Microsoft says it will pay the full energy costs for its new AI datacenters!

It also will not seek any tax abatements or incentives.

Well, that's one heck of a move!

MS has a new "Community First" initiative where it is paying the full costs of its data centers, which will cause no increase in costs for area residents. They have taken tax abatements in the past, that apparently will end. There's a lot of hate for the big tech companies right now, and justly so: "In data‑center hubs such as Virginia, Illinois and Ohio, residential power prices jumped 12–16% over the past year — noticeably faster than the U.S. average, according to U.S. government data — as grid operators scrambled to add capacity for large new facilities."

A certain moron last night spilled the news on his private social media platform and said that his administration is talking to the other major tech platforms about them taking responsibility to eat their own costs, as they should, we shall see what happens. They certainly have the money, but as we've seen so often in the past, it's always been 'privatize the profits, socialize the costs'.

https://www.geekwire.com/2026/microsoft-responds-to-ai-data-center-revolt-vowing-to-cover-full-power-costs-and-reject-local-tax-breaks/

https://it.slashdot.org/story/26/01/13/146211/microsoft-pledges-full-power-costs-no-tax-breaks-in-response-to-ai-data-center-backlash

Researchers did a test for possibly beaming power from space!

Baby steps first!

This test involved a Cessna turboprop flying at 5,000 meters in cross-winds of up to 70 knots - a bit bumpy! - and it successfully beamed power from the plane to ground-based receivers using wide-field infra-red light. It's low-density energy compared to microwave power, but it also isn't remotely dangerous in case the targeting system of the transmitter is compromised and used to hammer something other than the receiver!

There have been other demonstrations, CalTech did one a few years ago, this is the first using a moving platform against ground targets, which I think was a microwave test. But a really big problem with microwave? Radio spectrum. It's all allocated for 5G wireless and lots of other things. Infra-red light? Doesn't have bandwidth allocation issues.

Interesting stuff.

https://spectrum.ieee.org/wireless-power-movin-airplane