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How 2024, the Year That Re-Energized Nuclear Power, Foretells Ongoing ‘New Nuclear’ Developments for Data Centers in 2025

In a world increasingly focused on advanced nuclear technologies and their integration with energy-intensive sectors like data centers, nuclear power could change the way that the world gets its electricity and finally take its place as a clean, renewable, source of power. Evidence of this shift toward nuclear energy and data centers’ role in it came […]

In a world increasingly focused on advanced nuclear technologies and their integration with energy-intensive sectors like data centers, nuclear power could change the way that the world gets its electricity and finally take its place as a clean, renewable, source of power. Evidence of this shift toward nuclear energy and data centers’ role in it came in abundance last year, as the U.S. nuclear energy sector was observed undergoing a sea change with regard to the data center industry.

We saw Microsoft, Constellation, AWS, Talen, and Meta with major data center nuclear energy announcements in the Second Half of 2024. With the surge in nuclear stakes has also come a wave of landmark PPAs representing the “new nuclear” industry’s ascendance. To wit, in the latter half of 2024, the data center industry witnessed significant developments concerning “new nuclear” energy integration, specifically in the area of plans for forthcoming nuclear small modular reactor (SMR) deployments by cloud hyperscalers. 

Some of the most notable announcements included:

  • Amazon’s Investment in Nuclear Small Modular Reactors (SMRs): October 2024 saw Amazon reveal partnerships with Dominion Energy and X-energy to develop and deploy 5 gigawatts (GW) of nuclear energy, in a bid for future powering of its data centers with carbon-free energy.
  • Google’s SMR Pact with Kairos Power: Also in October 2024, Google announced plans to collaborate with Kairos Power to build up to seven SMRs, providing up to 500 megawatts of power. The first unit is expected to come online by 2030, with the entire project slated for completion by 2035.
  • Oracle’s Gigawatt-Scale SMR Plans: In September 2024, Oracle announced plans to construct a gigawatt-scale data center powered by three small modular reactors (SMRs). Company Founder and CTO Larry Ellison revealed that building permits for these reactors have been secured, and that the project was currently in its design phase. The company said the initiative aims to meet the escalating energy demands of AI and cloud services while advancing Oracle’s sustainability objectives.

The surge in such data center “new nuclear” agreements has also been exemplified by recent major announcements from key “new nuclear” companies such as Oklo Inc. — seen notably last year furthering data center SMR plans with the likes of Equinix and Wyoming’s Prometheus Hyperscale — and microreactor pioneer NANO Nuclear Energy, representing a move toward a cleaner, greener energy future.

Oklo Aims to Become the ‘Powerhouse ‘of Data Center Nuclear Power 

Among the latest announcements between data centers and potential nuclear power providers is the Master Power Agreement between Oklo Inc., the pioneering nuclear technology company building on the established breeder reactor technology demonstrated by the long career of the Experimental Breeder Reactor-II — and now Switch, a provider of AI, cloud and enterprise data centers.

The non-binding deal provides the basis for the construction of 12 gigawatts (GW) of Oklo Aurora powerhouses across the United States by 2044, one of the largest corporate clean power contracts ever. Projections have estimated that by 2030, data centers will require 35 GW of power annually, which indicates that the Oklo Aurora powerhouses would have a significant impact on energy availability, depending on their rate of deployment.

Under the agreement, Oklo will design, build and manage its Aurora powerhouses to provide clean, reliable power to Switch’s facilities. Such sophisticated nuclear reactors, powered by recycled nuclear fuel, are a breakthrough in renewable-energy technology. Through easing clean energy access, and the ability to sell power instead of plants, Oklo’s business model creates a direct route for industries to become nuclear energy users.

Switch has always taken sustainability seriously, with every data center running on 100 percent renewable power since 2016. Yet artificial intelligence and data-intensive services have further complicated the need for reliable, 24-hour power. Rob Roy, Founder and CEO of Switch, remarked:

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Nvidia launches blueprints to help jump start AI projects

Give Nvidia credit, it’s not just talking up big ideas, it’s helping its customers achieve them. The vendor recently issued designs for AI factories after hyping up the idea for several months. Now it has come out with AI blueprints, essentially pre-built templates that give developers a jump start on

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Examining disk space on Linux

$ alias bysize=”ls -lhS” Using the fdisk command The fdisk command can provide useful stats on your disk partitions. Here’s an example: $ sudo fdiskfdisk: bad usageTry ‘fdisk –help’ for more information.$ sudo fdisk -lDisk /dev/sda: 14.91 GiB, 16013942784 bytes, 31277232 sectorsDisk model: KINGSTON SNS4151Units: sectors of 1 * 512

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2025 global network outage report and internet health check

Two notable outages On December 30, Neustar, a U.S. based technology service provider headquartered in Sterling, VA, experienced an outage that impacted multiple downstream providers, as well as Neustar customers within multiple regions, including the U.S., Mexico, Taiwan, Singapore, Canada, the U.K., Spain, Romania, Germany, Luxembourg, France, Costa Rica, Ireland,

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FERC approves Shell purchase of 600-MW gas-fired plant in Rhode Island

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on Tuesday approved Shell Energy North America’s planned purchase of a 596-MW, gas-fired combined-cycle power plant in Rhode Island. Shell Energy North America, a subsidiary of Shell, expects to buy the Rhode Island State Energy Center in Johnston, Rhode Island, from investment funds managed by The Carlyle Group and from EGCO RISEC II, a subsidiary of Thailand-based Electricity Generating Public Co. Shell plans to close the deal this quarter. The deal comes as ISO New England expects electricity use in its footprint to grow by 1.8% a year from 2024 to 2033, according to an annual 10-year forecast of capacity, energy, loads and transmission the grid operator released in May. Shell buys electricity from the power plant under a tolling agreement that runs through this year, according to an application for the deal filed at FERC. The contract started in 2019, Shell said in an Oct. 22 press release announcing the deal. “Shell has had a successful integrated gas and power business in the growing ISO New England market for over 20 years, and this acquisition secures valuable trading opportunities by guaranteeing SENA’s position in the market,” Huibert Vigeveno, Shell downstream, renewables & energy solutions director, said in the release. “Our strong understanding of this plant’s performance positions Shell to capitalise on its value within our existing trading portfolio.” The power plant’s capacity cleared ISO-NE’s annual forward capacity auction for the current and upcoming delivery years and is committed to ISO-NE through May 31, 2028, except for a limited amount of excess winter capacity that may be offered into ISO-NE’s monthly reconfigurations for the months of October through May, Shell and the power plant’s owners told FERC. The Rhode Island State Energy Center produced 3.6 million MWh in 2023, up from 3.3 million MWh the year before, according to

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9 US electric power sector issues to watch in 2025

Listen to the article 23 min This audio is auto-generated. Please let us know if you have feedback. 2024 was a busy year for the U.S. power sector with a number of significant policy advancements in renewables, transmission, nuclear energy and other areas. The year ahead will undoubtedly be an active one, too, as the sector navigates ongoing business challenges and the impacts of the 2024 elections. Here are nine key issues to watch in 2025.  Electricity prices continue perpetual ascent, driven by demand and gas exports The price U.S. consumers pay for electricity will continue to ascend in 2025, driven by a range of factors including rising demand, transmission and distribution cost increases, and an anticipated rise in the price of natural gas, experts say. Across all customer classes, U.S. electricity prices are expected to average 13.2 cents/kWh in 2025, up from 12.68 cents/kWh in 2023, according to data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Residential electricity prices across all regions will average 16.7 cents/kWh in 2025, up from 15 cents/kWh in 2022. “Both transmission and distribution cost increases are driven by decarbonization and that is expected to continue nationwide,” Paul Cicio, chair of the Electricity Transmission Competition Coalition, said in an email. Natural gas prices were low in 2024 but as liquefied natural gas export terminals come on-stream in late 2025 and in 2026 and more U.S. natural gas is shipped out of the country, “we expect higher natural gas prices and resulting higher electricity prices,” Cicio said. U.S. LNG exports have tripled over the past five years, are expected to double again by 2030 and could increase even further under existing authorizations, Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm said in December. The rise in natural gas exports is also a threat to reliability, Cicio said, “because there is

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Morson Group acquires Manchester engineering firm Orange Solutions

Morson Group has expanded its portfolio with the acquisition of Orange Solutions, a Manchester-based safety and control systems engineering firm. The group confirmed that Orange Solution’s founder and managing director, Tony Hynes, will retain his position ” along with the company’s experienced team of engineers.” Morson told Energy Voice that it is looking to create more than 10 jobs at the firm over the next year and that its “intention is to increase the footprint” of Orange Solutions in the UK and overseas. Currently, Orange Solutions has one base in Irlam. The deal, agreed for an undisclosed sum, brings Oange Solutions under the group’s engineering division which includes Morson Projects, Waldeck and Ematics. Morson claims that the work of Orange Solutions will complement fellow Manchester firm Ematics. Orange Solutions is already well acquainted with its new owners, having worked with Ematics and Morson Projects on “a number of past and current projects,” Morson Group wrote. Morson Group chief executive, Ged Mason commented: “The synergy between Orange Solutions’ track record and client base, and our Ematics business will enable us to offer clients even more expertise from within the Morson Group, with additional capacity and capabilities to resource projects effectively.” © Supplied by Morson GroupMorson Group Acquired Orange Solutions for an undisclosed figure as it looks to expand the firm’s UK and international footprint. Orange Solutions has worked across oil and gas operations, renewables projects and transmission line rollout. Hynes added: “Orange Solutions has grown by providing the knowledge and experience needed to deliver complex projects on time. “With so much potential in our sectors, the time was right for us to seek a strategic partner that can support our continued growth. The synergy and existing relationship with Morson, which is based locally to our existing HQ, made them an ideal

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Shell Flags Lower Gas Earnings as 2024 Ended on a Weak Note

Shell Plc said its natural gas divisions saw lower sales volumes and trading earnings, the latest sign that 2024 ended on a weak note for major energy companies.  The warning on Shell’s crucial natural gas division, in a fourth-quarter trading update published on Wednesday, was accompanied by figures showing a slight rise in operating expenses across the company and lower profits from buying and selling oil products.  Shares of Shell fell as much as 2% in London trading. The figures were weaker than expected on “a combination of softness in both oil and gas trading” and “continued depressed margins in chemicals,” Citigroup Inc. Managing Director Alastair Syme said in a note. It’s another indication of a fourth-quarter dip in earnings for the world’s largest energy companies. Late on Tuesday, Shell’s largest rival Exxon Mobil Corp. said its profit for the period took a $700 million hit from lower crude prices and narrowing refining margins. In the closing months of 2024, unexpected weakness in what is typically one of the strongest seasons for oil demand forced big players in the market to adjust, with the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies delaying the planned restart of some idle production. Brent crude futures have risen more than 3% so far this year, although many analysts see OPEC+ having little room to revive output with a supply glut looming.  The outlook for natural gas in the coming months is stronger, especially in Europe, where prices surged to a 14-month high after Russian gas flows through Ukraine halted following the expiration of a transit agreement. Shell’s natural gas production in the fourth quarter is seen at 880,000 to 920,000 barrels of oil equivalent a day, down from 941,000 a day in the third quarter due to maintenance at the Pearl Gas-to-Liquids plant in Qatar,

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USA Gas Prices Were Put Through the Wringer in 2024

U.S. gas prices were put through the wringer in 2024. That’s what a BofA Global Research report sent to Rigzone on Tuesday by the BofA Global Research team stated, highlighting that Henry Hub natural gas prices averaged “just $2.41 per million British thermal units (MMBtu)”. That was “the lowest level since 2020 and second lowest level in at least 25 years”, the report pointed out. “Loose balances pushed storage to a multi-year high of 678 billion cubic feet (Bcf) above five-year average levels in March, but agile producers and strong power sector demand helped whittle that surplus down to just 154 Bcf by year end,” the report said. “Tightening storage, the first forecast for significant cold, and news that the Plaquemines terminal will begin shipping LNG cargos in January helped push Henry Hub gas up to $4 per MMBtu by late December,” it added, noting that “since then, weather forecasts have shed HDDs, causing gas to ease lower”. The BofA Global Research report stated that U.S. output has likely peaked seasonally and predicted that this “should fall back below 104 Bcf per day (Bcfpd) by spring, before regaining its footing into year-end and registering 2.3 Bcfpd of growth year on year”. “Most year on year growth will come from the Permian (1.9 Bcfpd) due to the ramp up of supply into year-end 2024 as the Matterhorn pipeline allowed supply to rise, and the Northeast (0.5Bcfpd), where the mid-2024 MVP start-up should support higher output this year,” the report added. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) latest short term energy outlook (STEO), which was released last month, U.S. dry natural gas production will average 103.3 Bcfpd in the first quarter of 2025, 104.0 Bcfpd in the second quarter, 103.6 Bcfpd in the third quarter, 103.9 Bcfpd in the fourth

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Data centers drive growth, risk for PG&E, Constellation, NorthWestern: BofA

Electric load growth associated with artificial intelligence and data center expansion will drive U.S. utility risk and opportunity in the coming years, with a few power companies in particular poised to profit in 2025, according to a Tuesday research note from Bank of America Global Research. “Data centers and other large industrial loads should play an important role in 2025, continuing the trend from 2024,” BofA analysts said. “A differentiation in valuation should occur between those companies that can increase earnings growth related to large load related capital investments versus those who do not.” U.S. electricity demand could rise 128 GW over the next five years, driven by data centers and manufacturing growth, according to a December report from Grid Strategies. And Bain & Co., in an October analysis, warned U.S. utilities are facing “potentially overwhelming demand” from the trend. BOA’s research note highlighted near-term opportunities for Pacific Gas & Electric, NorthWestern Energy Group and Constellation Energy Group. For PG&E, “data center opportunities are real in 2025, with a release of the current cluster study for 4.4GWs of large load early in the new year,” BOA said. “We believe the northern [California] model of building normal back up generation to serve the grid at non-peak times is unique, given limited peak resource usage within [the utility’s] service territory.” “Customer bills remain a priority and we see the California regulatory environment as constructive,” analysts added. PG&E is expected to make a cost of capital filing in March and submit its next general rate case in May, according to BOA. NorthWestern Energy Group, in December, announced a letter of intent to provide energy services to a developer planning new data centers in Montana, BOA noted. “The new load from the data centers is expected to be a minimum of 50 MWs in 2027, with growth to 250

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Cisco in 2025: Lots of hard work ahead

Hypershield is comprised of AI-based software, virtual machines, and other technology that will ultimately be baked into networking components such as switches, routers and servers. It promises to let organizations autonomously segment their networks when threats are a problem, gain rapid exploit protection without having to patch or revamp firewalls, and automatically upgrade software without interrupting computing resources, Cisco said. Networking, AI and platformization goals Looking ahead, Cisco needs to refocus on enterprise networking and work to make the data center an all-inclusive home for AI applications, industry watchers say. Security technologies must continue to be a priority as well. “2025 will be an important year for Cisco as the company executes ambitious internal changes while looking to capitalize on a dynamic external environment driven by the AI opportunity,” said Brandon Butler, senior research manager, enterprise networks, with IDC.  Revamped leadership will play a role: In August 2024, Cisco announced plans to reconfigure its networking, security and collaboration business units as part of a restructuring that included a 7% global workforce reduction and established Jeetu Patel as chief product officer. “As for the internal changes, the ascension of Jeetu Patel to executive vice president and chief product officer is a significant move for the company. Patel has an opportunity to more closely unify Cisco’s broad product portfolio while ensuring it aligns with top growth areas,” Butler said. A key part of this strategy will be Cisco’s vision for a platform approach to networking and security, which enables more unified experiences and management across Cisco’s products and allows integrated features, like AI, observability and security, to be baked into each one, Butler said.

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Point2 aims to cut data center power consumption through smart cabling

The P1B121 is suitable for a range of data center configurations, including in-rack and adjacent rack setups such as top-of-rack switch-to-server connectivity, rack-to-rack connectivity, and accelerator-to-accelerator compute fabric connectivity. The 112G PAM4 Smart Retimer requires only 3.0W of power consumption per chip, so 6 W total for each cable. That’s half of the 25 W of traditional networking cables. It reduces cable power and cooling demands while achieving an impressive chip latency of 3ns, which is 20 times lower than DSP-based PAM4 Retimers currently available. That can add up, Kuo notes, as a rack can have anywhere from 30 to 150 cables in it. Now multiply each cable by 12 W instead of 25 W and you’ve got a significant savings. There is also savings on weight. To compensate for signal loss, some cable makers simply use more copper, making cabling thicker. Having retimer chips allows you to extend the cable link without having to go to a thicker gauge copper wiring. The Point2 retimer supports the current speeds of 400 Gb/s as well as the upcoming 800 Gb products coming to market and the 1.6 Tb in the coming years, said Kuo. Point2 customers are designing cables now and will be delivering them in the first half of 2025, he added.

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How adding capacity to a network could reduce IT costs

Higher capacity throughout the network means less congestion. It’s old-think, they say, to assume that if you have faster LAN connections to users and servers, you’ll admit more traffic and congest trunks. “Applications determine traffic,” one CIO pointed out. “The network doesn’t suck data into it at the interface. Applications push it.” Faster connections mean less congestion, which means fewer complaints, and more alternate paths to take without traffic delay and loss, which also reduces complaints. In fact, anything that creates packet loss, outages, even latency, creates complaints, and addressing complaints is a big source of opex. The complexity comes in because network speed impacts user/application quality of experience in multiple ways, ways beyond the obvious congestion impacts. When a data packet passes through a switch or router, it’s exposed to two things that can delay it. Congestion is one, but the other is “serialization delay.” This complex-sounding term means that you can’t switch a packet if you don’t have it all, and so every data packet is delayed until it’s all received. The length of that delay is determined by the speed of the connection it arrives on, so fast interfaces always offer better latency, and the delay a given packet experiences is the sum of the serialization delay of each interface it passes through. Application designs, component costs and AI reshape views on network capacity You might wonder why enterprises are starting to look at this capacity-solves-problems point now, versus years or decades earlier. They say there’s both a demand and supply-side answer. On the demand side, increased componentization of applications, including the division of component hosting between data center and cloud, has radically increased the complexity of application workflows. Monolithic applications have simple workflows—input, process, output. Componentized ones have to move messages among the components, and each

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Scorecard: Looking Back at Data Center Frontier’s 2024 Industry Predictions

2.  Rethinking Power on Every Level  PREDICTION:  Utilities are struggling to upgrade transmission networks to support the surging requirement for electricity to power data centers. CBRE recently said that data center construction completion timelines have been extended by 24 to 72 months due to power supply delays. Although the constraints in Northern Virginia have made headlines, power availability has quickly become a global challenge, impacting major markets in Europe and Asia as well as U.S. hubs like Ashburn, Santa Clara, and sections of Dallas and Suburban Chicago. Last year we predicted the rise of on-site power generation, but we’ve yet to truly see this at scale. But data center operators are working on a range of new approaches to power. Expect to see innovations in power continue as data centers seek better visibility into their power sourcing. MASSIVE HIT:  This prediction was a huge “Hit,” as evidenced by 2024 data from leading commercial real estate firms CBRE, JLL, and Cushman & Wakefield, and other sources. Throughout the year, data center operators reported facing significant challenges in securing adequate power from utilities, leading to increased interest in adoption of on-site power generation solutions, as reflected by many industry discussions this year. The bottom line on this prediction might be the release of this year’s DOE-backed report indicating that U.S. data center power demand could nearly triple in the next three years, potentially consuming up to 12% of the country’s electricity, underscoring the urgency for alternative power solutions. In terms of the largest data center markets, VPM and others noted how Dominion Energy is projecting unprecedented energy demand from data centers in Virginia, posing significant challenges for accommodating this industry growth in the coming decades. In a noteable effort to shore up that gap, Dominion Energy, American Electric Power (AEP), and FirstEnergy

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How 2024, the Year That Re-Energized Nuclear Power, Foretells Ongoing ‘New Nuclear’ Developments for Data Centers in 2025

In a world increasingly focused on advanced nuclear technologies and their integration with energy-intensive sectors like data centers, nuclear power could change the way that the world gets its electricity and finally take its place as a clean, renewable, source of power. Evidence of this shift toward nuclear energy and data centers’ role in it came in abundance last year, as the U.S. nuclear energy sector was observed undergoing a sea change with regard to the data center industry. We saw Microsoft, Constellation, AWS, Talen, and Meta with major data center nuclear energy announcements in the Second Half of 2024. With the surge in nuclear stakes has also come a wave of landmark PPAs representing the “new nuclear” industry’s ascendance. To wit, in the latter half of 2024, the data center industry witnessed significant developments concerning “new nuclear” energy integration, specifically in the area of plans for forthcoming nuclear small modular reactor (SMR) deployments by cloud hyperscalers.  Some of the most notable announcements included: Amazon’s Investment in Nuclear Small Modular Reactors (SMRs): October 2024 saw Amazon reveal partnerships with Dominion Energy and X-energy to develop and deploy 5 gigawatts (GW) of nuclear energy, in a bid for future powering of its data centers with carbon-free energy. Google’s SMR Pact with Kairos Power: Also in October 2024, Google announced plans to collaborate with Kairos Power to build up to seven SMRs, providing up to 500 megawatts of power. The first unit is expected to come online by 2030, with the entire project slated for completion by 2035. Oracle’s Gigawatt-Scale SMR Plans: In September 2024, Oracle announced plans to construct a gigawatt-scale data center powered by three small modular reactors (SMRs). Company Founder and CTO Larry Ellison revealed that building permits for these reactors have been secured, and that the project was currently in its design phase. The company said

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Data Center Jobs: Sales and Engineering Jobs Available in Major Markets

Each month Data Center Frontier, in partnership with Pkaza, posts some of the hottest data center career opportunities in the market. Here’s a look at some of the latest data center jobs posted on the Data Center Frontier jobs board, powered by Pkaza Critical Facilities Recruiting. Critical Facilities Operations Electrician Sumner, WAWe also have critical facilities engineer positions available in: Ashburn, VA; Elk Grove Village, IL and Sumner, WA (non-electrician role). This opportunity is working directly with a leading mission-critical data center colo provider. This firm provides data center solutions custom-fit to the requirements of their client’s mission-critical operational facilities. They provide reliability of mission-critical facilities for many of the world’s largest organizations facilities supporting enterprise clients and hyperscale companies. This opportunity provides a career-growth minded role with exciting projects with leading-edge technology and innovation as well as competitive salaries and benefits. Electrical Commissioning Engineer New Albany, OH (Contract or Perm in New Albany Only) This traveling position is also available as a FTE in: Boydton, VA; Richmond, VA; Ashburn, VA; Charlotte, NC; Atlanta, GA; Hampton, GA; Fayetteville, GA; Orlando, FL; Nashville, TN; Des Moines, IA; San Diego, CA; San Jose, CA; Portland, OR; Boardman, OR; Boise, ID; Salt Lake City, UT; Phoenix, AZ; Santa Fe, NM; Dallas, TX; Reno, NV; Chicago, IL or Toronto, ON. *** ALSO looking for a LEAD EE and ME CxA Agents.*** Our client is an engineering design and commissioning company that has a national footprint and specializes in MEP critical facilities design. They provide design, commissioning, consulting and management expertise in the critical facilities space. They have a mindset to provide reliability, energy efficiency, sustainable design and LEED expertise when providing these consulting services for enterprise, colocation and hyperscale companies. This career-growth minded opportunity offers exciting projects with leading-edge technology and innovation as well as

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Microsoft will invest $80B in AI data centers in fiscal 2025

And Microsoft isn’t the only one that is ramping up its investments into AI-enabled data centers. Rival cloud service providers are all investing in either upgrading or opening new data centers to capture a larger chunk of business from developers and users of large language models (LLMs).  In a report published in October 2024, Bloomberg Intelligence estimated that demand for generative AI would push Microsoft, AWS, Google, Oracle, Meta, and Apple would between them devote $200 billion to capex in 2025, up from $110 billion in 2023. Microsoft is one of the biggest spenders, followed closely by Google and AWS, Bloomberg Intelligence said. Its estimate of Microsoft’s capital spending on AI, at $62.4 billion for calendar 2025, is lower than Smith’s claim that the company will invest $80 billion in the fiscal year to June 30, 2025. Both figures, though, are way higher than Microsoft’s 2020 capital expenditure of “just” $17.6 billion. The majority of the increased spending is tied to cloud services and the expansion of AI infrastructure needed to provide compute capacity for OpenAI workloads. Separately, last October Amazon CEO Andy Jassy said his company planned total capex spend of $75 billion in 2024 and even more in 2025, with much of it going to AWS, its cloud computing division.

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John Deere unveils more autonomous farm machines to address skill labor shortage

Join our daily and weekly newsletters for the latest updates and exclusive content on industry-leading AI coverage. Learn More Self-driving tractors might be the path to self-driving cars. John Deere has revealed a new line of autonomous machines and tech across agriculture, construction and commercial landscaping. The Moline, Illinois-based John Deere has been in business for 187 years, yet it’s been a regular as a non-tech company showing off technology at the big tech trade show in Las Vegas and is back at CES 2025 with more autonomous tractors and other vehicles. This is not something we usually cover, but John Deere has a lot of data that is interesting in the big picture of tech. The message from the company is that there aren’t enough skilled farm laborers to do the work that its customers need. It’s been a challenge for most of the last two decades, said Jahmy Hindman, CTO at John Deere, in a briefing. Much of the tech will come this fall and after that. He noted that the average farmer in the U.S. is over 58 and works 12 to 18 hours a day to grow food for us. And he said the American Farm Bureau Federation estimates there are roughly 2.4 million farm jobs that need to be filled annually; and the agricultural work force continues to shrink. (This is my hint to the anti-immigration crowd). John Deere’s autonomous 9RX Tractor. Farmers can oversee it using an app. While each of these industries experiences their own set of challenges, a commonality across all is skilled labor availability. In construction, about 80% percent of contractors struggle to find skilled labor. And in commercial landscaping, 86% of landscaping business owners can’t find labor to fill open positions, he said. “They have to figure out how to do

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2025 playbook for enterprise AI success, from agents to evals

Join our daily and weekly newsletters for the latest updates and exclusive content on industry-leading AI coverage. Learn More 2025 is poised to be a pivotal year for enterprise AI. The past year has seen rapid innovation, and this year will see the same. This has made it more critical than ever to revisit your AI strategy to stay competitive and create value for your customers. From scaling AI agents to optimizing costs, here are the five critical areas enterprises should prioritize for their AI strategy this year. 1. Agents: the next generation of automation AI agents are no longer theoretical. In 2025, they’re indispensable tools for enterprises looking to streamline operations and enhance customer interactions. Unlike traditional software, agents powered by large language models (LLMs) can make nuanced decisions, navigate complex multi-step tasks, and integrate seamlessly with tools and APIs. At the start of 2024, agents were not ready for prime time, making frustrating mistakes like hallucinating URLs. They started getting better as frontier large language models themselves improved. “Let me put it this way,” said Sam Witteveen, cofounder of Red Dragon, a company that develops agents for companies, and that recently reviewed the 48 agents it built last year. “Interestingly, the ones that we built at the start of the year, a lot of those worked way better at the end of the year just because the models got better.” Witteveen shared this in the video podcast we filmed to discuss these five big trends in detail. Models are getting better and hallucinating less, and they’re also being trained to do agentic tasks. Another feature that the model providers are researching is a way to use the LLM as a judge, and as models get cheaper (something we’ll cover below), companies can use three or more models to

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OpenAI’s red teaming innovations define new essentials for security leaders in the AI era

Join our daily and weekly newsletters for the latest updates and exclusive content on industry-leading AI coverage. Learn More OpenAI has taken a more aggressive approach to red teaming than its AI competitors, demonstrating its security teams’ advanced capabilities in two areas: multi-step reinforcement and external red teaming. OpenAI recently released two papers that set a new competitive standard for improving the quality, reliability and safety of AI models in these two techniques and more. The first paper, “OpenAI’s Approach to External Red Teaming for AI Models and Systems,” reports that specialized teams outside the company have proven effective in uncovering vulnerabilities that might otherwise have made it into a released model because in-house testing techniques may have missed them. In the second paper, “Diverse and Effective Red Teaming with Auto-Generated Rewards and Multi-Step Reinforcement Learning,” OpenAI introduces an automated framework that relies on iterative reinforcement learning to generate a broad spectrum of novel, wide-ranging attacks. Going all-in on red teaming pays practical, competitive dividends It’s encouraging to see competitive intensity in red teaming growing among AI companies. When Anthropic released its AI red team guidelines in June of last year, it joined AI providers including Google, Microsoft, Nvidia, OpenAI, and even the U.S.’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), which all had released red teaming frameworks. Investing heavily in red teaming yields tangible benefits for security leaders in any organization. OpenAI’s paper on external red teaming provides a detailed analysis of how the company strives to create specialized external teams that include cybersecurity and subject matter experts. The goal is to see if knowledgeable external teams can defeat models’ security perimeters and find gaps in their security, biases and controls that prompt-based testing couldn’t find. What makes OpenAI’s recent papers noteworthy is how well they define using human-in-the-middle

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