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3M, Microsoft Partner to Advance AI Data Center Infrastructure

William Attardi on July 17, 2026

3M and Microsoft announced a strategic partnership focused on AI data center infrastructure and enterprise transformation. Microsoft’s Azure Cloud and AI Infrastructure will become the first announced hyperscale cloud provider to deploy 3M’s Expanded Beam Optical (EBO) technology. 3M will also use Microsoft’s AI and digital platforms as part of its enterprise transformation across key business functions. Together, the companies will combine Microsoft’s digital and hyperscale infrastructure with 3M’s materials science and precision manufacturing to accelerate AI adoption and strengthen the physical networks required for the growth of cloud and AI workloads. 3M, Microsoft Partner to Advance AI Data Center Infrastructure

Microsoft to Build Dedicated AI Factory Campus in Texas

William Attardi on March 30, 2026

Crusoe, the AI factory company, announced the development of a new, dedicated AI factory campus in Abilene, Texas. Supporting large scale AI workloads for Microsoft, the 900 MW site includes two new buildings and an onsite power plant to support grid resilience. The new campus is located adjacent to Crusoe’s existing Abilene AI factory infrastructure, bringing the total projected capacity across the full Abilene site to 2.1 gigawatts (GW). Land clearing and site preparation for the new campus are already underway, with the first building expected to be energized in mid-2027, continuing Crusoe’s record-setting pace that energized the first two buildings of the Abilene campus in under one year. The first eight buildings of Crusoe’s existing data center campus in Abilene are expected to deliver up to 32% of the City of Abilene’s and up to 25% of Taylor County’s current FY 2025 Budgeted Property Tax Revenue. Microsoft to Build Dedicated AI Factory Campus in Texas – electrifiED

AI Is Outpacing America’s Power Grid. Nuclear Must Become a National Priority by Mark Whitney

William Attardi on March 6, 2026

Nuclear energy is an immediate, national strategic imperative. Advanced nuclear technologies, including smaller, faster-to-build reactors, deliver reliable, scalable and zero-carbon power. Unlike wind or solar, nuclear operates 24/7, which is exactly what hyperscale AI data centers require. The early movers are acting:

The message is clear: secure dependable, carbon-free power now, or face capacity shortages and rising costs. AI is outpacing America’s power grid. Nuclear must become a national priority. | Utility Dive

Microsoft, Google among 24 firms joining US AI ‘Genesis Mission’ by Courtney Subramanian

William Attardi on December 18, 2025

Two dozen top artificial intelligence companies have signed on to join the federal government’s “Genesis Mission,” an effort by the Trump administration to boost the use of the emerging technology for scientific discovery and energy projects. OpenAI, Microsoft Corp., Nvidia Corp., Amazon Web Services and Alphabet Inc.’s Google were among the firms that have either already signed memorandums of understanding with the government, have existing projects with the Energy Department or national laboratories, or have expressed interest in joining the effort, according to a White House statement. The mission will harness the computing resources of the Energy Department’s national labs to tap federal datasets and enable more experiments utilizing AI, Michael Kratsios said at the time. He predicted the effort would help shorten the timeline for scientific discoveries. Microsoft, Google among 24 firms joining US AI ‘Genesis Mission’

Anthropic, Microsoft Announce New AI Data Center Projects as Industry’s Construction Push Continues by Matt O’Brien

William Attardi on November 13, 2025

Artificial intelligence company Anthropic announced a $50 billion investment in computing infrastructure on Wednesday that will include new data centers in Texas and New York. Microsoft also on Wednesday announced a new data center under construction in Atlanta, Georgia, describing it as connected to another in Wisconsin to form a “massive supercomputer” running on hundreds of thousands of Nvidia chips to power AI technology. The latest deals show that the tech industry is moving forward on huge spending to build energy-hungry AI infrastructure, despite lingering financial concerns about a bubble, environmental considerationsand the political effects of fast-rising electricity bills in the communities where the massive buildings are constructed. Anthropic, Microsoft announce new AI data centers

Microsoft CFO Highlights Record $35B in AI Infrastructure Spending

William Attardi on November 1, 2025

Microsoft CFO Amy Hood revealed a record $34.9 billion in infrastructure expenditures for the first quarter, emphasizing heavy investment in GPUs, CPUs, and datacenter infrastructure to meet surging demand for artificial intelligence. This capex figure significantly exceeded prior forecasts and reflects the company’s commitment to rapidly expanding capacity to support AI-driven growth and customer needs. Microsoft’s CFO Highlights Record Capex, OpenAI Deal in Internal Memo – Business Insider

Nvidia to Invest $100 Billion in OpenAI to Help Expand the ChatGPT Maker’s Computing Power

William Attardi on September 23, 2025

Chipmaker Nvidia will invest $100 billion in OpenAI as part of a partnership announced Monday that will add at least 10 gigawatts of Nvidia AI data centers to ramp up the computing power for the owner of the artificial intelligence chatbot ChatGPT. Per the letter of intent signed by the companies, the first gigawatt of Nvidia systems will be deployed in the second half of 2026. Nvidia and OpenAI said they would be finalizing the details of the arrangement in the coming weeks. The Nvidia-OpenAI partnership also comes about 10 days after OpenAI said it had reached a new tentative agreement that will give Microsoft a $100 billion equity stake in its for-profit corporation. OpenAI is technically controlled by its nonprofit. OpenAI says it has 700 million weekly active users. Nvidia to invest $100 billion in OpenAI to help expand ChatGPT maker’s computing power | AP News

Cheyenne to Host Massive AI Data Center Using More Electricity than All Wyoming Homes Combined

William Attardi on August 29, 2025

An artificial intelligence data center that would use more electricity than every home in Wyoming combined before expanding to as much as five times that size will be built soon near Cheyenne, according to the city’s mayor. With cool weather — good for keeping computer temperatures down — and an abundance of inexpensive electricity from a top energy-producing state, Wyoming’s capital has become a hub of computing power. The city has been home to Microsoft data centers since 2012. An $800 million data center announced last year by Facebook parent company Meta Platforms is nearing completion. The latest data center, a joint effort between regional energy infrastructure company Tallgrass and AI data center developer Crusoe, would begin at 1.8 gigawatts of electricity and be scalable to 10 gigawatts. A gigawatt can power as many as 1 million homes. But that’s more homes than Wyoming has people. The least populated state, Wyoming, has about 590,000 people. But this proposed data center is so big, it would have its own dedicated energy from gas generation and renewable sources.  Cheyenne to host massive AI data center using more electricity than all Wyoming homes combined | AP News

Announcing Grok 3 and Grok 3 Mini on Azure AI Foundry

William Attardi on May 27, 2025

Microsoft and xAI are thrilled to unveil the availability of Grok 3 and Grok 3 Mini into the Azure AI Foundry Models, marking a significant milestone in AI accessibility and innovation. This collaboration combines xAI’s cutting-edge models with Azure’s enterprise-ready infrastructure, giving developers access to Grok 3’s advanced capabilities in a secure, scalable environment.  Grok models enable a range of enterprise scenarios with advanced capabilities in reasoning, coding, and visual processing. Announcing Grok 3 and Grok 3 Mini on Azure AI Foundry | Azure AI Foundry Blog

It’s Back to School – How Some of Our Most Acknowledged Universities Got Their Name – Who were the true visionaries who would donate half of their estate to sculpting the minds of the future. These stories are monuments to history and culture. Let’s take a stroll through academia’s memory lane and uncover the origins of these storied university names!

  1. Ah, Harvard! The Ivy League giant was once a small college in the Massachusetts Bay Colony settlement called New Towne. But where did “Harvard” come from? Enter John Harvard, a clergyman who, in 1638, decided to bequeath half his estate and his library (a whopping 400 books!) to the fledgling college. Grateful for this generous gift, they promptly named the institution after him.
  2. A gem of New Haven, Connecticut, Yale is another Ivy League powerhouse known for its prestigious law and drama schools. It owes its name to Elihu Yale, a wealthy merchant who, in 1718, donated a modest shipment of goods (including portraits, books, and textiles) to a struggling collegiate school. Those goods were auctioned off, raising a much-needed £562 –a small fortune at the time.
  3. Dartmouth is renowned for its beautiful rural setting, nestled in the picturesque town of Hanover, New Hampshire. It was named after the Earl of Dartmouth, William Legge, a British nobleman who supported the college’s founding –despite never actually setting foot in America!
  4. Brown, this Rhode Island Ivy University, known for its open curriculum and emphasis on student choice, was founded with a mouthful of a name – the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations. It was renamed in 1704 for Nicholas Brown, Jr., a prominent merchant whose family donated generously to the school.
  5. Perched atop a hill overlooking Ithaca, New York, Cornell is celebrated for its diverse academic programs and its stunning natural surroundings. Founded by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, this university was unique for its commitment to practical education, allowing students the freedom to choose their own course of study. It was a revolutionary notion at the time, which would guide a curricular reform across the country.
  6. Located in the heart of Silicon Valley, Stanford is renowned for its entrepreneurial spirit and its close ties to the tech industry. But this California powerhouse has a touching origin story. Leland Stanford, Jr., the founder’s son, tragically died young from typhoid fever. His father Leland Sr., railroad magnate and former state governor, and his mother Jane, founded the university in his memory, ensuring his legacy lived on through the pursuit of knowledge.
  7. This North Carolina research giant, known for its strong medical and law schools, underwent a bit of a name change in its history. Originally called Trinity College, it was renamed Duke University in 1924 after James Buchanan Duke, a tobacco and electric power industrialist who founded the American Tobacco Company. He established The Duke Endowment, to which he donated throughout his life and left half his estate after his death.
  8. Nestled in Nashville, Tennessee, Vanderbilt is a renowned research university with a vibrant campus life. It owes its name to “The Commodore,” Cornelius Vanderbilt, a shipping and railroad magnate, who provided the initial gift to establish the university.
  9. Texas businessman William Marsh Rice provided the initial funding for this Houston university, but did not live to see its opening. He was murdered by his valet as he slept, in a plot to forge the man’s will. Despite the unfortunate circumstances, Rice University flourished through the years, becoming an institution known for its strong engineering and science programs.
  10. Who was Harvard named after? Origin of university names