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Town pitches companies to take advantage of “reliable, cost-effective heating and cooling.” This article originally appeared on Inside Climate News, a nonprofit, non-partisan news organization that covers climate, energy, and the environment. Sign up for their newsletter here. Hayden, a small town in the mountains of northwest Colorado, is searching for ways to diversify its economy, much like other energy communities across the Mountain West. For decades, a coal-fired power plant, now scheduled to shut down in the coming years, served as a reliable source of tax revenue, jobs, and electricity. When town leaders in the community just west of Steamboat Springs decided to create a new business park, harnessing geothermal energy to heat and cool the buildings simply made sense. The technology aligns with Colorado’s sustainability goals and provides access to grants and tax credits that make the project financially feasible for a town with around 2,000 residents, said Matthew Mendisco, town manager. “We’re creating the infrastructure to attract employers, support local jobs, and give our community reliable, cost-effective heating and cooling for decades to come,” Mendisco said in a statement. Bedrock Energy, a geothermal drilling startup company that employs advanced drilling techniques developed by the oil and gas industry, is currently drilling dozens of boreholes that will help heat and cool the town’s Northwest Colorado Business District. The 1,000-feet-deep boreholes or wells will connect buildings in the industrial park to steady underground temperatures. Near the surface the Earth is approximately 51° F year round. As the drills go deeper, the temperature slowly increases to approximately 64° F near the bottom of the boreholes. Pipes looping down into each well will draw on this thermal energy for heating in the winter and cooling in the summer, significantly reducing energy needs. Ground source heat pumps located in each building will provide additional heating or cooling depending on the time of year. The project, one of the first in the region, drew the interest of some of the state’s top political leaders, who attended an open house hosted by town officials and company executives on Wednesday. “Our energy future is happening right now—right here in Hayden,” US Senator John Hickenlooper (D-CO) said in a prepared statement prior to the event. “Projects like this will drive rural economic growth while harnessing naturally occurring energy to provide reliable, cost-effective heating and cooling to local businesses,” said US Senator Michael Bennet (D-CO) in a written statement. In an interview with Inside Climate News, Mendisco said that extreme weather snaps, which are not uncommon in a town over 6,000 feet above sea level, will not force companies to pay higher prices for fossil fuels to meet energy demands, like they do elsewhere in the country. He added that the system’s rates will be “fairly sustainable, and they will be as competitive as any of our other providers, natural gas, etcetera.” The geothermal system under construction for Hayden’s business district will be owned by the town and will initially consist of separate systems for each building that will be connected into a larger network over time. Building out the network as the business park grows will help reduce initial capital costs. Statewide interest Hayden received two state grants totaling $300,000 to help design and build its geothermal system. “It wasn’t completely clear to us how much interest was really going to be out there,” Will Toor, executive director of the Colorado Energy Office, said of a grant program the state launched in 2022. In the past few years, the program has seen significant interest, with approximately 80 communities across the state exploring similar projects, said Bryce Carter, the geothermal program manager for the state’s Energy Office. Two projects under development are by Xcel Energy, the largest electricity and gas provider in the state. A law passed in Colorado in 2023 required large gas utilities to develop at least one geothermal heating and cooling network in the state. The networks, which connect individual buildings and boreholes into a shared thermal loop, offer high efficiency and an economy of scale, but also have high upfront construction costs. There are now 26 utility-led geothermal heating and cooling projects under development or completed nationwide, Jessica Silber-Byrne of the Building Decarbonization Coalition, a nonprofit based in Delaware, said. Utility companies are widely seen as a natural developer of such projects as they can shoulder multi-million dollar expenses and recoup those costs in ratepayer fees over time. The first, and so far only, geothermal network completed by a gas utility was built by Eversource Energy in Framingham, Massachusetts, last year. Grid stress concerns heat up geothermal opportunities Twelve states have legislation supporting or requiring the development of thermal heating and cooling networks. Regulators are interested in the technology because its high efficiency can reduce demand on electricity grids. Geothermal heating and cooling is roughly twice as efficient as air source heat pumps, a common electric heating and cooling alternative that relies on outdoor air. During periods of extreme heat or extreme cold, air source heat pumps have to work harder, requiring approximately four times more electricity than ground source heat pumps. As more power-hungry data centers come online, the ability of geothermal heating and cooling to reduce the energy needs of other users of the grid, particularly at periods of peak demand, could become increasingly important, geothermal proponents say. “The most urgent conversation about energy right now is the stress on the grid,” Joselyn Lai, Bedrock Energy’s CEO said. “Geothermal’s role in the energy ecosystem will actually increase because of the concerns about meeting load growth.” The geothermal system will be one of the larger drilling projects to date for Bedrock, a company founded in Austin, Texas, in 2022. Bedrock, which is working on another similarly sized project in Crested Butte, Colorado, seeks to reduce the cost of relatively shallow-depth geothermal drilling through the use of robotics and data analytics that rely on artificial intelligence. By using a single, continuous steel pipe for drilling, rather than dozens of shorter pipe segments

As most people who have used adaptive cruise control in traffic can no doubt appreciate, the most common event that required intervention was a car ahead cutting into the driver’s lane. These occurred about once every 8.6 miles, or 24.4 minutes, with 90 percent requiring intervention by the driver. Inadequate lane centering was the next most common event, occurring once every 11.3 miles or 32.2 minutes. Seventy-two percent of those events also required intervention. Not resuming after coming to a halt happened 71 times, each of which required the driver to act. On 57 occasions, the lane keeping or adaptive cruise control deactivated, and there were 43 instances of a test car failing to adequately slow down, of which 70 percent required the driver to hit the brakes. Hands-on versus hands-off AAA found that the less-advanced systems that required a driver to keep their hands on the steering wheel experienced notable events at three times the frequency of hands-free systems. Hands-off systems only required intervention every 7.2 miles or 20.1 minutes, whereas the less advanced systems required intervention on average every 2.3 miles or 6.7 minutes. AAA also noted that the hands-off systems told the driver to put their hands back on the wheel every 5.5 miles (or 15.3 minutes) on average. AAA has some recommendations based on its findings, which could also be categorized under common sense. When you’re behind the wheel of a vehicle, you should always remain alert, and AAA cautions that ADAS is “never a substitute for an engaged driver.” Don’t be distracted, especially by your smartphone. Read the car’s user manual and understand how, when, and where its systems can be expected to work. And set an appropriate following distance to the car ahead, even if it means more cut-ins. The organization says it will encourage automakers to improve ADAS performance, especially cut-in response and lane-centering. Read More

Vulnerabilities Using data from the Food and Drug Administration, the researchers identified 10,861 drug facilities that were active for at least one year between 2019 and 2024. These facilities represent the array of manufacturing stages of a drug, from analyzing raw drug materials, manufacturing active ingredients, to packaging drug products. The researchers then looked at the county location of each of these facilities and whether any federally declared weather emergencies occurred in those counties during the period. Weather-related emergencies included those from fires, hurricanes, storms, tornadoes, and floods. During the six-year span, 6,819 facilities (63 percent) faced at least one weather-related emergency. Per year, an average of 2,146 facilities (33 percent) experienced such an emergency. The researchers noted that there was no statistically significant difference in the likelihood that counties with or without a drug facility would experience a weather-related emergency. That is, it’s not the case that drug facilities have been built in areas uniquely vulnerable to climate-related disasters. Still, with a third of US facilities at risk of weather disasters each year, the study clearly shows how fraught it is to have flimsy supply chains—like having a single plant produce 60 percent of the country’s supply of an essential drug product. “These findings underscore the importance of recognizing climate-related vulnerabilities and the urgent need for supply chain transparency, for strategic allocation of production, and for disaster risk management strategies to prevent health care disruptions in the US,” the authors conclude. Read More

Softening the shell To begin working with pollen, scientists can remove the sticky coating around the grains in a process called defatting. Stripping away these lipids and allergenic proteins is the first step in creating the empty capsules for drug delivery that Csaba seeks. Beyond that, however, pollen’s seemingly impenetrable shell—made up of the biopolymer sporopollenin—had long stumped researchers and limited its use. A breakthrough came in 2020, when Cho and his team reported that incubating pollen in an alkaline solution of potassium hydroxide at 80° Celsius (176° Fahrenheit) could significantly alter the surface chemistry of pollen grains, allowing them to readily absorb and retain water. The resulting pollen is as pliable as Play-Doh, says Shahrudin Ibrahim, a research fellow in Cho’s lab who helped to develop the technique. Before the treatment, pollen grains are more like marbles: hard, inert, and largely unreactive. After, the particles are so soft they stick together easily, allowing more complex structures to form. This opens up numerous applications, Ibrahim says, proudly holding up a vial of the yellow-brown slush in the lab. When cast onto a flat mold and dried out, the microgel assembles into a paper or film, depending on the final thickness, that is strong yet flexible. It is also sensitive to external stimuli, including changes in pH and humidity. Exposure to the alkaline solution causes pollen’s constituent polymers to become more hydrophilic, or water-loving, so depending on the conditions, the gel will swell or shrink due to the absorption or expulsion of water, explains Ibrahim. For technical applications, pollen grains are first stripped of their allergy-inducing sticky coating, in a process called defatting. Next, if treated with acid, they form hollow sporopollenin capsules that can be used to deliver drugs. If treated instead with an alkaline solution, the defatted pollen grains are transformed into a soft microgel that can be used to make thin films, paper, and sponges. Credit: Knowable Magazine This winning combination of properties, the Singaporean researchers believe, makes pollen-based film a prospect for many future applications: smart actuators that allow devices to detect and respond to changes in their surroundings, wearable health trackers to monitor heart signals, and more. And because pollen is naturally UV-protective, there’s the possibility it could substitute for certain photonically active substrates in perovskite solar cells and other optoelectronic devices. Read More

Trump plan salvages CHIPS Act he vowed to kill While chipmakers wait for more clarity, Lutnick has suggested that Trump—who campaigned on killing the CHIPS Act—has found a way to salvage the legislation that Joe Biden viewed as his lasting legacy. It seems possible that the plan arose after Trump realized how hard it would be to ax the legislation completely, with grants already finalized (but most not disbursed). “The Biden administration literally was giving Intel money for free and giving TSMC money for free, and all these companies just giving the money for free, and Donald Trump turned it into saying, ‘Hey, we want equity for the money. If we’re going to give you the money, we want a piece of the action for the American taxpayer,’” Lutnick said. “It’s not governance, we’re just converting what was a grant under Biden into equity for the Trump administration, for the American people,” Lutnick told CNBC. Further, US firms could potentially benefit from any potential arrangements. For Intel, the “highly unusual” deal that Trump is mulling now could help the struggling chipmaker compete with its biggest rivals, including Nvidia, Samsung, and TSMC, BBC noted. Vincent Fernando, founder of the investment consultancy Zero One, told the BBC that taking a stake in Intel “makes sense, given the company’s key role in producing semiconductors in the US,” which is a major Trump priority. But as Intel likely explores the potential downsides of accepting such a deal, other companies applying for federal grants may already be alarmed by Trump’s move. Fernando suggested that Trump’s deals to take ownership stake in US firms—which economics professor Kevin J. Fox said only previously occurred during the global financial crisis—could add “uncertainty for any company who is already part of a federal grant program or considering one.” Fox also agreed that the Intel deal could deter other companies from accepting federal grants, while possibly making it harder for Intel to run its business “effectively.” Read More

The Adreno 722 is a relatively high-performance iGPU for Android tablets, phones and handhelds that debuted alongside the Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 SoC and features an unknown, as of August 2025, number of unified shaders. CPU in Adreno 722 GPU Base Speed GPU Boost / Turbo Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 SM7750-AB 8 x 1800 MHz ? MHz ? MHz Benchmarks – Range of benchmark values – Average benchmark values* Smaller numbers mean a higher performance For more games that might be playable and a list of all games and graphics cards visit our Gaming List v1.33 log 20. 01:34:19 #0 ran 0s before starting gpusingle class +0s … 0s #1 no ids found in url (should be separated by “_”) +0s … 0s #2 not redirecting to Ajax server +0s … 0s #3 did not recreate cache, as it is less than 5 days old! Created at Tue, 19 Aug 2025 05:51:18 +0200 +0.001s … 0.001s #4 composed specs +0.028s … 0.029s #5 did output specs +0s … 0.029s #6 start showIntegratedCPUs +0s … 0.029s #7 getting avg benchmarks for device 13181 +0.014s … 0.043s #8 got single benchmarks 13181 +0.001s … 0.043s #9 got avg benchmarks for devices +0s … 0.043s #10 min, max, avg, median took s +0s … 0.043s #11 before gaming benchmark output +0s … 0.044s #12 Got 0 rows for game benchmarks. +0.001s … 0.045s #13 return log +0.004s … 0.049s Read More

Xiaomi’s Wi-Fi Range Extender AX1500 (pictured) has arrived in Europe. (Image source: Xiaomi) Xiaomi has released the new Wi-Fi Range Extender AX1500 in Europe. Currently available in two countries and expected to roll out to more, this device could be useful in larger homes. Features include support for Wi-Fi 6, an Ethernet port for a wired connection and EasyMesh compatibility. The Xiaomi Wi-Fi Range Extender AX1500 is now available in Europe. This home accessory first appeared in a listing on the brand’s global website earlier this year. It is designed to expand the Wi-Fi coverage throughout larger homes. Now, at the Xiaomi online store in countries like Spain and Italy, you can buy the Wi-Fi Range Extender AX1500 for €39.99. It is expected to be released in other European countries in the near future, with a dedicated support page found on the brand’s UK site. According to the product listing, the Xiaomi Wi-Fi Range Extender AX1500 supports up to 1,501 Mbps wireless speeds over 2.4 GHz and 5 GHZ frequency bands. The company indicates that it could provide “lag-free gaming and uninterrupted streaming”. On the front are two indicator lights, which you can use to find the optimal position for the Wi-Fi extender. Plus, there is a Gigabit Ethernet port, which can be used for a wired connection to devices like a TV or game console. Xiaomi’s Wi-Fi Range Extender AX1500 is compatible with the EasyMesh Wi-Fi Standard, as well as Xiaomi Mesh. This allows you to build a network for broader home coverage, allowing you to move from room to room without an interruption in connection. There are two omnidirectional antennas, and the product supports connections from multiple devices simultaneously. Users can manage the device through the Xiaomi Home app, available for iOS and Android. The Xiaomi Wi-Fi Range Extender AX1500 has a white finish and measures 84 x 82 x 168 mm (~3.3 x 3.2 x 6.6 inches). Related Articles Polly Allcock – Senior Tech Writer – 4412 articles published on Notebookcheck since 2021 I’ve been interested in technology for as long as I can remember. From a young age, I have loved gadgets and understanding how things work. Since graduating, I have worked for several technology companies across FinTech, AdTech and Robotics. Polly Allcock, 2025-08-20 (Update: 2025-08-20) Read More

The ROG Strix OLED XG27AQDMG Gen 2 contains three noteworthy changes over its Gen 1 predecessor. (Image source: Asus) Asus has finally shared details about its refreshed ROG Strix OLED XG27AQDMG. Officially called the ROG Strix OLED XG27AQDMG Gen 2, the monitor contains a few notable upgrades over its predecessor. Asus has finally delivered on its rumoured ROG Strix OLED XG27AQDMG refresh. To recap, TFT Central claimed to have received confirmation from the company during Computex 2025 in May that this would be occurring at some point. While pricing and availability remain unknown for now, the refresh is now official as the ROG Strix OLED XG27AQDMG Gen 2. Joining the ROG Strix OLED XG27AQWMG and ROG Swift OLED PG27AQWP-W, the ROG Strix OLED XG27AQDMG Gen 2 does not contain a new WOLED panel like its counterparts that Asus also announced today. Nonetheless, it seems that the new monitor boasts three main advantages over last year’s ROG Strix OLED XG27AQDMG (curr. $699 on Amazon). For example, the ROG Strix OLED XG27AQDMG Gen 2 adopts the TrueBlack Glossy coating also found in the ROG Strix OLED XG32UCWG, XG32UCWMG and the new ROG Swift OLED PG27AQWP-W. In summary, Asus describes TrueBlack Glossy as follows: The TrueBlack Glossy film pairs a zero-haze optical layer with an advanced anti-reflective stack. The zero-haze layer keeps black hues intact in any lighting, allowing the monitor to deliver deep blacks even in bright environments. For gamers seeking pristine image quality throughout the day, not just in the evening hours, these monitors are ideal picks. Moreover, Asus has included its Neo Proximity Sensor that will transition the ROG Strix OLED XG27AQDMG Gen 2 to a black image when it detects you are not actively using the monitor. Theoretically, this Time of Flight (ToF) sensor should limit panel burn-in, although the true extent of this will not be observed for at least a few years. Finally, the Gen 2 edition contains a 30% smaller stand than the original ROG Strix OLED XG27AQDMG. All other features like its 1440p resolution, 240 Hz refresh rate and 1,300 nits peak brightness remain unchanged from last year’s model. (Image source: Asus) Related Articles Alex Alderson – Senior Tech Writer – 13009 articles published on Notebookcheck since 2018 Prior to writing and translating for Notebookcheck, I worked for various companies including Apple and Neowin. I have a BA in International History and Politics from the University of Leeds, which I have since converted to a Law Degree. Happy to chat on Twitter or Notebookchat. Alex Alderson, 2025-08-19 (Update: 2025-08-19) Read More

TOKYO, Japan and SANTA CLARA, California— SoftBank Group Corp. (TOKYO: 9984, “SoftBank”) and Intel Corporation (Nasdaq: INTC) today announced their signing of a definitive securities purchase agreement, under which SoftBank will make a $2 billion investment in Intel common stock. The investment comes as both Intel and SoftBank deepen their commitment to investing in advanced technology and semiconductor innovation in the United States. Masayoshi Son, Chairman & CEO of SoftBank Group Corp., said: “Semiconductors are the foundation of every industry. For more than 50 years, Intel has been a trusted leader in innovation. This strategic investment reflects our belief that advanced semiconductor manufacturing and supply will further expand in the United States, with Intel playing a critical role.” Lip-Bu Tan, CEO of Intel, said: “We are very pleased to deepen our relationship with SoftBank, a company that’s at the forefront of so many areas of emerging technology and innovation and shares our commitment to advancing U.S. technology and manufacturing leadership. Masa and I have worked closely together for decades, and I appreciate the confidence he has placed in Intel with this investment.” Under the terms of the agreement, SoftBank will pay $23 per share of Intel common stock. The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions. SoftBank’s investment in Intel builds upon its long-term vision of enabling the AI revolution by accelerating access to advanced technologies that support digital transformation, cloud computing, and next-generation infrastructure. Read More

Xiaomi is reputed to have developed two new compact flagships for the Xiaomi 16 series, Xiaomi 15 pictured. (Image source: Xiaomi) The Pixel 10 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro could be getting a direct rival from Xiaomi. With Xiaomi having confirmed that significant changes are afoot for the Xiaomi 16 series, a reliable leaker has now suggested that the Xiaomi 16 Pro will pack a periscope telephoto camera, a Snapdragon 8 Elite 2 chipset and a 6,300 mAh battery inside a circa 6.3-inch housing. The launch of Xiaomi’s next-generation flagships is right around the corner. Based on current expectations, Xiaomi will present its first Xiaomi 16-branded smartphones next month in the wake of Qualcomm announcing the Snapdragon 8 Elite 2. With Qualcomm having scheduled its next Snapdragon Summit between September 23 and September 25, Xiaomi is believed to be lining up a late September launch event for the Xiaomi 16 series. In the meantime, Digital Chat Station has offered up new details about what is anticipated to be a new option in Xiaomi’s flagship line-up. For context, the company only offers the Xiaomi 15 (curr. $900 on Amazon) as a sub-6.5-inch flagship option. While a direct successor is expected to debut next month, Digital Chat Station now implies this will be joined by a smaller Xiaomi 16 Pro, too. Incidentally, this rumour has appeared shortly after Xiaomi confirmed that significant changes are planned for the Xiaomi 16 series. In Digital Chat Station’s view, this will take the form of a new circa 6.3-inch Pro-branded flagship in part powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite 2 chipset and a 6,300 mAh battery. Moreover, the Xiaomi 16 Pro is reported to contain a 50 MP and 1/1.28-inch primary camera aided by ultra-wide-angle and periscope telephoto lenses too. In other words, it looks like Xiaomi intends to offer a direct rival to the Pixel 10 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro, which will all be launching within a month or so of each other. Unfortunately, Xiaomi has a track record of not releasing its Pro-branded flagships outside of China. As a result, it is currently unclear whether the Xiaomi 16 Pro will be available globally. (Image source: Xiaomi) Related Articles Alex Alderson – Senior Tech Writer – 13009 articles published on Notebookcheck since 2018 Prior to writing and translating for Notebookcheck, I worked for various companies including Apple and Neowin. I have a BA in International History and Politics from the University of Leeds, which I have since converted to a Law Degree. Happy to chat on Twitter or Notebookchat. Alex Alderson, 2025-08-20 (Update: 2025-08-20) Read More