Welcome to Startups Weekly your weekly recap of everything you cant miss from the world of startups. Want it in your inbox every Friday?Sign up here.This weeks newsletter is about startups, but it is also about Big Tech companies expanding their reach, both through acquisitions and through investments.Most interesting startup stories from the weekImage Credits:Alexsl / Getty ImagesWith tech IPOs still a rarity in the U.S., M&As dominated exit news this week. Plus, we have one new startup to track.Blazing through public markets: Blaize, an AI chip startup founded by Intel engineers in 2011 that focuses on edge applications, went public Tuesday after announcing its intention to do so via a SPAC the day before.Buy now, pay now: Amazon is set to buy Indian BNPL startup Axio for over $150 million, according to sources. This will help the e-commerce giant accelerate its push into financial services in India, which is one of its fastest-growing markets.Car sales: eBay plans to acquire Caramel, a startup that helps car sellers and buyers complete the final steps of the transaction. It previously acquired Cargigi, an advertising and marketing tech company for car dealerships, as well as U.K. classifieds site Motors.co.uk.Moodys buys Cape: Moodys agreed to acquire geospatial AI startup Cape Analytics for an undisclosed sum. This will give the financial services firm the ability to create a property database that it plans to use for delivering local risk insights for its insurance clients.An idea for AGI:launch Ndea, an AI research and science lab looking to develop and operationalize artificial general intelligence (AGI).Most interesting VC and funding news this weekImage Credits:LEONELLO CALVETTI/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Getty ImagesMammoth ambitions: Colossal Biosciences raised a $200 million Series C round of funding at a colossal $10.2 billion valuation with the equally big ambition of bringing back the woolly mammoth and two other extinct species.Taking off:raised $170 million in Series C funding co-led by Tikehau Capital and Axial Partners. It declined to reveal its valuation, but thats more capital in one round than the combined $160 million it had raised to date.Rise of avatars:closed a Series D funding round of $180 million led by NEA at a valuation of $2.1 billion.GPT for biology: French AI startup Bioptimus raised $41 million to develop a foundational AI model for biology, trained specifically for downstream biological applications.Digital switch: With the ambition to become the biggest fintech startup in the healthcare industry, Berlin-based startup Nelly raised $51 million in Series B funding to help more medical practices switch to a digital workflow.Quantum acceleration: Quantum computing startup SEEQC raised a $30 million Series A extension co-led by Booz Allen and NordicNinja to accelerate the commercial rollout of its chips and improve their capabilities.Spinning off: Intel announced plans to spin off its corporate venture arm, Intel Capital, into a stand-alone fund, which will begin operating independently in the second half of 2025 with Intel as an anchor investor.Founders and investors: Powerset, the investment program co-founded by AngelList alum Jake Zeller that operates as a sort of decentralized venture fund, will give five to 10 founders $1 million to invest in other startups.Nvidias AI empire: Only a few days after TechCrunchs roundup of Nvidias startup investments, another one was added: MetAI, a Taiwanese company that creates Al-powered digital twins.Last but not leastAfter more than two years interviewing founders for TechCrunchs recently ended Found podcast, Rebecca Szkutak heard her fair share of advice about startups. In this post, she shared the five recommendations that stood out the most. Some are counterintuitive It pays off not to be first and all are worth reading.

Breakdown & ShowreelsBlack Doves: VFX Reel by DupeBy Vincent Frei - 17/01/2025 Behind every gripping scene in Black Doves lies the invisible visual effects crafted by Dupe. Whether creating immersive environments or amplifying tension with bullet impacts and explosions, their artistry brings Netflixs espionage drama to life!WANT TO KNOW MORE?Dupe VFX: Dedicated page about Black Doves on Dupe VFX website. Vincent Frei The Art of VFX 2025

Nebraska-based ceramic 3D printing specialist Tethon 3D has partnered with CONCR3DE to promote 3D printed ceramics in the United States.Combining Tethon 3Ds expertise in material development and CONCR3DEs binder jetting technology, this alliance aims to enhance strength, precision, and sustainability in ceramic manufacturing.According to the ceramic specialist, CONCR3DEs Armadillo Blue and Elephant Blue 3D printers, designed for technical ceramics like Silicon Carbide, will play a central role, alongside the open-format Armadillo White 3D printer, which supports material research and development.Adding to that, Tethon 3D and CONCR3DE will jointly exhibit novel materials, including Silicon Carbide, Investment Casting, and other technical ceramic formulations, at the 49th International Conference and Expo on Advanced Ceramics and Composites (ICACC 2025) from January 26 31, 2025 in Daytona Beach, Florida.Matteo Baldassari, Co-Founder of CONCR3DE, said, We are thrilled to join forces with Tethon 3D, whose proven track record in developing advanced binder jetting materials makes them the ideal partner for our next-generation additive manufacturing solutions. Tethon 3Ds unwavering commitment to pushing the boundaries of material science, combined with their wealth of experience in binder jetting, perfectly aligns with our vision for elevating the industry standard.CONCR3DEs open-format Armadillo White 3D printer. Image via Tethon 3D.Tethon 3Ds high-performance ceramic powdersEstablished in 2014, Tethon 3D provides novel materials for ceramic 3D printing. As a part of its portfolio, Tethon 3D expanded its proprietary ceramic powder range in 2018, by introducing Tethonite high alumina powder, designed for binder jetting AM. With over 96% alumina content, this material offers enhanced resistance to corrosion, wear, and thermal stress.Building on its original Tethonite stoneware powder released in 2014, the company later added formulations for earthenware and porcelain, and then high alumina.Capable of withstanding temperatures up to 2000C (3632F), the powder supports industrial applications like oil and gas processing, high voltage bushings, and specialty crucibles. When sintered at 1300C (2372F) with Tethon 3Ds liquid binder, it produces porous high alumina structures suitable for technical use.After three years, Boston-based composite 3D printing specialist Fortify partnered with the Nebraska-based specialist to develop technical ceramics for AM. This collaboration saw Fortifys Digital Composite Manufacturing (DCM) technology combine with Tethon 3Ds ceramic expertise to serve diverse industrial and government applications.Leveraging Fortifys FLUX CORE printer and Flux Developer software, the ceramic specialist developed two novel materials, High Purity Alumina (HP-A 99.8) and Low Shrink Aluminum Silicate (LS-AS). Having offered low shrinkage rates, these materials debuted at RAPID + TCT 2021.3D printed ceramic brick. Image via Tethon 3D.Ceramic 3D printing from extreme environments to breakthrough implantsThe use of ceramic 3D printing can be seen in various sectors, with one notable example including 3DCeram Sinto securing a contract from NASAs Marshall Space Flight Center to supply its C1000 FLEXMATIC ceramic 3D printer.Partnering with NASA and Jacobs Space Exploration Group, 3DCeram agreed to 3D print ceramic samples for space durability tests as part of NASAs Materials International Space Station Experiment (MISSE) program. These samples will be attached to the exterior of the International Space Station (ISS) to assess performance in Low Earth Orbit (LEO).At its Grand Ledge facility, 3DCeram is producing 20 parts for launch this year, aiming to evaluate ceramics for spacecraft applications, including heat shields.On the medical front, Kepler University Hospital successfully implanted the first 3D printed ceramic subperiosteal jaw implant, as a part of the EU-funded INKplant project, which involved 19 interdisciplinary partners. Developed by Lithoz and led by Profactor, this implant addresses severe jaw atrophy without requiring invasive bone grafting.Made of biocompatible zirconia using Lithoz Lithography-based Ceramic Manufacturing (LCM) technology, it is fit under the periosteum and reduces recovery time by 75%. Designed collaboratively by Viennas Medical University and others, the implant is set for patenting and mass production by Agensmed.Who won the 20243D Printing Industry Awards?All the news fromFormnext 2024.To stay up to date with the latest 3D printing news, dont forget to subscribe to the 3D Printing Industry newsletter or follow us on Twitter, or like our page on Facebook.While youre here, why not subscribe to our Youtube channel? Featuring discussion, debriefs, video shorts, and webinar replays.Featured image shows a 3D printed ceramic brick. Image via Tethon 3D.

The new Walmart headquarters in Bentonville, Arkansas was designed to offer all of the comforts workers enjoy at home in a centralized corporate location, an attempt at luring workers back to the office after the lull of COVID. The verdant 350-acre campus is the new global headquarters of Walmart. SWA was the landscape architect on the project and Gensler served as the building architect. Contemporary workplace design was forever changed by the pandemicand in many ways,the home office anticipated these changes, centering community-oriented design, indoor-outdoor connectivity, flexibility, and social cross-pollination, Gerdo Aquino, SWA co-CEO, said in a statement.The expansive campus has multimodal trails, among other amenities. ( David Lloyd/SWA)Walmart was founded in Bentonville in 1962, a corporation which inevitably grew into a multinational powerhouse synonymous with cheap consumer goods. Its old base of operations was an unassuming brick building, the Walmart Home office, also in Bentonville that the company had outgrown. Plans to upgrade the headquarters for Walmart personnel were first shared in 2017. Construction on the campus started in 2019 and concluded this year. Walmarts new headquarters accommodates 15,000 people in across 12 Gensler-designed buildings.Facade materials mimic exterior rock outcroppings. ( David Lloyd/SWA)Today at Walmart headquarters, employees circulate through a park-like campus with over 5,000 trees and enjoy multimodal trails ideated by SWA, but also constructed lakes, native and adaptive plantings, and bioswales that manage stormwater. A fitness center designed by Duda|Paine Architects is sited at the headquarters. And so is a childcare center by Page Architects, a hotel and welcome center by 5G Studio Collaborative and Book Powell, and a food hall by Miller Boskus Lack. Theres also a central conference and training hall.SWA also constructed small lakes for the verdant site. ( David Lloyd/SWA)The building exteriors feature expansive curtain walls that make for great viewing portals out to nature. Smoky red cladding makes up much of the opaque facade sections, which mimic the exterior rock outcroppings.Helen Walton Amphitheater ( David Lloyd/SWA)Likewise, locally sourced stone was used in outdoor amphitheater named after philanthropist Helen Walton. Sam Walton Hall is another space that pays tribute to Walmarts founders.Like many, Aquino added, we spent the past few years seeking solace in the outdoors and found extraordinary beauty in the landscapes where the Ozarks melt into lowland hills. That was really our jumping-off point: to instill feelings of rootedness, authenticity, and home by folding those ecosystems into the design.

All images Keerthana Kunnath, shared with permissionIn Kerala, Keerthana Kunnath Photographs the Female Bodybuilders Defying Beauty IdealsJanuary 17, 2025PhotographySocial IssuesGrace EbertLike many sports, men have typically dominated the world of bodybuilding, but for a small group of women in India, lifting weights and chiseling their bodies subverts more than athletic competitions.In an ongoing series of images titled Not What You Saw, photographer Keerthana Kunnath documents a burgeoning community of female bodybuilders in Kerala. Set against common backdrops like beaches, the outside of a traditional Indian home, and lush, green foliage, the collection highlights an alternative vision of beauty grounded in immense female power.Since starting the series, Kunnath has met about a dozen women participating in the sport. Her first encounter, though, was with the popular athlete and trainer Arathy Krishna, who she came across while researching the Indian marital art known as Kalari. This led the photographer to a small group of women bodybuilders scattered throughout the country. My initial meeting was through socialmedia and through some fitness coaches who train some of these girls, Kunnath adds. I later started going to the competitions to support (them)and also to meet more bodybuilders.In Not What You Saw, broad, athletic shoulders and thighs bulging with muscle are juxtaposed with more traditional garments and gauzy, feminine fabrics chosen in collaboration with stylist Elton John. Beauty ideals have often centered on slim bodies, light skin, and long hair in India, and as Kunnath explained to WePresent last year, challenging stereotypes and defying gendered expectations has wide-ranging implications for those pursuing the sport. She says: Many of them come from families who cannot or do not support their interest in the sport due to societal constraints or financial worries. They have to regularly work around the complex physical and emotional aspect of building and maintaining their physique, while fighting the deeply ingrained expectations of how a woman should look and what they can pursue as a respectable career.Posed flexing their biceps and accentuating their impeccably sculpted forms, the women exude not only strength and pride but also joy. Shining light on a wider range of experiences is a key element of Kunnaths practice, which often hones in on under-represented communities and those defying norms, particularly throughout southern Asia. Currently working between London and India, Kunnath will show her work next month at Fujis House of Photography in London and the Royal Photographic Society in Bristol. Follow her latest projects, including additions to Not What You Saw and a new series devoted to her grandmother, on Instagram.Next article

ipopba - stock.adobe.comNews150m AI framework agreement set to drive NHS forwardNHS Shared Business Services is looking to deploy artificial intelligence across the NHSByCliff Saran,Managing EditorPublished: 17 Jan 2025 16:45 NHS Shared Business Services has issued a tender worth 150m, split into six lots, covering the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in medical imaging and analysis to speed up diagnosis.AI systems can be deployed to analyse medical images in seconds, and help detect conditions such as strokes, asymptomatic conditions, future diseases, suspicious areas, small tumours or subtle abnormalities. They can provide real-time, evidence-based recommendations during patient consultations.NHS Shared Business Services said these systems can suggest potential diagnoses and treatment options based on the latest clinical guidelines and patient data.In a post on the NHS Shared Business Services website, Kelly Bevington, senior category manager of digital and IT at NHS Shared Business Services, said: With our current artificial intelligence offerings Artificial Intelligence Software in Neuroscience for Stroke Decision Support and Artificial Intelligence, Imaging and Radiotherapy Equipment, Associated Products and Diagnostic Imaging due to expire, we wanted to bring together the wealth of experience of these framework agreements into one comprehensive offering that, to quote Lord Darzis independent review, helps take the NHS above the foothills of digital transformation.She said the framework agreement will focus on the application of AI in different specialities by providing efficient ways to prevent, diagnose, treat illness and optimise clinical workflow.The first lot covers the use of AI image analysis, including diagnosis of neurological disorders such as Alzheimers disease, Parkinsons disease and multiple sclerosis through imaging and other diagnostic tests; and the use of AI medical imaging to detect lumps, ovarian cancer, endometriosis, fetal structures, anatomical development, and early detection of pregnancy complications.In oncology, AI can be used to aid in the early detection and diagnosis of various cancers by analysing imaging data, genetic information and patient records.Other AI uses include supporting musculoskeletal conditions; cardiology; gastroenterology; urology; ophthalmology; and the analysis of neurological data to identify risk of stroke or stroke occurrence.Read more NHS Shared Business Services storiesNHS SBS to launch 1.5bn digital workplace solutions framework: NHS Shared Business Services is planning on a second iteration of its digital workplace solutions framework before the current one expires in August 2024.Data bill will boost NHS and police access to data, says government: The Data Use and Access Bill will pave the way for sharing medical records across the NHS and give police the ability to access databases without having to manually log the reasons for their use.The second lot focuses on the adoption of AI algorithms and deep learning models, which are trained on large datasets and can be used to identify patterns that cannot be detected in a normal clinical setting or laboratory.For instance, AI can analyse digital slides from biopsies, tissue, cells, blood and bone marrow to help detect cancer and other diseases, optimising workflow in pathology labs.Lot three covers predictive analytics for improving patient flow and experience based on better interoperability with health records. Lot 4 is about research and development to support cross institution collaboration and research such as drug discovery and clinical trials. The Lot 5 is focused on operational efficiency, and Lot 6 covers AI consultancy, implementation and training.In The Current Issue:Interview: Wendy Redshaw, chief digital information officer, NatWest Retail BankPreparing for AI regulation: The EU AI ActDownload Current IssueSpot the difference: National Data Strategy/National Data Library Cliff Saran's Enterprise blogData engineering - Percona: Measure twice, implement once, the art of thinking ahead CW Developer NetworkView All Blogs

The ruling, which went into effect this week, requires businesses to make canceling a subscription as easy as signing up for it in the first place.

BERLIN, GERMANY DECEMBER 01: SpaceX owner and Tesla CEO Elon Musk arrives on the red carpet for the ... [+] Axel Springer Award 2020 on December 01, 2020 in Berlin, Germany. (Photo by Britta Pedersen-Pool/Getty Images)Getty ImagesElon Musk is a gamer. He definitely plays video games. Theres no real need to dispute that.What he is not is one of the best gamers in the world, something he seems to want everyone to believe. But the fanbases of those games are not buying it, and have undergone a campaign to embarrass Musk as much as possible about his claims, dragging him into childish internet fights. Ones that he cannot and will never win with this audience.The latest scuffle is that Musk and high-profile streamer Asmongold seemingly went to war after Asmon made a video, like a number of other creators, picking through all the obvious goofs Musk made as he claimed to be one of the worlds top Path of Exile 2 players. There were mistakes or knowledge gaps that anyone with a character that strong with that many hours played would not make, hence the narrative that Musk was paying others to grind out his characters for him, which may have also happened back in the Diablo days. The exchange resulted in Musk joking about a Chinese pilot for his account, but also apparently removing Asmongolds checkmark briefly, unfollowing him and then leaking DMs, misunderstanding how a YouTube creator/editor relationship work as he made an attempt at some sort of gotcha, which was promptly community noted on his own site.Musk may be one of the most powerful people on earth, running massive companies, having the ear of the President and heading toward possibly being the worlds first trillionaire, but somehow, for somewhat inexplicable reasons, he also wants to proclaim that hes a top gamer in the world.Even with an army of blue-check acolytes in his replies nodding at his purported gaming prowess, Musks army cannot compete with gamers who believe their hobby is being co-opted by someone, no matter how powerful, to make improper claims about his prowess. Path of Exile 2 fans have been roasting Musk since these videos emerged, and YouTuber and streamer reactions mocking his play have hit millions of views.MORE FOR YOUThe problem emerges when Musk purports to be an expert on games that he is clearly not an expert in. He knows enough to get by, but top level play eludes him unless hes on a character so strong it doesnt matter. Spotting that is easy to tens of thousands of players with more knowledge than him.This also extends into areas like this embarrassing DM leak with Asmongold, embarrassing for him as when Asmongold talks about consulting with his editors, Elon seems to believe that this is some sort of newspaper-like editor relationship where Asmongold is not his own man because he must answer to someone else. In reality this is simply talking about a team of editors who chop up big streamers clips and throw them up on YouTube, which happens all the time. Its yet another thing Musk knows nothing about and when he claims to, is torched by those in the community.There is a theory that like Barack Obama making fun of Donald Trump at the White House Correspondents Dinner which began his path toward the presidency, this idea of Musk wanting to be known as a top-tier gamer started when the Elden Ring build he posted became an instant meme because of how bad it was. But back then Elon was not claiming to be one of the best Elden Ring players in the world. Now hes doing so with Diablo 4 and Path of Exile 2, only this time with other people allegedly grinding his characters out for him. No doubt they would have made him a better Elden Ring build.Elon Musk can try to trick gamers, to argue with them, to post their DMs against his own Terms of Service. But more than liberals and Tesla-haters and all other groups hes in conflict with, this is one battle hes never going to win.Follow me on Twitter, YouTube, Bluesky and Instagram.Pick up my sci-fi novels the Herokiller series and The Earthborn Trilogy.

Sarah Baus, left, of Charleston, S.C., and Tiffany Cianci, who says she is a "long-form educational content creator," livestream to TikTok outside the Supreme Court in Washington, on Jan. 10, 2025.Jacquelyn MartinAPBy MARK SHERMAN / APJanuary 17, 2025 11:26 AM ESTWASHINGTON The Supreme Court on Friday unanimously upheld the federal law banning TikTok beginning Sunday unless it's sold by its China-based parent company, holding that the risk to national security posed by its ties to China overcomes concerns about limiting speech by the app or its 170 million users in the United States.A sale does not appear imminent and, although experts have said the app will not disappear from existing users' phones once the law takes effect on Jan. 19, new users won't be able to download it and updates won't be available. That will eventually render the app unworkable, the Justice Department has said in court filings.The decision came against the backdrop of unusual political agitation by President-elect Donald Trump, who vowed that he could negotiate a solution and the administration of President Joe Biden, which has signaled it won't enforce the law beginning Sunday, his final full day in office.Trump, mindful of TikToks popularity, and his own 14.7 million followers on the app, finds himself on the opposite side of the argument from prominent Senate Republicans who fault TikToks Chinese owner for not finding a buyer before now. Trump said in a Truth Social post shortly before the decision was issued that TikTok was among the topics inhis conversation Friday with Chinese leader Xi Jinping.Its unclear what options are open to Trump once he is sworn in as president on Monday. The law allowed for a 90-day pause in the restrictions on the app if there had been progress toward a sale before it took effect. Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar, who defended the law at the Supreme Court for the Democratic Biden administration, told the justices last week that it's uncertain whether the prospect of a sale once the law is in effect could trigger a 90-day respite for TikTok.Congress has determined that divestiture is necessary to address its well-supported national security concerns regarding TikToks data collection practices and relationship with a foreign adversary, the court said in an unsigned opinion, adding that the law does not violate petitioners' First Amendment rights.Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Neil Gorsuch filed short separate opinions noting some reservations about the court's decision but going along with the outcome.Without doubt, the remedy Congress and the President chose here is dramatic, Gorsuch wrote. Still, he said he was persuaded by the argument that China could get access to vast troves of personal information about tens of millions of Americans.Some digital rights groups slammed the courts ruling shortly after it was released.Todays unprecedented decision upholding the TikTok ban harms the free expression of hundreds of millions of TikTok users in this country and around the world, said Kate Ruane, a director at the Washington-based Center for Democracy & Technology, which has supported TikToks challenge to the federal law.Content creators who opposed the law also worried about the effect on their business if TikTok shuts down. Im very, very concerned about whats going to happen over the next couple weeks, said Desiree Hill, owner of Crowns Corner mechanic shop in Conyers, Georgia. And very scared about the decrease that Im going to have in reaching customers and worried Im going to potentially lose my business in the next six months.At arguments, the justices were told by a lawyer for TikTok and ByteDance Ltd., the Chinese technology company that is its parent, how difficult it would be to consummate a deal, especially since Chinese law restricts the sale of the proprietary algorithm that has made the social media platform wildly successful.The app allows users to watchhundreds of videosin about half an hour because some are only a few seconds long, according to a lawsuit filed last year by Kentucky complaining that TikTok is designed to be addictive and harms kids' mental health. Similar suits were filed by more thana dozen states. TikTok has called the claims inaccurate.The dispute over TikTok's ties to China has come to embody the geopolitical competition between Washington and Beijing.ByteDance and its Chinese Communist masters had nine months to sell TikTok before the Sunday deadline, Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., wrote on X. The very fact that Communist China refuses to permit its sale reveals exactly what TikTok is: a communist spy app. The Supreme Court correctly rejected TikToks lies and propaganda masquerading as legal arguments.The U.S. has said its concerned about TikTok collecting vast swaths of user data, includingsensitive information on viewing habits, that could fall into the hands of the Chinese government through coercion. Officials have also warned the algorithm that fuels what users see on the app is vulnerable to manipulation by Chinese authorities, who can use it to shape content on the platform in a way thats difficult to detect.TikTok points out the U.S. has not presented evidence that China has attempted to manipulate content on its U.S. platform or gather American user data through TikTok.Bipartisan majorities in Congress passed legislation and Biden signed it into law in April. The law was the culmination ofa yearslong saga in Washingtonover TikTok, which the governmentsees as a national security threat.TikTok, which sued the government last year over the law, has long denied it could be used as a tool of Beijing. A three-judge panel made up of two Republican appointees and a Democratic appointee unanimously upheld the law in December, prompting TikToks quick appeal to the Supreme Court.Without a sale to an approved buyer, the law bars app stores operated by Apple, Google and others from offering TikTok beginning on Sunday. Internet hosting services also will be prohibited from hosting TikTok.ByteDance has said it wont sell. But some investors have been eyeing it, including Trumpsformer Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchinand billionaire businessmanFrank McCourt. McCourts Project Liberty initiative has said it and its unnamed partners have presented a proposal to ByteDance to acquire TikToks U.S. assets. The consortium, which includes Shark Tank host Kevin OLeary, did not disclose the financial terms of the offer.McCourt, in a statement following the ruling, said his group was ready to work with the company and President Trump to complete a deal."Prelogar told the justices last week that having the law take effect might be just the jolt ByteDance needs to reconsider its position.___Associated Press writers Haleluya Hadero, Mae Anderson and Lindsay Whitehurst contributed to this report. Hadero reported from South Bend, Indiana, and Anderson from New York.More Must-Reads from TIMEL.A. Fires Show Reality of 1.5C of WarmingHome Losses From L.A. Fires Hasten An Uninsurable FutureThe Women Refusing to Participate in Trumps EconomyBad Bunny On Heartbreak and New AlbumHow to Dress Warmly for Cold WeatherWere Lucky to Have Been Alive in the Age of David LynchThe Motivational Trick That Makes You Exercise HarderColumn: No One Won The War in GazaContact us at letters@time.com

What just happened? A major fire broke out at Moss Landing, Vistra Energy's massive battery storage facility, which is said to be the largest in the world. Huge flames and thick plumes of hazardous black smoke reportedly poured from the plant, prompting evacuations in the surrounding area. The blaze was first reported around 3 p.m. local time at the site, located just off Highway 1 along California's Central Coast. Monterey County officials swiftly issued evacuation orders as the inferno raged unchecked into the evening hours. Nearby residents were also advised to shelter in place and seal windows and doors to avoid exposure to potentially toxic fumes, according to Mercury News.Vistra, the Texas-based owner of the natural gas power plant and adjoining lithium-ion battery complex, confirmed that personnel had been evacuated after the fire erupted.The fire reportedly originated in the 300-megawatt Phase I section of the 750-megawatt facility, located on the site of a retired PG&E natural gas plant. A company spokesperson stated that the cause remains unknown but will be thoroughly investigated.The dramatic scenes served as a stark reminder of the risks associated with utility-scale battery farms, as California races to expand massive energy storage to support its clean energy goals. The Moss Landing site reached its impressive 750-megawatt capacity in 2023 enough to power over half a million homes for up to four hours. However, the state projects that it must triple its energy storage capacity by 2045 to meet demand and achieve net-zero emissions.This isn't the first time the Moss Landing battery plant has experienced a fire, as a malfunctioning heat detector triggered an incident back in 2021.These safety concerns have fueled pushback against such projects in some coastal communities. For instance, residents in Morro Bay approved a ballot measure last November blocking permits for a new Vistra battery complex near a local power plant. However, it's unlikely to halt the state-approved plan. // Related StoriesLithium battery fires like this are notoriously difficult to extinguish due to the extreme heat and noxious gases they release. Fire crews face significant challenges in bringing the blaze under control while minimizing risks of respiratory issues and chemical exposure.