa plans to expand its international science diplomacy footprint with new offices in China and Ethiopia. The move is reportedly in response to geopolitical shifts that have changed the rules of international science collaboration.
Drivers are choosing to rent electric vehicles at sharply higher rates as gasoline prices surge past $4 a gallon, according to a Reuters report. However, as electric vehicle rentals rise, new electric vehicle sales are falling due to expiration of the $7,500 federal tax credit.
