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Power

NWSL Power Rankings: Can anyone stop Kansas City?

by admin June 16, 2025

Jun 16, 2025, 02:30 AM ET

It’s Monday, and another week of NWSL action is in the books, which means it’s time for ESPN’s Power Rankings.

Who’s climbing the table? Who’s in free fall? Our writers studied the action from across Matchday 12 to come up with this week’s order of all 14 teams in the league. Let’s dive in.

Previous ranking: 1
Next match: Friday, June 20 vs. Angel City, 8 p.m. ET

When the Kansas City Current are firing on all cylinders, there’s no stopping them. Just ask Racing Louisville, who watched as three goals hit the back of their net inside the first 19 minutes at CPKC Stadium on Saturday. Between their rapid counter-attacking play — good luck dealing with Temwa Chawinga and Michelle Cooper on the break — and their incisive possession approach, even a second-half flurry from the visitors couldn’t rob Kansas City of all three points in a 4-2 victory.

Editor’s Picks

2 Related

Previous ranking: 3
Next match: Sunday, June 22 vs. Washington Spirit, 10 p.m. ET

One of the hottest teams in the league, San Diego collected their sixth win in their last eight games in a 3-2 victory over the Houston Dash on Friday. Playing away from home, the Wave got out to a 2-0 lead in the first half in no small part due to their interchanging attackers and surging runs from goal-scorer Kenza Dali out of midfield. Though they were outscored in the second half and conceded a sloppy goal to Yazmeen Ryan, Jonas Eidevall’s team continues to impress.

Previous ranking: 4
Next match: Friday, June 20 vs. Racing Louisville, 8 p.m. ET

If you look up “smash and grab” in the dictionary, it’ll show you a picture of the Orlando Pride after their 1-0 win over Bay FC. Alright, fine. It won’t. But it should. Despite allowing 20 shots and 1.7 xG on Friday, as per FBref, Orlando still managed a narrow victory thanks to none other than Barbra Banda. After a quick free kick on the left side of midfield, Banda surged into space, worked her way into the box, and capitalized on a deflection to score the game’s only goal. The Pride have a few defensive frailties to address, but they’ll take the three points.

Previous ranking: 2
Next match: Sunday, June 22 vs. San Diego Wave, 10 p.m. ET

Playing without head coach Jonatan Giráldez (not because of his upcoming move to France but because he and his partner were expecting their second child), the Spirit fell 2-0 to the Portland Thorns to close out the NWSL’s weekend slate. Washington’s narrow midfield helped them hold the majority of possession in Portland. But a sloppy turnover put them in a first-half hole and an inability to capitalize on any of their 13 shots kept them from digging their way out.

play

1:59

Portland Thorns FC vs. Washington Spirit – Game Highlights

Watch the Game Highlights from Portland Thorns FC vs. Washington Spirit, 06/16/2025

Previous ranking: 5
Next match: Saturday, June 21 vs. Bay FC, 7.30 p.m. ET

Though they won the CONCACAF W Champions Cup last month, Gotham FC collected their first league win since April in a 3-0 victory over the Utah Royals on Friday. With a penalty kick goal from Esther Gonzalez and a pair of red cards, one to Jess Carter and one to Jaelin Howell, Gotham’s route to three points was far from uneventful. Still, the visitors largely controlled the game and Rose Lavelle made her second appearance of the year. Not bad for a road trip.

Previous ranking: 7
Next match: Saturday, June 21 vs. Chicago Stars, 10 p.m. ET

In the NWSL, there are few better ways to bounce back from a disappointing loss than by besting the Washington Spirit. Even with the Spirit in a state of managerial transition, the Portland Thorns’ 2-0 win was an impressive one over a team that hadn’t lost since the beginning of May. Between some timely high pressing and lethal transition attacking, Portland ended Sunday’s match worthy of earning all three points.

Previous ranking: 6
Next match: Saturday, June 21 vs. Utah Royals, 5 p.m. ET

Even playing on the road, it’s a challenge not to look at a draw with the Chicago Stars as two points dropped. Due to a poor start that featured their transition defense getting torn apart on two separate occasions inside the first 15 minutes on Saturday, it took everything in the Reign to claw back for a 2-2 draw. Yes, getting those two goals back not long before the final whistle helped salvage the outing, but consistency still lacks for Laura Harvey’s team.

Previous ranking: 8
Next match: Friday, June 20 vs. Orlando Pride, 8 p.m. ET

At their best, Racing Louisville have been a compact, effective defensive team that makes life absolutely miserable for anyone and everyone on their schedule. It’s that hard-nosed style that’s held them above the playoff line so far this season. But on Saturday in Kansas City, that collective defensive work was absent. Louisville was sluggish in transition, gappy in possession, and never in the game in a 4-2 loss to the Current.

Previous ranking: 9
Next match: Saturday, June 21 vs. Gotham FC, 7.30 p.m. ET

It’s difficult to see positives in a loss, but if there was ever a moment to do so for Bay FC, it’s after their narrow defeat to the Orlando Pride on Friday. While a deflected shot from Banda earned Orlando a 1-0 lead, Bay outplayed the Pride for most of the match. The home side used the ball well in possession and on set pieces, managing 20 shots compared to just seven for their opponents. So much was working for Bay FC — aside from the final touch.

Previous ranking: 11
Next match: Saturday, June 21 vs. Houston Dash, 7.30 p.m. ET

Saturday’s 2-1 win over Angel City was nervy, featuring a near-last minute winner in second-half stoppage-time from Brianna Pinto. But it was a well-earned three points for North Carolina, who outshot their hosts 24 to 13, even with Jaedyn Shaw and Ashley Sanchez both beginning the game on the bench. Playing out of Sean Nahas’ back-three setup, the Courage managed their third-highest xG total of the year and inched closer to the playoff line.

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1:58

Angel City FC vs. North Carolina Courage – Game Highlights

Watch the Game Highlights from Angel City FC vs. North Carolina Courage, 06/15/2025

Previous ranking: 10
Next match: Friday, June 20 vs. Kansas City Current, 8 p.m. ET

The second youngest team in the NWSL based on FBref’s average age weighted by minutes played metric, there were always going to be growing pains for Angel City in 2025. Those growing pains played out in real time in a heartbreaking 2-1 loss to the North Carolina Courage on Saturday, a game where the hosts allowed the opener in the first minute and the game-winner deep in second half stoppage time. Both Thompson sisters were bright, but there wasn’t enough in the attack to overcome Angel City’s sloppy defending inside their own box.

Previous ranking: 12
Next match: Saturday, June 21 vs. NC Courage, 7.30 p.m. ET

Despite a surge in the second half where they outscored the Wave, the Houston Dash fell 3-2 to San Diego on Friday. Generating quality attacking chances in open play continues to be a struggle for Houston, who managed just two passes into the attacking penalty box on the evening, according to FBref. Yazmeen Ryan and Barbara Olivieri, who each scored against San Diego, provide a useful level of incision — but the two need help.

Previous ranking: 14
Next match: Saturday, June 21 vs. Portland Thorns, 10 p.m. ET

Things never seem to look up for the Chicago Stars for too long, do they? After Ludmila’s brace inside the first 13 minutes put Chicago ahead on Saturday, the Stars proceeded to ship two goals, one in the 87th minute and one in the 89th, to draw 2-2 with the Seattle Reign. The chance for a second win in 2025 was within their grasp, but it wasn’t to be.

Previous ranking: 14
Next match: Saturday, June 21 vs. Seattle Reign, 5 p.m. ET

From a sloppy penalty concession to incredibly sluggish recovery defending in their own half, Utah put in a sub-par performance against NJ/NY Gotham FC on Friday. Losing 3-0 in front of their home crowd, the Royals only managed six total shots despite trailing for all but nine minutes of the match. Friday’s disappointment was the latest reminder in a long string of such reminders that Utah have a ways to go as a club.

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June 16, 2025 0 comments

Crypto Trends

Russian Truck-Based Crypto Mine Busted for Power Theft in Buryatia

by admin June 14, 2025

Authorities in Russia’s Republic of Buryatia have uncovered an illegal cryptocurrency mining operation hidden inside a KamAZ truck siphoning electricity meant for a nearby village.

Discovered during a routine power line inspection in the Pribaikalsky District, the unauthorized setup was drawing electricity from a 10-kilovolt line, enough to supply a small village, according to Russian state-owned news agency TASS.

Inside the truck, inspectors found 95 mining rigs and a mobile transformer station. Two individuals believed to be connected to the operation fled the scene in an SUV before police arrived.

This marks the sixth case of electricity theft linked to crypto mining in Buryatia since the start of the year, Rosseti Siberia’s Buryatenergo unit said. Authorities have warned that illegal connections are disrupting local grids, causing voltage drops, overloads, and potential blackouts.

The truck hosting illegal crypto mining site. Source: Babr Mash

Related: Crypto exec ran a ‘covert pipeline for dirty money,’ DOJ says

Russia bans crypto mining in some regions

Mining is prohibited across most of Buryatia from Nov. 15 to March 15 due to regional energy shortages. Outside of that window, only registered companies in designated districts such as Severo-Baikalsky and Muisky are allowed to mine.

The crackdown comes amid broader federal restrictions. In Dec. 2024, Russia announced a ban on mining during peak energy months in several regions, including Dagestan, Chechnya, and parts of eastern Ukraine currently under Russian control.

A full ban has already been enforced in the southern Irkutsk region since April.

Major Russian mining industry firms like BitRiver rely on cheap electricity in Irkutsk. According to local sources, the Irkutsk region hosts the first and largest data center by BitRiver, which was launched in 2019 in Bratsk.

Related: Russia’s largest bank Sber offers up Bitcoin-linked bonds

Hacker group targets Russians to mine crypto

Kaspersky has linked the hacker group known as “Librarian Ghouls” or “Rare Werewolf” to a cryptojacking campaign that compromised hundreds of Russian devices. The group used phishing emails posing as legitimate documents to spread malware and gain control of systems for unauthorized crypto mining.

Once infected, the malware disables Windows Defender and schedules the compromised devices to operate between 1 am and 5 am, a tactic designed to avoid detection.

During this window, hackers establish remote access, steal login credentials, and assess system specs to configure their miners efficiently.

Magazine: China threatened by US stablecoins, G7 urged to tackle Lazarus Group: Asia Express

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June 14, 2025 0 comments

Product Reviews

Air Conditioners Can Actually Support the Power Grid. Here’s How

by admin June 14, 2025

As summer arrives, people are turning on air conditioners in most of the U.S. But if you’re like me, you always feel a little guilty about that. Past generations managed without air conditioning – do I really need it? And how bad is it to use all this electricity for cooling in a warming world?

If I leave my air conditioner off, I get too hot. But if everyone turns on their air conditioner at the same time, electricity demand spikes, which can force power grid operators to activate some of the most expensive, and dirtiest, power plants. Sometimes those spikes can ask too much of the grid and lead to brownouts or blackouts.

Research I recently published with a team of scholars makes me feel a little better, though. We have found that it is possible to coordinate the operation of large numbers of home air-conditioning units, balancing supply and demand on the power grid – and without making people endure high temperatures inside their homes.

Studies along these lines, using remote control of air conditioners to support the grid, have for many years explored theoretical possibilities like this. However, few approaches have been demonstrated in practice and never for such a high-value application and at this scale. The system we developed not only demonstrated the ability to balance the grid on timescales of seconds, but also proved it was possible to do so without affecting residents’ comfort.

The benefits include increasing the reliability of the power grid, which makes it easier for the grid to accept more renewable energy. Our goal is to turn air conditioners from a challenge for the power grid into an asset, supporting a shift away from fossil fuels toward cleaner energy.

Adjustable equipment

My research focuses on batteries, solar panels and electric equipment – such as electric vehicles, water heaters, air conditioners and heat pumps – that can adjust itself to consume different amounts of energy at different times.

Originally, the U.S. electric grid was built to transport electricity from large power plants to customers’ homes and businesses. And originally, power plants were large, centralized operations that burned coal or natural gas, or harvested energy from nuclear reactions. These plants were typically always available and could adjust how much power they generated in response to customer demand, so the grid would be balanced between power coming in from producers and being used by consumers.

But the grid has changed. There are more renewable energy sources, from which power isn’t always available – like solar panels at night or wind turbines on calm days. And there are the devices and equipment I study. These newer options, called “distributed energy resources,” generate or store energy near where consumers need it – or adjust how much energy they’re using in real time.

One aspect of the grid hasn’t changed, though: There’s not much storage built into the system. So every time you turn on a light, for a moment there’s not enough electricity to supply everything that wants it right then: The grid needs a power producer to generate a little more power. And when you turn off a light, there’s a little too much: A power producer needs to ramp down.

The way power plants know what real-time power adjustments are needed is by closely monitoring the grid frequency. The goal is to provide electricity at a constant frequency – 60 hertz – at all times. If more power is needed than is being produced, the frequency drops and a power plant boosts output. If there’s too much power being produced, the frequency rises and a power plant slows production a little. These actions, a process called “frequency regulation,” happen in a matter of seconds to keep the grid balanced.

This output flexibility, primarily from power plants, is key to keeping the lights on for everyone.

Finding new options

I’m interested in how distributed energy resources can improve flexibility in the grid. They can release more energy, or consume less, to respond to the changing supply or demand, and help balance the grid, ensuring the frequency remains near 60 hertz.

Some people fear that doing so might be invasive, giving someone outside your home the ability to control your battery or air conditioner. Therefore, we wanted to see if we could help balance the grid with frequency regulation using home air-conditioning units rather than power plants – without affecting how residents use their appliances or how comfortable they are in their homes.

From 2019 to 2023, my group at the University of Michigan tried this approach, in collaboration with researchers at Pecan Street Inc., Los Alamos National Laboratory and the University of California, Berkeley, with funding from the U.S. Department of Energy Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy.

We recruited 100 homeowners in Austin, Texas, to do a real-world test of our system. All the homes had whole-house forced-air cooling systems, which we connected to custom control boards and sensors the owners allowed us to install in their homes. This equipment let us send instructions to the air-conditioning units based on the frequency of the grid.

Before I explain how the system worked, I first need to explain how thermostats work. When people set thermostats, they pick a temperature, and the thermostat switches the air-conditioning compressor on and off to maintain the air temperature within a small range around that set point. If the temperature is set at 68 degrees, the thermostat turns the AC on when the temperature is, say, 70, and turns it off when it’s cooled down to, say, 66.

Every few seconds, our system slightly changed the timing of air-conditioning compressor switching for some of the 100 air conditioners, causing the units’ aggregate power consumption to change. In this way, our small group of home air conditioners reacted to grid changes the way a power plant would – using more or less energy to balance the grid and keep the frequency near 60 hertz.

Moreover, our system was designed to keep home temperatures within the same small temperature range around the set point.

Testing the approach

We ran our system in four tests, each lasting one hour. We found two encouraging results.

First, the air conditioners were able to provide frequency regulation at least as accurately as a traditional power plant. Therefore, we showed that air conditioners could play a significant role in increasing grid flexibility. But perhaps more importantly – at least in terms of encouraging people to participate in these types of systems – we found that we were able to do so without affecting people’s comfort in their homes.

We found that home temperatures did not deviate more than 1.6 Fahrenheit from their set point. Homeowners were allowed to override the controls if they got uncomfortable, but most didn’t. For most tests, we received zero override requests. In the worst case, we received override requests from two of the 100 homes in our test.

In practice, this sort of technology could be added to commercially available internet-connected thermostats. In exchange for credits on their energy bills, users could choose to join a service run by the thermostat company, their utility provider or some other third party.

Then people could turn on the air conditioning in the summer heat without that pang of guilt, knowing they were helping to make the grid more reliable and more capable of accommodating renewable energy sources – without sacrificing their own comfort in the process.

Johanna Mathieu, Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering & Computer Science, University of Michigan. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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June 14, 2025 0 comments

Gaming Gear

Anker recalls over a million power banks due to fire and burn hazards

by admin June 13, 2025

Anker has recalled its PowerCore 10000 power bank (model A1263) due to an issue with the lithium battery that can cause it to “overheat, posing fire and burn hazards to consumers,” the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (USCPSC) wrote. The company received 19 reports of fires and explosions, including two reports of minor burn injuries and 11 property damage claims totaling over $60,700.

It’s a large recall covering 1,158,000 units sold (in the US only) through Amazon, Newegg and eBay between June 2016 and December 2022. To confirm that you have that specific model, check the rear of the device to confirm it reads: “Anker PowerCore 10000” with model number “A1263.”

To receive a $30 gift card or replacement 10,000 mAh power bank, you’ll need to send a photo with the submission date and word “recall” or “recalled” written in permanent marker. You must also send a photo showing the model number and serial number printed on the bottom of the power bank, along with a receipt (though the latter is optional). See Anker’s recall page for more details.

Once you receive confirmation that your power bank is subject to the recall, you must dispose of it safely at a municipal household hazardous waste (HHW) collection center (call ahead to confirm if they accept rechargeable lithium-ion batteries). Do not throw them in recycling bins, the trash or battery disposal bins available at retailers.

Though generally safe and reliable, lithium ion batteries can degrade over time and pose a fire hazard. Couriers like FedEx and airlines have strict rules about transporting them, and Southwest Airlines recently decreed that passengers must have battery chargers visible when in use on flights.

If you buy something through a link in this article, we may earn commission.

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June 13, 2025 0 comments

Gaming Gear

AMD says Instinct MI400X GPU is 10X faster than MI300X, will power Helios rack-scale system with EPYC ‘Venice’ CPUs

by admin June 13, 2025

AMD gave a preview of its first in-house designed rack-scale solution called Helios at its Advancing AI event on Thursday. The system is set to be based on the company’s next-generation EPYC ‘Venice’ processors, will use its Instinct MI400-series accelerator, and will rely on network connections featuring the upcoming Pensando network cards. Overall, the company says that the flagship MI400X is 10 times more powerful than the MI300X, which is a remarkable progress given that the MI400X will be released about three years after the MI300X.

When it comes to rack-scale solutions for AI, AMD clearly trails behind Nvidia. This is going to change a bit this year as cloud service providers (such as Oracle OCI), OEMs, and ODMs will build and deploy rack-scale solutions based on the Instinct MI350X-series GPUs, but those systems will not be designed by AMD, and they will have to interconnect each 8-way system using Ethernet, not low-latency high-bandwidth interconnects like NVLink.

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NVL72

NVL144

NVL576

GPU Architecture

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CDNA 5

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Rubin

Rubin Ultra

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MI400X

GB200

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VR200

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Compute Chiplets

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144

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GPU Packages

128

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FP4 PFLOPs (Dense)

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HBM Capacity

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51 TB

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147 TB

HBM Bandwidth

1024 TB/s

1,400 TB/s

576 TB/s

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4,608 TB/s

CPU

EPYC ‘Turin’

EPYC ‘Venice’

72-core Grace

88-core Vera

NVSWitch/UALink/IF

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NVSwitch 6.0

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NVSwitch Bandwidth

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Scale-Out

800G, copper

1600G, optics

Form-Factor Name

OEM/ODM proprietary

Helios

Oberon

Kyber

The real change will occur next year with the first AMD-designed rack-scale system called Helios, which will use Zen 6-powered EPYC ‘Venice’ CPUs, CDNA ‘Next’-based Instinct MI400-series GPUs, and Pensando ‘Vulcano’ network interface cards (NICs) that are rumored to increase the maximum scale-up world size to beyond eight GPUs, which will greatly enhance their capabilities for training and inference. The system will adhere to OCP standards and enable next-generation interconnects such as Ultra Ethernet and Ultra Accelerator Link, supporting demanding AI workloads.

Adaptive Power in iOS 26 Is About to Make Your iPhone Much Smarter About Charging

by admin June 12, 2025

Usually, I’m the one adapting my behavior based on the power remaining in my iPhone, but starting this fall, I can ask my iPhone to do more of the adapting. A new Adaptive Power setting in iOS 26 can extend battery power by intelligently trimming energy usage in small ways that add up to extend the time before you need to recharge.

See also: Adaptive Power in iOS 26 Could Save the iPhone 17 Air From This Major Pitfall

Currently, the iPhone uses as much power as it needs to perform its tasks. You can extend the battery life by doing a number of things such as decreasing screen brightness and turning off the always-on display. Or, if your battery level is starting to get dire, you can activate Low Power Mode, which reduces background activity like fetching mail and downloading data in addition to those screen adjustments. Low Power Mode also kicks in automatically when the battery level reaches 20%.

If Low Power Mode is the hammer that knocks down power consumption, Adaptive Power is the scalpel that intelligently trims energy savings here and there as needed. Based on Apple’s description that accompanies the control, the savings will be felt mostly in power-hungry situations such as recording videos, editing photos or perhaps even playing games:

“When your battery usage is higher than usual, iPhone can make small performance adjustments to extend your battery life, including slightly lowering the display brightness or allowing some activities to take a little longer. Low Power Mode may turn on at 20%.”

Adaptive Power is not on by default and you’ll need to opt-in to use it. In iOS 26, you’ll find the Adaptive Power toggle in Settings > Battery > Power Mode.

In iOS 26, turn on the Adaptive Power option to help extend battery life. (IOS 26 developer build shown here.)

Screenshot by Patrick Holland/CNET

Since Adaptive Power appears to be using AI in deciding which settings and processes to adjust, I suspect the feature will be available on iPhone models that support Apple Intelligence, which include the iPhone 15 Pro and later. A Reddit thread about Adaptive Power suggests this is the case, with commenters noting it does not show up in iPhone 13 Pro or iPhone 14 Pro models with the beta installed.

Adaptive Power sounds like an outgrowth of Gaming Mode, introduced in iOS 18, which routes all available processing and graphics power to the frontmost app and pauses other processes in order to deliver the best experience possible — at the notable expense of battery life.

Although we all want as much battery life as possible all the time, judging by the description it sounds as if Adaptive Power’s optimizations will not always be active, even if you leave the feature on. “When your battery usage is higher than usual” could include a limited number of situations. Still, considering that according to a CNET survey 61% of people upgrade their phones because of battery life, a feature such as Adaptive Power could extend the longevity of their phones just by updating to iOS 26.

I also wonder whether slightly adjusting display brightness could be disruptive. But because the feature is also selectively de-prioritizing processing tasks, it suggests that the outward effects will be minimal.

We’ll know more about how well Adaptive Power works as the iOS 26 beta program nears the expected release date in September or October — battery optimizations are often the last tweaks to be made to operating systems in development just before shipping. If you want to start giving iOS 26 a spin, you can download the first developer beta now; a public beta is expected in July. Just remember that beta software carries risks, especially these first iterations that have recently been set loose from Apple’s labs.

Watch this: I’m Impressed With iOS 26. Apple Just Made iPhones Better

05:40

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June 12, 2025 0 comments

Product Reviews

Amazon Is Selling Off This 56,800mAh Power Bank Stock, Now 85% Off the Original Price

by admin June 12, 2025

Power banks have become essential companions for anyone who needs to keep their devices charged on the go. Whether you’re working remotely, traveling or simply out for the day, running out of battery on your smartphone, AirPods, or laptop can be a real hassle. While there are countless power banks available, many fall short in two critical areas: battery capacity and charging speed.

That is why having a model that can do everything is a game-changer and right now, this Moihosso 56800mAh 22.5W power bank is not only one of the best models out there but it’s also eligible for an unheard-of sale on Amazon: At a massive 85% discount, this power bank is available for just $34 down from its usual $239. For this price, Amazon must be barely breaking even which makes this a deal that’s impossible to resist.

See at Amazon

Massive Fast-Charging Capability

With its massive 56,800mAh capacity, it will power your devices for days: Whether you’re on a long trip, camping in the great outdoors, or otherwise trapped in back-to-back meetings, this power bank ensures that you never have to endure the misery of low battery stress. It charges a range of devices from the latest iPhones to Galaxy and Pixel phones to iPads, and beyond. In practical terms, this means that you can fully charge your smartphone up to 11 times or your tablet multiple times before the power bank runs out of charge.

You will also love its fantastic 22.5W fast charging capability: Unlike most default charging models which are meant to gradually, consistently charge the supported devices, this unit gives fast stable output to the supported devices so that you can achieve 100% in much less time.

Another big advantage is that it can charge three devices simultaneously: With two USB-A output and a single multi-functional Type-C port that can accept and deliver power, you can keep your smartphone, wireless earbuds and tablet charged at the same time. Smart current division ensures that each device receives the best charging rate without sacrificing performance.

Ease of use and security are supplemented by an intelligent LED display showing the actual remaining battery percentage. Guesswork is eliminated and you can coordinate your charging schedule confidently. You Protection built in defends against overcharging, overheating and overcurrent for safe and stable power delivery whenever you make use of it.

At $34, it’s a deal that’s almost impossible to beat.

See at Amazon

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June 12, 2025 0 comments

Gaming Gear

Sam Altman doesn’t think you should be worried about ChatGPT’s energy usage – reveals exactly how much power each prompt uses

by admin June 12, 2025

Sam Altman says a ChatGPT prompt uses “0.34 watt-hours” of electricity, roughly one second of an oven
He also says a single ChatGPT prompt uses “0.000085 gallons of water; roughly one-fifteenth of a teaspoon”
While that’s not a lot in isolation, ChatGPT has over 400 million weekly users, with multiple prompts per day

OpenAI CEO, Sam Altman has revealed ChatGPT’s energy usage for a single prompt, and while it’s lower than you might expect, on a global scale, it could have a significant impact on the planet.

Writing on his blog, Altman said, “The average query uses about 0.34 watt-hours, about what an oven would use in a little over one second, or a high-efficiency lightbulb would use in a couple of minutes. It also uses about 0.000085 gallons of water; roughly one-fifteenth of a teaspoon.”

While that might not sound like a lot as an isolated prompt, ChatGPT has approximately 400 million active weekly users, and that number is growing at a rapid rate. Bear in mind there’s a growing amount of AI tools and chatbots on the market, including Google Gemini and Anthropic’s Claude, so general AI energy usage will be even higher.

We rely on AI, so is this energy consumption a concern?

There’s a constant concern about ChatGPT’s energy consumption, and it is becoming increasingly vocal as AI usage continues to rise. While Altman’s blog post will put some minds at ease, considering the relatively low energy and water usage in isolation, it could also spark more uproar.

Earlier this week, a mass ChatGPT outage led to millions of people unable to interact with the chatbot. Over the 10 hour plus period, I received emails from thousands of readers who gave me a new perspective on AI.

While I’d be lying if I said AI’s energy consumption doesn’t concern me, it would be unfair to overlook the positives of the technology and how it is improving the lives of millions.

The climate crisis is not limited to me and you, but unfortunately, it’s the working class that ultimately pays the price. ChatGPT’s energy consumption at a mass scale may be a severe problem in the future, but then again, so are the private jets flying 10-minute flights.

The AI climate concerns are not black and white, and those who criticise the impact of the technology on the planet are equally vocal about the impact of other technologies. That said, we’re only at the beginning of the AI revolution, and energy consumption will continue to rise. At what point should we be worried?

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June 12, 2025 0 comments

Product Reviews

The EPA Wants to Roll Back Emissions Controls on Power Plants

by admin June 11, 2025

The US Environmental Protection Agency moved to roll back emissions standards for power plants, the second-largest source of CO2 emissions in the country, on Wednesday, claiming that the American power sector does not “contribute significantly” to air pollution.

“The bottom line is that the EPA is trying to get out of the climate change business,” says Ryan Maher, a staff attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity.

The announcement comes just days after the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) quietly released record-breaking new figures showing the highest seasonal concentration of CO2 in recorded history.

In a press conference on Tuesday, flanked by legislators from some of the country’s top fossil-fuel-producing states, EPA administrator Lee Zeldin accused both the Obama and Biden administrations of “seeking to suffocate our economy in order to protect the environment.” Zeldin singled out data centers as helping to drive unprecedented demand in the US power sector over the next decade. The EPA, he said, is “taking actions to end the agency’s war on so much of our US domestic energy supply.”

The proposed EPA rollbacks target a suite of rules on the power plant sector put in place last year by the Biden administration. Those regulations mandated that coal- and gas-fired power plants reduce their emissions by 90 percent by the early 2030s, primarily by using carbon capture and storage technology.

Among a swath of justifications for rolling back regulations, the proposed new EPA rule argues that because US power sector emissions accounted for only 3 percent of global emissions in 2022 —down from 5.5 percent in 2005—and because coal use from other countries continues to grow, US electricity generation from fossil fuel “does not contribute significantly to globally elevated concentrations of GHGs in the atmosphere.” However, electric power generation was responsible for 25 percent of US emissions in 2022, according to the EPA, making it second only to transportation among the dirtiest sectors of the economy. An NYU analysis published earlier this month found that if the US power sector were its own separate country, it would be the sixth-largest emitter in the world.

“This action would be laughable if the stakes weren’t so high,” says Meredith Hankins, an attorney at the Natural Resources Defense Council.

The EPA is also targeting the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS) rule, which mandates that power plants maintain controls to reduce the amount of mercury and other toxic air pollutants emitted from their plants. The Biden administration in 2024 strengthened those standards, which date to 2011. Despite progress in reducing mercury emissions since the MATS rule was initially implemented, coal-fired power plants are still the largest source of mercury emissions in the US.

The administration has also made it clear that it intends to try to revive the coal industry, which has been on a steep decline since the rise of cheap natural gas and renewables in the 2010s. In a series of executive orders issued in April intended to boost the industry, President Trump tied the future of AI dominance in the US to extending a lifeline to coal.

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June 11, 2025 0 comments

Game Reviews

Season 8 Power Leveling Guide

by admin June 11, 2025

Image: Blizzard

Whether you’re running a new build, trying out a new class, or returning to Diablo IV after an extended break, (a break in which you were likely playing Path of Exile 2, right? I know I wasn’t alone in farming Exalted Orbs!) Whatever the case, learning how to level up fast in Diablo IV should help you check out everything new this season, along with hitting endgame so that your friends don’t cruelly make fun of you!

Diablo IV – Bear Bender Build

Power leveling tips for level 1-50

Screenshot: Blizzard Entertainment / Brandon Morgan / Kotaku

In what I would consider the early game experience—everything before level 50—grinding out levels is about the only thing on your mind. At least, it should be. First, though, pick a class. The best class this season is Barbarian, and I’m partial to Upheaval, though Whirlwind is making a comeback, too. Alternatively, opt for a Minion Necromancer or any type of Rogue.

Read More: The Whirlwind Barbarian Reigns Supreme Once More In Diablo IV Season 8

With your class chosen, here’s how to power level to 50 fast:

Straight out of the gate, set your difficulty to Hard. You’ll earn more experience (75 percent more) and more gold (75 percent more), allowing you to progress much quicker. You can earn your first ten levels within a matter of minutes upon loading into Kyovashad.
Speaking of Kyovashad, hit up the Wardrobe upstairs in the inn to equip your pet, which will auto-loot for you, thereby saving you time better spent on slaying mobs.
Use elixirs, like the Precision Elixir, which grants a bonus of +5 percent experience for 30 minutes. 5 percent doesn’t seem like much, but it adds up!
If you’ve completed the campaign, go ahead and skip it. If not, complete it. If you fall into the former camp, farm Helltide. It’s the fast way to level early on.
Farm Undercity, Whisper Bounty Dungeons, and Helltide until you reach level 45, raise the difficult to Expert, then complete all of the game’s Strongholds. You can lower the difficulty to Normal for Strongholds, as you’ll earn the same amount of XP without all the additional challenge. Don’t forget to re-raise it to Expert once you’re done with a Stronghold, though!

Power leveling tips for level 50-60+

Screenshot: Blizzard Entertainment / Brandon Morgan / Kotaku

Now that you’ve gained ground, it’s time to take leveling to the next level with the most challenging portion:

Continuing running Helltide and Strongholds, leveling up until you reach 60. It’s a grind, but should go quick with Precision Elixirs and, if necessary, group up with at least one other player for the 10% XP boost bonus.
Upon reaching 60, raise the difficulty to Penitent for 175 percent more experience and 175 percent more gold from monsters.
Run The Pit up Level 10 to unlock Torment 1, then switch difficulties to that for 300 percent more experience and gold from monster kills.
Now that you’re at the max level, it’s time to focus on better gear. Helltide, Bosses, Nightmare Dungeons, and Undercity will help you farm, and you can raise your difficulty through the Torment levels as you progress.

Diablo IV is available now on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Windows PCs.

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June 11, 2025 0 comments

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Power leveling tips for level 1-50

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