Silicon Valley is shifting away from chatbot queries toward a future filled with resource-intensive agentic AI--and it's driving the data center buildout. Welcome back to Power Play! Each week, senior writer Molly Taft tackles a topic around this midterm season's biggest issue: data centers. If you've got a question or thought for the column, feel free to shoot Molly an email at [email protected] or reach them securely on Signal at mollytaft.76. "What on earth are they building all of these data centers for?" an exasperated friend asked me recently.

A new report from the nonprofit Reflective lays out the experiments needed to better understand our ability to dim the sun. A San Francisco nonprofit has published a detailed road map of the experiments, studies, and infrastructure that it says would be needed to make informed decisions about the use of solar geoengineering, can reveal. Scientists have now spent half a century exploring the possibility that we could counteract climate change by releasing reflective particles into the stratosphere, mimicking the cooling effects of volcanic eruptions. But even after at least hundreds of studies on the concept, known as stratospheric aerosol injection (SAI), big gaps remain in the scientific understanding of how well it would work and what else it might do--and there has been no systematic plan for clearing up that uncertainty. Reflective, a research organization that funds studies on solar geoengineering, has today attempted to fill that gap with the release of its SAI Research Roadmap . "Our mission is to equip the world with the data and tools required for informed decision-making about sunlight reflection fast enough to matter," says Dakota Gruener, the organization's cofounder and chief executive.

The US is hitting records for the rapid growth of its energy storage market. That'll go a long way to shoring up the grid, increasing reliability and also cutting emissions, since batteries can help store energy from intermittent renewables like wind and solar. Crucially, this is all happening with the help of cheap Chinese batteries, though there's been a concerted effort to reduce the US's reliance on them. Most recently, in an executive order in late August, the Trump administration declared a national emergency that essentially bans Chinese batteries from being used in grid-scale energy storage systems.

Battery installations hit a new record in the US in the second quarter of 2026. In total, 20.2 gigawatt-hours of new capacity came online, according to a new report. That's enough to supply the daily electricity needs of about 700,000 homes. The surge is putting the country on a trajectory to see 71 gigawatt-hours of batteries installed in 2026, a 20% increase over last year. This growth is being driven by a combination of cheaper batteries and an urgent need for more energy storage capacity as renewables such as solar and onshore wind power are added to the grid.

The signing of the Paris Agreement by 200 countries in 2015 was a rare moment of global unity, and the euphoria was real. To cheers and tears, the international climate treaty was approved by nearly every country in the world. Fundamental to the agreement was a commitment to keeping temperatures from rising beyond 1.5C (2.7F) above the pre-industrial levels of the mid 19th-century. But 11 years on, it is evident that the Earth is soon going to exceed that threshold because of the continued record burning of fossil fuels. A report from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in Nairobi, Kenya - called Limiting Overshoot - has found that even under the most optimistic scenario, the Earth will heat up by 1.8C (3.2F) above pre-industrial levels.

Why China Is the Bogeyman Data Center Enthusiasts Just Can't Quit Polls show that overwhelming majorities of Americans hate data centers. China makes a perfect scapegoat for tech leaders and their allies--the only problem is a lack of evidence. Welcome to the first edition of Power Play! From now until the midterms, senior writer Molly Taft will be sharing their thoughts every Sunday on this political season's hottest issue: data centers. We welcome reader comments, and will be answering questions from the comments section in future editions. Be sure to catch WIRED's first livestream on data centers this Thursday, September 10, featuring Molly, senior politics correspondent Hugo Lowell, and senior business writer Max Zeff!

The World Meteorological Organization is warning that the climate phenomenon that has the Pacific running a fever will last until at least February, with dire consequences for weather worldwide. The world's leading weather organization is sounding the alarm about this year's super El Niño, issuing its most certain forecast in the history of the organization. In an update issued early Thursday, the World Meteorological Organization predicted a "nearly 100% likelihood" that the El Niño will last through February. The strong language from the World Meteorological Organization--the United Nations' weather and climate agency--underlies just how historic this El Niño is shaping up to be. "This is the first time that a WMO El Niño/La Niña Update has been so unequivocal," the agency says, noting that certainty reflects "the strong agreement within WMO's extensive network."

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Southern California’s swampy summer continues to set records, with humidity levels creating conditions that feel more like Florida than the West Coast.

You're viewing the US edition You can switch to the UK or AU homepage at any time using this menu. Dolly Parton's co-star Ricky Schroder sparks furious backlash over'disrespectful' tribute to late country legend Karoline Leavitt in secret talks to join TV's most controversial show: Trump's reaction revealed... and potential co-host's nasty remarks about her age-gap marriage Nepal flood LIVE: Incredible footage shows workers flee wall of water as China warns second'dam' has formed with'high risk of breaching', sparking SECOND tsunami fears Furious Hegseth lashes out at journalist over'foolish' question as shock report lays bare Army missile crisis America's hidden heart attack crisis: 1 in 5 now have silent'widowmaker' condition that DOUBLES risk even if you're slim and fit... yet doctors rarely test for it. Here's how to find out if you're in danger Even as she lost all her hair, she hid the truth. But now, insiders reveal goddaughter Miley Cyrus' cancer'shell shock'... and tell devastating full story of her reclusive last SIX months: 'She knew her life was over' William's already being framed as the villain in this Harry and Meghan homecoming saga... Diana's brutal prediction has come true: MAUREEN CALLAHAN Vendors at ritzy celebrity-favorite farmer's market up in arms as their stalls selling $14 organic eggs and artisanal cheese are abruptly moved to parking lot Trump's Navy punishes 19-year-old sailor who threw himself overboard in'suicide attempt' after months abandoned at sea NFL star arrested after being found'slumped over' at the wheel in the middle of highway'It will end when I die': Mustafa was 14 when he was first raped by a group of men. Now, 80 assaults later, he reveals how dancing boys are being dressed as girls and brutalised by sick Taliban officials - and why it's getting worse Last week I said the unthinkable to my seven-month-old daughter.