AI’s insatiable demand for power has tech companies hunting for new energy sources — a search that has fueled competition and investment into fusion and fission startups. For many, natural gas is the easy answer for 24/7, baseload power. It’s tested, inexpensive, and widely available. But the war in the …

senators on Thursday fired the latest salvo in an increasingly active front against data centers and their energy use. Senators Josh Hawley and Elizabeth Warren sent a letter to the U. Energy Information Administration (EIA) asking it to collect details on energy use from data centers — and how that …

Data center developer Crusoe is ramping up its energy storage capacity with battery buys from Form Energy and Redwood Energy. The company said it will buy 12 gigawatt-hours of Form Energy’s 100-hour batteries. It’s the second large sale made by Form, which last month said it would build a 30 …

For generations, Ida Huddleston and her family have owned a farm in northern Kentucky. And they’ve turned down at least one multimillion-dollar offer to preserve it. Last year, a “major artificial intelligence company” offered them $26 million to sell part of their farm for a proposed data center, according to …

As the world electrifies, the oil and gas industry is counting on plastics to drive profits in the future. But not if Jacob Nathan has anything to say about it. Nathan started searching for a way to break down plastics when he was still in high school. Now, as founder …

For decades, humans have sought to harness the power of the stars to generate electricity here on Earth. And for nearly as long, achieving that goal always seemed just a decade away. Now, a slew of startups are closer than ever before and rushing to build fusion reactors capable of …

Venture capitalists have placed increasingly bigger bets on AI startups, investing over half a trillion dollars into the sector over the last five years. But these days, the smartest AI investment might be in energy, according to a report by Sightline Climate. Researchers found that up to 50% of data …

Pre-Series A founders, this is your reminder! Nominations for Startup Battlefield 200 are still open, and the arena is already filling up. If you’ve been planning to apply, now’s the time to move. At TechCrunch Disrupt 2026, hand-selected startups won’t just pitch. They’ll step onto the stage and go head-to-head …

Enhanced geothermal has had a promising few years, nudged forward by data centers’ insatiable demand for electricity. Fervo Energy has landed deals on those tailwinds, suggesting, but not guaranteeing, that the company was through the “valley of death. ” The term describes when a startup has proven its tech, but …

The fashion industry knows it has a waste problem. About one garbage truck of textiles is thrown away every second. Meanwhile, the industry generates more carbon pollution than international flights and maritime shipping combined. Some companies are experimenting with new ways to recycle textile waste, while others are developing new …