Meta Strikes New Nuclear Power Deals – DTH

DTH-6-150x150Amazon plans new 229,000-square-foot “mega store”, Indonesia temporarily blocks access to X’s Grok chatbot, Lego opens preorders for first Smart Play Star Wars sets.

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Show Notes
Meta lines up nuclear power for AI

Meta struck three nuclear power deals as data center demand climbs. Vistra will supply 2.1 GW from existing Ohio reactors and add 433 MW through upgrades in Ohio and Pennsylvania. Small modular reactor startups Oklo and TerraPower will provide 1.2 GW and 690 MW respectively, with options for another 2.8 GW from TerraPower. Oklo targets 2030, TerraPower 2032. SMR costs are unproven and Vistra’s supply is expected to be cheaper.

More: TechCrunch

Amazon tests a Walmart-style supercenter

Amazon won approval for a 229,000-square-foot “mega store” in Orland Park, Illinois, larger than the average Walmart Supercenter. The location will blend groceries, general merchandise, services, prepared foods, and pickup for online orders. Amazon is also piloting 1 hour “rush” pickup and fulfillment-only stores promising 30-minute delivery in parts of Seattle and Philadelphia.

More: Business Insider

Indonesia restricts access to Grok

Indonesia temporarily blocked access to X’s Grok chatbot over AI-generated sexualized images and non-consensual deepfakes involving minors. In the US, Sens. Ron Wyden, Ben Ray Luján, and Ed Markey urged Apple and Google to remove Grok from their app stores for similar policy concerns. X restricted some image-generation features for subscribers, though other creation tools remain accessible.

More: The Verge, Reuters

Lego debuts Smart Play Star Wars sets

Lego opened preorders for its first Smart Play Star Wars sets with the new Smart Brick adding lights, sounds, and character recognition via NFC. Three sets ship March 1, 2026 at $70, $90, and $160 and include Smart Bricks, Smart Tags, “smart” minifigs, and a wireless charger. Smart Bricks aren’t programmable but support app updates.

More: The Verge

Bose backs off bricking old speakers

Bose reversed plans to brick its 10-year-old SoundTouch Wi-Fi speakers after backlash. Cloud services will shut down in May, but an app update will preserve local streaming, AirPlay, Spotify Connect, remote controls, grouping, and setup over Wi-Fi or AUX. Some features and security updates will stop, and Bose will open source SoundTouch software and publish developer APIs.

More: Thurrott

UMG and Nvidia partner on AI music tools

Universal Music Group and Nvidia will collaborate on “responsible AI” for music discovery, creation, and rights compensation, including identifying copyrighted works used in AI. The partnership centers on Nvidia’s Music Flamingo model, which analyzes structure, harmony, lyrics, and other theory metrics.

More: Billboard

Dolby Vision 2 rolls out in 2026

Dolby Vision 2 boosts brightness in dark scenes, adapts to ambient light, improves color using new tone mapping, and adds “Authentic Motion” smoothing. Support lands this year on Hisense RGB MiniLED TVs, TCL’s X QD-Mini LED and C Series through an update, and TP Vision’s Philips OLED sets. Peacock will use Dolby Vision 2 for live sports with broader service support expected later in 2026.

More: Engadget

OpenAI broaches kids AI ballot deal in California

OpenAI and Common Sense Media reached a draft deal to merge competing California ballot initiatives on AI for minors, avoiding a costly fight. The proposal includes age checks, data-sale limits, parental controls, audits, and a ban on targeted ads to kids, with enforcement by the state Attorney General. The measure could start signature gathering next week.

More: Politico

Hyundai to deploy humanoid robots in factories

Hyundai plans to use Boston Dynamics’ Atlas humanoid robots in its Savannah, Georgia plants starting in 2028, arranging components before installation and scaling to more complex tasks by 2030. Google will integrate Gemini for testing in the coming months. Hyundai may produce up to 30,000 robots annually at a new US facility.

More: Bloomberg, Wired

Polymarket lands Golden Globes deal

Polymarket will serve as the Golden Globes’ exclusive prediction market partner, providing real-time odds for major categories during the CBS telecast and at the official viewing party. The partnership adds integrated branding and interactive modules across PMC properties, expanding Polymarket’s push into politics, business, and culture.

More: Variety