The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has ordered six major U.S. grid operators to accelerate interconnection requests from AI data centers and other large electricity users, creating a fast-track path to the transmission system. The move shifts interconnection costs to data centers and asks operators to consider “alternative transmission technologies,” but it does not resolve the broader shortage of generating capacity. Connection queues already exceed the total capacity of the existing U.S. power-plant fleet, while data center electricity demand is expected to nearly triple through 2035. In parallel, the Trump administration has moved away from offshore wind development, including the cancellation of a 2.4-gigawatt project, reinforcing near-term reliance on natural gas generation.

Venture capitalist Chi-Hua Chien said the AI model layer is rapidly commoditizing, and that the biggest winners will be consumer applications that embed AI rather than companies that sell AI itself. He pointed to Google cutting the price of its subscription AI product from $7.99 a month to $4.99 a month as a sign that the infrastructure layer is already in a price war. Chien said application-focused companies such as Meta and AppLovin are quickly reaching hundreds of millions of dollars in ARR by using AI to deliver hyper-personalized experiences. The piece did not cite specific earnings or guidance, but emphasized a growing consensus around commercialization at the application layer.

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission has sued Genesis Tech, alleging it operated multiple deceptive subscription apps through shell companies registered in places including Cyprus and Ukraine. The FTC says the network’s apps—such as MadMuscles, PDF Guru and Lumi—generated nearly $250 million in global revenue from early 2023 to mid2025, while connected PayPal accounts processed nearly $700 million in the 12 months ending in September 2025. The complaint alleges the operation evaded Apple and Google app store enforcement by using multiple accounts and a concealed corporate structure to run autorenewal subscription fraud.

Critical Energy, founded by a former SpaceX engineer, has raised $22 million to develop modular geothermal turbines based on rocket-engine technology, with a first 2.5 megawatt project slated to come online in 2027. The company says oil and gas firms could scale geothermal development using their drilling expertise, but it expects a shortage of suitable turbines. The development is not positioned as a direct catalyst for Tesla—cited only as an analogy for vertical integration—and it does not change current crude oil supply-demand fundamentals.

Canada Pension Plan Investment Board’s CPP Investments will commit up to ₹70 billion (about $741 million) to Indian data center operator CtrlS, including a ₹40 billion investment for an 8.2% stake and up to ₹30 billion for a joint venture to develop hyperscale campuses. Under the partnership announced on Wednesday, CPP Investments will own 48% of the joint venture and CtrlS will hold 52%, the companies said in a joint statement. The deal adds to a series of international investments targeting India’s AI- and cloud-driven data center buildout, following plans announced by Blackstone-backed AirTrunk and a Meta partnership with Reliance Industries.

The U.S. Department of Justice has backed xAI in a lawsuit seeking to halt the company’s use of 57 unpermitted mobile natural-gas turbines near its Memphis data centers. The DOJ argued that a win by the NAACP, which sued in April, would threaten “American national, economic, and energy security” by cutting power for AI work it says supports military operations. The NAACP says the turbines have worsened air quality in a region already among the most polluted in the country and that the practice violates federal environmental law.

Threads said it has reached 500 million monthly active users and is rolling out a new “Your Algo” tool that lets people privately fine-tune what they see in their feed. The company also moved “Communities” out of beta and introduced a new hub to help users find groups more easily. In addition, Threads is expanding Live Chats to more communities and adding options such as co-hosting and quoting moments back to the feed.