Chapter 1: What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
Here's your morning TNB Tech Minute for Wednesday, January 21st. I'm Julie Chang for The Wall Street Journal. OpenAI said it would pay higher electricity prices for the giant data centers it's building across the U.S. It's the latest pledge by the tech industry to address fears about rising utility costs and community disruptions.
OpenAI's promise follows a similar commitment from Microsoft, its biggest investor, to make sure its data centers benefit local communities. Amazon is launching its largest ever retail store. It'll be located in the Chicago suburbs with a square footage so large it could fit nearly two Target stores under its roof.
Amazon says about half its proposed big box store in Illinois will sell groceries, general merchandise, and food prepared on site.
Chapter 2: What are OpenAI's new commitments regarding data center power costs?
The other half would be used for fulfillment of orders. This expansion into big box retail follows mixed results from Amazon's previous physical store ventures. The e-commerce giant has closed dozens of branded stores and more than half its Amazon Go convenience stores.
People familiar with the matter say in addition to the Illinois location, Amazon is planning to open other big box stores in the U.S. And the European Commission unveiled new legislation today to make it easier to upgrade Europe's telecommunications networks.
Under the Digital Networks Act, the European Union's executive branch said it would introduce a mandatory phase-out of copper networks for EU member states and a transition to advanced networks, or spectrum, between 2030 and 2035. The EU tech commissioner said in a statement that robust digital infrastructure is crucial for Europe's innovation and competitiveness.
The legislation still needs approval from member states and the European Parliament before it can take effect. That's your TNB Tech Minute. Join us again this afternoon for more.