Power lines, storm clouds, and shoes over Seattle. (Kurt Schlosser Photo)
After a vague report that some companies were seeking to build “large” data centers in Seattle, Mayor Katie Wilson is exploring a moratorium on new data centers.
This seems like the typical performative, hypocritical stunt we expect from our politicians. A distraction from harder issues, like ensuring we don’t retrace Cleveland’s history as the economic landscape fractures.
It is easy to ban data centers when you don’t have any (hello Maine!). Seattle’s high real estate and electricity prices mean “large” data centers in the city simply aren’t competitive. We have long had colocation facilities serving local businesses, but they’re quite small by modern standards.
Banning large data centers in Seattle is like banning cattle grazing in midtown Manhattan. Seattle just isn’t going to attract the cutting-edge AI and hyperscaler data centers that require lots of land and power. The Texas panhandle is a better place to put those.
Using data centers to complain about data centers (by posting on Facebook) carries more than a whiff of hypocrisy. Wouldn’t a sincere commitment to “environmental justice” and “economic resilience” mean not using any dastardly data centers? The mayor could abandon all online political messaging. Or order city departments to stop using any data center services.
Advertisement
(Oddly, the City of Seattle’s data center is in Spokane. Which says something about the competitiveness of data centers in Seattle and/or the city’s inclination to support local businesses.)
The Means of Production
A self-proclaimed socialist, Comrade Katie has realized the socialist ideal of owning the means of production, at least of our city-owned utilities. But with ownership comes accountability and responsibility.
By drawing a line against new data centers, she would remove the easiest scapegoat for her performance. No blaming Big Tech. No pointing to AI. What remains is a testable proposition: will Seattle have affordable, reliable power?
Some challenges loom.
Advertisement
Affordable and Reliable Power
Seattle City Light already charges some of the highest electricity prices in Washington, a state that generally enjoys low power costs thanks to abundant hydropower.
Mayor Wilson’s first move was to fire the head of City Light and nominate a replacement with no utility experience. After pushback from both the employees’ union and the City Council, a new leadership search has begun. No explanation has been provided for why the previous CEO was fired or what the mayor’s strategy is for City Light (or, for that matter, anything economic).
Seattle City Light has announced accelerating price increases, well above inflation, for the coming years:
Effective January 1, 2026, you will see the previously approved average rate increase of 5.4% start appearing on your bill.
Business customers can expect to see overall bill increases between 4% to 7%, depending on their customer class and consumption profile.
Advertisement
Looking ahead to 2027 and beyond, we anticipate annual rate increases of 7 to 10%
The utility also needs to nearly double its capacity—from 2,000 to 3,800 megawatts in the next seven years—independent of any data centers. A growing population, electric vehicles, heat pumps, and broader electrification are all driving load growth.
It will take deft management to keep our grid both affordable and reliable. A moratorium on new data centers isn’t enough to keep the lights on in Seattle, and solutions that don’t fit on a bumper sticker seem like a stretch for the political class.
Fresh Water on Tap
While we’re looking at city-owned utilities, Seattle Public Utilities faces serious challenges of its own. The utility recently received a striking vote of no confidence in its ability to provide its most basic service: water.
Advertisement
Eastside cities across Lake Washington, united as the Cascade Water Alliance, get their water from Seattle’s reservoirs. They have concerns about Seattle’s investment and maintenance, and after much analysis and negotiation, the Eastside is switching to get its water from Tacoma:
“[Tacoma Public Utilities’] proposal offered longer supply certainty, greater financial benefit, and an opportunity to move towards a regionalized water system.”
You can read a lot between those lines. The fact it will take 15 years to transition Eastside taps to Tacoma water suggests deep concerns about Seattle’s ability to deliver.
Beyond maintenance worries, this customer exodus also means the smaller remaining base of ratepayers will bear the system’s fixed costs, pointing to higher water bills ahead for Seattleites.
No Excuses
If data centers aren’t coming—and can’t be blamed—then rising electricity prices, capacity shortages, and reliability issues rest squarely with the mayor. The same goes for water.
Advertisement
Grandstanding about data centers is easy. Making difficult and unsatisfying tradeoffs to ensure our city utilities deliver is the hard part.
So by all means, ban the large data centers that were never coming. Clear the field. Remove the distractions.
We can focus entirely on how our city utilities perform under Mayor Wilson.
A recent report from Nikkei Asia yet again highlights how tight the market has become. It centers on the ongoing memory shortage, which is expected to persist until chipmakers have both the capacity and the facilities to meet demand for AI-focused components from hyperscale customers. Read Entire Article Source link
Artemis II’s recent launch filled the public with a sense of wonder and awe on the grandest scale. Not since 1972 (Apollo 17) has man attempted to travel to the moon for exploration, which adds even more excitement to this recent mission. While spectators — both in person in Florida and on TV — surely appreciated the historic nature of the mission, the most immediate takeaway is the raw, visceral punch of the explosive launch. Sending such a massive rocket to break free of Earth’s gravitational pull and punch through the atmosphere into space requires a staggering amount of power.
It takes 8.8 million pounds of thrust to be exact, which violently propelled the 322-foot NASA rocket into space. Just one of the liquid hydrogen and oxygen-powered rockets could power almost a million miles of streetlights. The Artemis II SLS (Space Launch System) topped out at a staggering 24,500 mph, the velocity required to reach the moon. This speed was in line with what the crew of the Apollo 13 mission experienced in 1970, which reached similar top speeds of 24,247 mph.
But this wasn’t the whole story. Artemis II didn’t simply thrust to the Moon in a straight line at a constant speed. The flight began with SLS launching Orion into Earth’s orbit, fighting hard against gravity, before passing through the atmosphere’s layers and into space.
As Artemis II ascended, it reached speeds in excess of 24,000 mph, though the exact speed depends on the frame of reference. At its closest approach to the Moon, the rocket hit 60,863 mph relative to Earth. However, relative to the Moon, the speed was measured at 3,139 mph. Either way, these speeds are hard to relate to, as even an F-35 Lightning II fighter jet tops out at around 1,200 mph.
Advertisement
As the Orion spacecraft re-entered Earth’s atmosphere, it reached speeds of roughly 25,000 mph before slowing dramatically in Earth’s atmosphere and safely parachuting into the ocean at splashdown. NASA’s coordination, planning, technical prowess, advanced engineering, and brainpower — to say nothing of the crew’s bravery — speak to mankind’s ingenuity and thirst for exploration.
The crew laid the foundation for future missions and lunar research. Who knows where modern space travel could go next? But what is certain is that we all got to watch history being made by some very brave people, at unbelievable speeds.
The global lactose-free products market is poised to grow from around $19.5bn in 2026 to $36.5bn by 2034.
Irish food giant Kerry Group has opened an expanded biotechnology manufacturing facility in Cork as it targets the growing global lactose-free market.
The facility, based out of Carrigaline, will help the company increase its capacity to produce lactase enzymes needed for lactose-free and sugar-reduced dairy products.
Lactase is a natural enzyme produced by humans to digest lactose, though a majority of adults worldwide cannot digest lactose efficiently. Market research suggests that the global lactose-free products sector is poised to grow from around $19.5bn this year to $36.6bn by 2034.
Advertisement
The Carrigaline site supports 200 clients across 80 countries. Lactase enzymes produced at the site are used to process more than 2m tonnes of milk annually, reaching around 28m consumers worldwide, Kerry said.
The expanded facility, alongside the company’s Kildare-based Global Innovation Centre and a biotechnology centre in Germany, established last year, are expected to help accelerate Kerry’s lab-to-commercial pipeline.
The company said it is “well positioned” to support the next phase of growth in the lactose-free market, with the expanded centre acting to link advanced enzyme engineering and strain development with large‑scale manufacturing.
“This investment translates decades of biotech research into scalable, real‑world capability,” said Shane McGibney, the president and CEO of biotechnology solutions and transformation at Kerry Group.
Advertisement
“By strengthening the link between enzyme engineering and industrial production, we’re able to move innovations more efficiently from the lab to the production line – helping customers access reliable supply and bring new products to market with greater speed and confidence.”
Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment Peter Burke, TD added: “This facility demonstrates how industry, skills and innovation come together to support the future of Ireland’s food and biotechnology sectors.
“As a global leader in food, Kerry Group continues to play an important role in advancing high-value capability from its Irish base. Manufacturing sites like Carrigaline help move innovation towards scale and strengthen Ireland’s position in advanced manufacturing.”
Don’t miss out on the knowledge you need to succeed. Sign up for the Daily Brief, Silicon Republic’s digest of need-to-know sci-tech news.
State-sponsored North Korean hackers are likely behind the $290 million crypto-heist that impacted the KelpDAO DeFi project on Saturday.
The attack reportedly also impacted the lending protocols Compound, Euler, and Aave, with the latter announcing a freeze and blocking new deposits or borrowing using rsETH as collateral.
KelpDAO is a decentralized finance (DeFi) project built around liquid restaking on the Ethereum network. It accepts user ETH deposits, restakes them, and returns a liquid token named ‘rsETH,’ that represents the restaked position.
The rsETH token is meant to help users keep earning restaking yield, while it stays usable across DeFi, including cross-chain via LayerZero, an inter-blockchain communication protocol and interoperability layer.
On April 18, KelpDAO announced that it detected “suspicious cross-chain activity” involving rsETH, forcing it to pause rsETH contracts across the Ethereum mainnet and L2s.
Advertisement
The project launched an investigation with the help of LayerZero, Unichain, and other partners.
Blockchain activity showed that around 116,500 rsETH were stolen, around $293 million in USD value, and went through Tornado Cash to hide the trace.
According to additional details that LayerZero shared today, the attack targeted the verification layer (DVN) used to validate cross-chain messages for rsETH.
Specifically, the attackers compromised some RPC nodes used by the verifier, feeding it falsified blockchain data, while simultaneously DDoS-ing healthy RPC nodes to force the system to rely on the “poisoned” ones.
Advertisement
This allowed a fake cross-chain message to be accepted as valid. The system confirmed transactions that never actually occurred on-chain and enabled moving the rsETH without authorization.
Based on preliminary evaluation of the attack indicators, LayerZero believes that the infamous Lazarus hackers are likely responsible for the heist.
“Preliminary indicators suggest attribution to a highly sophisticated state actor, likely DPRK’s Lazarus Group, more specifically TraderTraitor,” stated LayerZero.
The protocol also noted that the incident was isolated to rsETH and that there’s no broader contagion across other apps or assets.
Advertisement
While the KelpDAO breach constitutes a major loss so far this year in terms of the stolen amount, the Lazarus Group has also been linked to another large theft, $280 million from the Drift Protocol.
According to a post-mortem report, that attack was the result of a six-month-long, carefully planned operation that involved malicious agents attending conferences and $1 million deposits into the project.
AI chained four zero-days into one exploit that bypassed both renderer and OS sandboxes. A wave of new exploits is coming.
At the Autonomous Validation Summit (May 12 & 14), see how autonomous, context-rich validation finds what’s exploitable, proves controls hold, and closes the remediation loop.
Tim Cook has announced that he will be stepping down as Apple CEO on September 1. Senior vice president of hardware engineering John Ternus, long seen as the company’s leading succession candidate, will take over following a summer transition period. Read Entire Article Source link
We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you’re buying the best. Find out more about how we test.
BackgroundChecks.com is a cloud-based background screening platform designed to streamline the hiring process by making it faster, safer, and more organized. Previously known as ClearChecks, the platform automates time-consuming verification tasks, helping employers confirm candidate details while maintaining legal compliance.
In a hiring landscape where speed must balance with accuracy, BackgroundChecks.com aims to deliver both efficiency and reliability.
Advertisement
This overview examines how the platform operates, its pricing model, key advantages and disadvantages, and the types of organizations that benefit most from its features.
BackgroundChecks.com: Pricing & plans
(Image credit: ClearChecks)
BackgroundChecks.com uses a tiered pricing model that scales with the depth of the screening. Basic checks start around $24.99 per individual report. More comprehensive searches—including multi-county criminal checks, professional license verifications, and drug screenings—typically cost between $49 and $ 100.
Advertisement
Standalone or à la carte options are also available, such as a basic arrest record search for about $7 or a sex offender registry search for around $5. These can be combined to create customized screening packages tailored to specific hiring needs. The “Elite” plan, the platform’s most comprehensive option, costs approximately $49 per report and includes all key checks from lower tiers, plus additional verifications for roles that require greater trust or clearance.
Despite clear starting rates, some users have raised concerns about pricing transparency. Employers occasionally encounter undisclosed county-level court access fees, which vary by jurisdiction and can increase total costs. These hidden fees make budgeting for large screening batches difficult, and some users report challenges in obtaining refunds or resolving billing issues in a timely manner. Prospective buyers are advised to review each plan carefully and confirm pricing details before proceeding.
Sign up to the TechRadar Pro newsletter to get all the top news, opinion, features and guidance your business needs to succeed!
Advertisement
BackgroundChecks.com: How it works
BackgroundChecks.com is an all-in-one screening hub for both small businesses and large employers. Setup is straightforward: after registering, employers can log into a secure dashboard accessible from desktop, tablet, or mobile devices. The interface is designed for ease of use, enabling administrators to select screening types, invite candidates to complete digital consent forms, and track progress in real-time.
The platform offers a wide range of background checks, including multi-jurisdictional criminal searches, scans of state and county court records, motor vehicle record lookups, and drug testing panels. Employers can also verify education credentials, employment history, and professional licenses—essential for positions requiring specialized certifications or regulatory compliance.
Advertisement
BackgroundChecks.com: Performance
(Image credit: BackgroundChecks.com)
Speed is one of BackgroundChecks.com’s standout features. Automated workflows consolidate data from multiple databases and official repositories, providing results in minutes for many checks. More complex verifications, such as education or employment history, may take longer since they rely on responses from third parties.
Compliance is another priority. The platform adheres to Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) guidelines, ensuring responsible handling of consumer data while protecting applicants’ rights to dispute inaccuracies. Data transmission and storage use encrypted servers in line with data protection standards. Employers can also utilize audit logs and permission controls for enhanced oversight of report access.
For organizations managing high volumes of hires, batch processing enables multiple screenings to run simultaneously—a significant benefit for staffing agencies, seasonal employers, and rapidly growing businesses. Integration with HR systems and applicant tracking platforms enhances its flexibility, allowing screenings to begin directly within existing workflows without requiring a switch between platforms.
Advertisement
BackgroundChecks.com: Strengths and weaknesses
User feedback on BackgroundChecks.com highlights both strong performance and points for improvement. The platform’s intuitive interface and streamlined dashboard make initiating and monitoring screenings simple, even for first-time users. Many customers praise its speed, noting that standard checks often process within hours—an essential advantage for industries with constant hiring demands like retail or staffing.
The company’s focus on compliance and data security further enhances its reputation. Employers appreciate FCRA adherence, strong encryption, and customizable screening packages that avoid unnecessary costs. Many users also report positive experiences with customer support for resolving technical issues or account setup questions.
However, the recurring complaint surrounds inconsistent pricing transparency. Unexpected county-level fees and occasional billing discrepancies have led some employers to view the service as less predictable in terms of cost. Customer support experiences also vary: while some describe helpful, prompt service, others cite long response times—especially for billing disputes. A minority of users report occasional inaccuracies or incomplete results, which can delay hiring and require manual verification, thereby reducing the time-saving benefits.
Overall, BackgroundChecks.com offers a strong combination of efficiency, compliance, and convenience, though its transparency and support consistency leave room for improvement. For businesses focused on affordability and predictable pricing, these issues may outweigh their advantages. Still, for organizations seeking a fast, compliant, and secure screening solution, it remains a competitive option worth consideration.
Advertisement
BackgroundChecks.com: Who would benefit the most using this
BackgroundChecks.com caters to a diverse range of employers seeking an automated approach to background screening. It suits small business owners, HR departments, and large enterprises alike.
Industries with rapid hiring needs — such as hospitality, retail, and staffing — benefit most from its quick turnaround times. Highly regulated sectors, such as healthcare, education, and financial services, also benefit from its compliance-focused architecture and enhanced verification options.
For HR teams managing multiple candidates, batch processing and ATS integration help standardize workflows while minimizing manual data entry. This reduces administrative effort and potential errors.
Advertisement
The platform is equally useful for start-ups and small to mid-sized businesses without dedicated compliance teams, offering guided workflows that simplify legal adherence. However, employers conducting complex criminal background checks or operating across multiple jurisdictions may prefer supplementing their automated system with manual reviews to ensure accuracy.
BackgroundChecks.com stands out as a dependable screening solution that strikes a balance between automation, compliance, and accessibility. Its cloud-based design simplifies the complexities of background verification, enabling employers to complete checks quickly while maintaining compliance with FCRA regulations.
BackgroundChecks.com: Final verdict
By offering customizable screening packages and integrations with HR systems, the platform adapts well to a range of business sizes and industries. However, inconsistencies in pricing transparency and responsiveness to customer support may limit its appeal for organizations seeking absolute cost predictability. For most employers, though, its speed, data security, and compliance-driven structure make it a valuable tool for maintaining trust and safety throughout the hiring process.
Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.
Need some help with today’s Mini Crossword? I thought that 4-Across, 7-Across and 3-Down were pretty fun — little puzzles inside of the puzzle. Read on for all the answers. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.
If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.
At the huge Hannover Messe trade fair over the weekend, attendees heard calls for a lightening of EU Act regulations for industrial AI.
It’s one of the largest industrial trade fairs in the world, and little surprise that AI dominates this year at the Hannover Messe in Germany, with both the CEO of Siemens and German chancellor Friedrich Merz calling for a carve-out for industrial AI when it comes to EU regulations.
In a speech on Sunday, Merz warned that if Europe is to boost productivity, industrial AI will need more regulatory freedom than, for example, consumer AI.
“I will push to ease the regulatory burden in the EU on AI and, where possible, to exempt industrial AI from the current regulatory straitjacket that is too tight for AI within the European Union,” Merz said in his speech.
Advertisement
“AI will contribute to greater efficiency and productivity, optimised use of resources and, above all, reduced costs.”
This position may well be influenced by the views of Munich-based Siemens, Germany’s most valuable company with a market capitalisation of some €194bn, according to Bloomberg.
Speaking in an interview at the Hannover Messe, Siemens CEO Roland Busch warned the industrial giant would prioritise investments in the US and China if the EU did not lighten its regulations in a sector he said is already subject to sector-specific regulations.
“It’s complete nonsense to treat industrial and machine data the same way as personal data,” Busch said, according to Bloomberg. “I can’t explain to my shareholders why I’m investing money in an environment where I’m being held back.”
Advertisement
The warnings come at a time when the EU’s AI Act is due to come into full force on 2 August of this year. While supporters have hailed the EU’s position on AI as a measured and necessary approach to a technology that has led to scandals like that of the Grok ‘nudification’ app, both critics and supporters continue to call for amendments, as Europe vies to compete in the fast-moving world of AI innovation. So we can expect to hear many more such calls between now and August.
Don’t miss out on the knowledge you need to succeed. Sign up for the Daily Brief, Silicon Republic’s digest of need-to-know sci-tech news.
Hyundai has officially unveiled the Ioniq 3, a compact hatchback for European markets, and it’s going after something most EVs struggle to nail: being genuinely practical for real life. Hyundai promises no range anxiety, no confusing tech, and no cramped back seats.
For Hyundai, it all starts with the design. The company is calling it “Art of Steel,” and the idea is pretty simple: clean surfaces, sharp lines, and no unnecessary fuss. The Ioniq 3 introduces a new Aero Hatch silhouette with a sleek roofline that flows straight into a rear spoiler, giving it a distinctive look without trying too hard.
Hyundai
It also features Hyundai’s signature pixel lighting and four central dots that reference the letter “H” in Morse code, a nice easter egg for buyers. You get eleven exterior color options, multiple interior schemes, and wheel sizes ranging from 16 to 19 inches. There’s also an N Line variant if you want a sportier look.
Hyundai
Honestly, I like this design and prefer it over the too minimalist aesthetic that EV cars generally go for.
Are the specs good enough to ditch your petrol car?
While the design looks good, it wouldn’t matter much if the car cannot deliver a good range and performance. According to the press release, the Ioniq 3 comes in two battery options. The Standard Range offers a projected 344 km (213 miles) WLTP range, while the Long Range bumps that up to 496 km (308 miles), which Hyundai claims will be class-leading.
Advertisement
What excites me more than the range is the fast charging tech. DC fast charging takes either version from 10 to 80 percent in under 30 minutes, and AC charging goes up to 22 kW. It’s not as good as what Chinese rivals like Xiaomi or BYD are offering, but it’s nothing to scoff at either. Both versions produce 250 Nm of torque, with a top speed of 170 km/h.
Hyundai
Inside, the flat-floor layout gives you genuine rear legroom and headroom comfortable enough for three adults in the back seat. The trunk offers 441 liters of space, with a bonus compartment hidden beneath the trunk floor. The cabin comes with heated and ventilated seats, a BOSE sound system, and dual-zone climate control, which feels generous for this segment.
As you can see, the Ioniq 3 is packed with features, offers a good range, and looks good while doing it. The car will be produced at Hyundai’s plant in Turkey, with pricing yet to be announced. That said, online chatter suggests it will start at around £25,000–£30,000. If Hyundai can hit that price, it might have a winner in its hand.
Apple may have combined its two hardware teams into one under Johny Srouji, but he’s taken it a step further by segmenting his hardware group into five. Though not much really changed.
Apple’s newest c-suite member Johny Srouji
Apple CEO Tim Cook is stepping down and giving the position to John Ternus, who is currently the SVP of Hardware Engineering. That position is being absorbed by Johny Srouji, who will now be the Chief Hardware Officer. According to an internal memo obtained byBloomberg, Srouji introduced his five areas of focus and the leaders reporting to him. There are zero surprises or any real notable change. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums
.png)
You must be logged in to post a comment Login