The North Carolina Blockchain + AI Initiative (NCB+AI) has been launched by former Lt. Gov. Dan Forest to unify blockchain, AI, finance, and energy sectors. The coalition aims to influence policy as regulators develop new rules. NCB+AI will focus on supporting federal stablecoin legislation, reforming data center permitting, and addressing energy concerns related to AI technology.
Indonesia's HPAL refineries are threatened by maritime disruptions in the Middle East, impacting sulfur shipments essential for production. Last year, over 75% of Indonesia's sulfur imports were from this region, mostly via the Strait of Hormuz, which is currently facing navigation issues. The Indonesian Nickel Industry Forum warns that continued disruptions could paralyze HPAL operations, crucial for producing MHP—a key material for battery-grade nickel in electric vehicles. Indonesia operates approximately 10 MHP projects with a capacity of 440,000 tonnes of nickel per year, mainly owned by Chinese companies and local partners.
The U.S. is set to approve a $14 billion arms package for Taiwan, which includes advanced interceptor missiles, following President Trump's trip to China from March 31 to April 2. This deal, the largest ever for Taiwan, aims to bolster its defense amid China's military pressure. The package consists mainly of PAC-3 and NASAMS missiles, with an additional $6 billion in asymmetric capabilities also pending approval. Despite concerns about U.S. military support potentially being scaled back due to trade negotiations, the Trump administration appears committed to maintaining or increasing support for Taiwan. The U.S. has assured Taiwan of its backing, and the arms procurement process is progressing.
China aims to peak carbon emissions before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2060, backed by plans laid out during the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30). By 2025, renewable energy capacity reached 2.34 billion kilowatts, accounting for 60% of total installed power. Green electricity output hit approximately 4 trillion kilowatt-hours. Challenges include the power grid's ability to manage fluctuating green electricity. The plan emphasizes the development of virtual power plants, smart management systems, and energy storage solutions.
Everpure is expanding its ActiveCluster to provide disaster recovery capabilities across metro distances for file-based workloads. ActiveCluster, introduced in 2017, synchronously replicates data updates between block storage FlashArrays over Fibre Channel, allowing seamless failover to a linked datacenter. As of March 2024, over 30% of Everpure's customers utilize this system. The new feature enhances high availability and integrates fleet-wide file mobility with Everpure Fusion and the Purity operating environment, supporting operations across any array automatically. Competitors include Dell, HPE, and NetApp, while VAST Data lacks metro-distance stretched clustering.
