• a16z-backed Base Power is offering cheaper electricity to the power grid that needs it most — TechCrunch - 17:52
• Anthropic’s Claude is winning over paid consumers, a market owned by ChatGPT — TechCrunch - 17:38
• General Intuition’s $2.3B bet that video games can train AI agents for the real world — TechCrunch - 16:55
• Databricks’ former AI chief thinks he can cut AI’s power bill by 1,000x — TechCrunch - 16:48
• Hacked Klue says criminals are deleting stolen customer data, but now other hackers are making threats — TechCrunch - 16:40
• Parker Conrad knows which employees are worth their AI spend and says Rippling can help you, too — TechCrunch - 16:00
• Google Finance gets a dedicated app for Android — TechCrunch - 16:00
• Netris raises $15M Series A from a16z to help AI neoclouds go live faster — TechCrunch - 14:55
• Trump admin bars Polestar from selling its new EVs in the US — TechCrunch - 14:55
• Apple raises Mac and iPad prices, spares iPhone for now — TechCrunch - 14:52

The rapid growth of AI infrastructure and training methods is evident through **Amazon's $13B investment in India, General Intuition's $2.3B raise for video game-trained AI, and Netris's $15M for faster AI neocloud deployment, alongside Rippling's focus on optimizing AI spend**.

• Parker Conrad knows which employees are worth their AI spend and says Rippling can help you, too — TechCrunch -
• From Fortnite to robots: General Intuition raises $2.3B on bet that video games can train AI agents for the real world — TechCrunch -
• Netris raises $15M Series A from a16z to help AI neoclouds go live faster — TechCrunch -

• Amazon ups India bet with fresh $13B AI infrastructure investment — TechCrunch -

Significant government actions are shaping the automotive industry, with the Trump administration banning Polestar EV sales and proposing to remove brake-pedal requirements for AVs.

• Trump admin bars Polestar from selling its new EVs in the US — TechCrunch -
• Feds deny Polestar authorization to sell cars in US from model year 2027 — Ars Technica -
• Trump admin proposes axing brake-pedal requirement for AVs in a boost for Tesla — TechCrunch -

Key developments include Apple's price increases for Macs and iPads, Google Finance's new dedicated Android app, and Adobe's acquisition of Topaz Labs.

• Google Finance gets a dedicated app for Android — TechCrunch -
• Apple raises Mac and iPad prices, spares iPhone for now — TechCrunch -
• Apple ratchets up prices, blames the cost of memory — Ars Technica -

• Adobe acquires image and video enhancement tool maker Topaz Labs — TechCrunch -

The semiconductor landscape is dynamic, marked by IBM's sub-1 nanometer chip breakthrough and Europe's resistance to Washington's chip war.

• IBM claims world’s first sub-1 nanometer chip technology — Ars Technica -
• Europe is pushing back on Washington’s chip war — TechCrunch -

Concerns about ethical tech use are heightened as Cellebrite's tools were reportedly used by Russia despite sanctions.

• Cellebrite said it cut off Russia, but Russia used its tools anyway — TechCrunch -

Broad scientific news covers Europe's persistent heat wave, a major effort to genome sequence endangered species, and intriguing discoveries about Homo naledi's gender distribution.

• The "sad inevitability" of Europe's heat wave — Ars Technica -
• New effort will get genome sequences for entire Endangered Species list — Ars Technica -
• Every Homo naledi we know of is female, and the implications are fascinating — Ars Technica -

The TechCrunch Founder Summit is generating buzz with early bird discounts nearing expiration.

• 2 days left to save up to $190: Join 1,000+ founders and investors at TechCrunch Founder Summit — TechCrunch -