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The NewsFrom AI to quantum computing, the latest tech breakthroughs share one necessity: The infrastructure around them must be cold. Finding new ways to chill devices and keep them at low temperatures is emerging as a key engineering frontier — and a big business.One representative plan, from a startup that says it has signed $500 million in contracts: fly rockets to the moon, use robots to capture a rare isotope of helium from moon rocks, and use the gas to cool quantum computers, according to Interlune’s CEO Rob Meyerson.“The moon is for all of us,” said the former president of the Jeff Bezos space venture Blue Origin. As Russia and big quantum competitor China make moves to develop on the moon and extract lunar resources, “it’s important that we — the West, the US, Interlune — establish a right to operate on the moon.”AI technologies are growing rapidly, and quantum computers are primed to take off in the coming years, catapulting demand for the components that make them work. Some forms of nuclear fusion, the energy source touted by tech leaders as the future of power, also rely on cooled superconducting magnets. Data-center servers that power AI heat up when processing complex workloads, and that heat can slow them down, or shut them off entirely. The potential of AI to reshape society, as industry leaders are promising, depends in part on these cooling mechanisms, as does the basic function of another red-hot emerging technology, quantum computers.ADQuantum computers, which aim to solve much more difficult problems than traditional computers or AI, need to reach near absolute zero — or the lowest possible temperature — for the quantum bits, or qubits, to remain stable and perform calculations. Helium-3 gas, a byproduct of nuclear weapons production, is most commonly used to cool qubits, but it is rare on Earth. Quantum computers need a few dozen liters of helium-3 to run, at $2,500 per liter, according to helium development startup Pulsar Helium — which can cost upwards of $100,000 per device. As tech companies push forward in their initiative to build accurate quantum computers and at scale, demand for the gas will increase, driving companies to find alternative methods to acquire it.Interlune plans to use its proprietary technology to extract helium-3 on Earth before operations begin on the moon, which Meyerson expects in the early 2030s. It plans to start sending test shuttles next year.In this article:The NewsKnow MoreNotableKnow MoreSome companies are seeking alternatives to helium-3 entirely due to the high price and low supply. PsiQuantum, which builds qubits with photons, still requires extreme cold but doesn’t need to operate as close to absolute zero because its light-based qubits can remain stable at higher temperatures. It uses helium-4, the more common isotope of helium extracted from natural gas deposits.AD“We don’t want to go into this temperature regime,” said Dirk Pflueckhahn, vice president of cryogenic facilities at PsiQuantum. “Helium-4 is difficult enough. We don’t want to deal with helium-3.”Extremely cold temperatures allow for various other scientific experiments, far outside of quantum computing. The SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, a research center in the Bay Area, also uses the cheaper helium-4 to cool superconducting structures in its particle accelerator. Those ultracold components are then needed to help produce X-ray laser beams that allow it to study matter at the atomic level, which has applications from drug discovery to semiconductor design.Unlike cooling qubits to remove outside factors and keep them stable, “we use the coldness to crank the power up,” said Matthias Kling, the laser facility’s Director of Science and R&D. Reducing friction, or heat, allows the accelerator to efficiently produce the laser beam.Data centers, meanwhile, use cooling mechanisms to manage hot servers, although they don’t require such extreme cold or cryogenic agents like helium. Companies have developed various methods of keeping servers cool for optimal performance, from placing them deep underground where the temperature is naturally lower to running cold water through tubes connected to the chips, carrying heat away from the servers. France-based Schneider Electric and American Vertiv are key players in developing liquid cooling systems. While it’s less common, companies also immerse entire servers into liquid that doesn’t conduct electricity, so it won’t short-circuit or corrode the chips.NotableSeveral other technologies use cooling mechanisms to function better. The sensor system in a massive SLAC-built camera at the Rubin Observatory in Chile is cooled to about -150 degrees Fahrenheit to minimize noise, making for clearer pictures of space.ADTop StoriesUS senators favor pressure on Russia amid Ukraine peace talksJonathan Ernst/ReutersG20 summit ‘renews’ multilateralism commitment in face of US boycottLeon Neal/Pool via ReutersSchool abductions magnify Nigeria’s security crisisMarvellous Durowaiye/Reuters South Africa urges African collective action on critical minerals Nqobile Dludla/ReutersHow Trump is trying to remake American culture — starting with his favorite buddy-cop franchiseBrett Ratner, Jackie Chan, and Chris Tucker at the afterparty for the premiere of “Rush Hour 3” in 2007. Mario Anzuoni/ReutersCongress prepares to release defense policy bill textNathan Howard/ReutersUS looks to advance Ukraine deal amid criticism, confusionAnatolii Stepanov/ReutersCOP30 falls short of ambitious dealAdriano Machado/ReutersThe Worldat a GlanceUpdated 5:34pm GMT+5:30Israel kills Hezbollah leader in Beirut strikeUpdated Nov 24, 2025, 6:56am ESTNov 24, 2025, 5:26pm GMT+5:30PostEmailWhatsappCopy linkShareMohammed Yassin/ReutersAn Israeli air strike killed a senior Hezbollah leader in Beirut, further weakening an already uneasy truce. Israel and Hezbollah agreed to a ceasefire a year ago, but Israel — which says the group has been rebuilding its armories, and that Lebanon is failing in its commitment to disarm it — has ramped up attacks against Hezbollah in recent days. Israel’s ceasefire in Gaza is also shaky: At least 22 Palestinians were killed in strikes on the enclave last week, Hamas-affiliated officials said, in response to what Israel said was an “armed terrorist” attacking soldiers. Gazan authorities say Israeli forces have violated the seven-week truce nearly 500 times, though Washington, which brokered both deals, insists the Gaza pact remains solid.— Tom ChiversTalks on Trump’s Ukraine peace plan yield progressUpdated Nov 24, 2025, 6:50am ESTNov 24, 2025, 5:20pm GMT+5:30PostEmailWhatsappCopy linkShareAnatolii Stepanov/ReutersUkrainian and European officials expressed cautious optimism that the US was shifting its stance to increasingly favor Kyiv in contested peace talks with Moscow. Analysts had expressed worry that Washington was demanding little of Russia while extracting concessions mostly from Ukraine, as has been typical of fitful negotiations since US President Donald Trump came to office to end the nearly four-year war. Talks between European, Ukrainian, and American officials in Geneva were “light on specifics but left [European] officials feeling more upbeat about the prospects for peace,” Politico reported, while Ukraine’s negotiator hailed “very good progress.” Still, a degree of unpredictability remains: Prior to the talks, Trump slammed Ukraine’s leader for expressing “ZERO GRATITUDE” for American efforts.— Prashant RaoADChina eyes rare earths alliance to counter USUpdated Nov 24, 2025, 6:54am ESTNov 24, 2025, 5:24pm GMT+5:30PostEmailWhatsappCopy linkShareStringer/File Photo/ReutersChinese Premier Li Qiang called for an alliance with other developing nations for rare earths production, as Beijing steps up its competition with Washington over the key minerals. China already dominates the production and refining of rare earths, which are essential for defense and technology manufacturing. Li, the country’s second-highest ranking official, said 19 nations had already committed to join the alliance, while vowing to expand the group. This year, Beijing imposed rare earths export restrictions on the US in response to Washington’s tariffs. While the restrictions have been temporarily paused, the White House has pushed to reduce its reliance on China, signing a deal with Saudi Arabia last week to jointly produce the minerals.— Jeronimo GonzalezClimate change devastating key Indian crops, results showUpdated Nov 24, 2025, 7:04am ESTNov 24, 2025, 5:34pm GMT+5:30PostEmailWhatsappCopy linkShareSTR/NurPhoto via Getty ImagesRising temperatures have devastated two of India’s most prized crops, forcing farmers to look for ways to adapt to climate change as global demand for the products grows in line with rising incomes. Heat has devastated the cultivation of cardamom: Last year’s poor harvest pushed prices up 70%. Meanwhile, India’s tea production dropped almost 6% this year compared to last after temperatures repeatedly topped 35°C (95°F), meaning “the bushes essentially shut down,” an expert told Nikkei. But some help may be at hand: Indian farmers have begun using an app that runs a diagnosis on soil health and provides timely recommendations. “Technology is no longer separate from farming. It is now a daily tool,” an Indian farmer told the BBC.— Jeronimo GonzalezADUS vaccine skepticism hits Moderna stockUpdated Nov 24, 2025, 6:58am ESTNov 24, 2025, 5:28pm GMT+5:30PostEmailWhatsappCopy linkShareBrian Snyder/File Photo/ReutersModerna became the most-shorted stock on the S&P 500 on the back of the Trump administration’s vaccine skepticism. The number of Americans getting COVID shots is down 24% this year, a report found, driving the vaccine maker’s share price to its lowest level since before the pandemic. The US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy has long been concerned about vaccines — he personally instructed the Centers for Disease Control to say that the link between vaccines and autism had not been disproved, The New York Times reported. The distrust seems to be reaching the population, evidenced by Moderna’s woes but also by the resurgence of previously well-controlled diseases such as measles and whooping cough.— Jeronimo GonzalezUK’s The Telegraph to be taken over by rival Daily MailUpdated Nov 24, 2025, 7:00am ESTNov 24, 2025, 5:30pm GMT+5:30PostEmailWhatsappCopy linkShareBelinda Jiao/File Photo/ReutersThe Daily Telegraph, the 170-year-old British newspaper, looks likely to be sold to its fellow right-wing rival, The Daily Mail. The venerable but troubled outlet has been for sale since its previous owners ran up unsupportable debts and were removed in 2023. Since then, consortia from as far afield as Wall Street and the UAE have circled, trying to win control of the Telegraph’s still-powerful brand. The merger of two of Britain’s best-known conservative papers is alarming to the ruling Labour Party, but the sector itself is looking westward, the Financial Times reported: A rightward shift in the US media landscape under President Donald Trump has “potentially laid the ground for new entrants, even with an English accent.”— Tom ChiversUK most expensive place to build nuclear power, report showsUpdated Nov 24, 2025, 7:02am ESTNov 24, 2025, 5:32pm GMT+5:30PostEmailWhatsappCopy linkShareChris Radburn/ReutersBritain is the most expensive place in the world to build nuclear power, a new government-backed report found. A “systematic regulatory failure,” with multiple points of veto, has hamstrung the industry, the report said, and the oversight regime should be replaced. Britain’s problem, although extreme, is not unusual. In the US and elsewhere, while costs of other forms of new energy have fallen, nuclear has become steadily more expensive, because of requirements that any savings made through technological improvements are reinvested in safety, meaning prices always ratchet up. The problem has become urgent because many countries have pledged to triple their nuclear capacity by 2050 to provide reliable zero-carbon energy to smooth intermittent renewable output.— Tom ChiversWashington ramps up pressure on VenezuelaUpdated Nov 23, 2025, 4:56pm ESTNov 24, 2025, 3:26am GMT+5:30PostEmailWhatsappCopy linkSharePetty Officer 1st Class Jerome Johnson/U.S. Navy/Handout via Reuters The US is reportedly considering expanded military operations against Venezuela, as it ratchets up its presence in the Caribbean.Washington has pursued a military buildup around the South American nation following strikes against alleged drug boats; several airlines halted flights to Venezuela after the US warned of “heightened military activity” around its airspace.

The Donald Trump administration is mulling options including attempting to overthrow Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, Reuters reported.It’s unclear how the volatile Ukraine talks may connect to the escalation against Caracas, a Russian ally and major focus for US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who is also involved in Kyiv-Moscow peace negotiations. The outcome of the twin crises could shape Rubio’s political future, analysts said.— J.D. CapeloutoUS looks to advance Ukraine deal amid criticism, confusionUpdated Nov 23, 2025, 11:11am ESTNov 23, 2025, 9:41pm GMT+5:30PostEmailWhatsappCopy linkShareAnatolii Stepanov/ReutersTop US officials flew to Europe on Sunday to advance a Ukraine peace plan that faced criticism over its tilt toward Russian interests.The Geneva talks involving European and Ukrainian leaders come after US officials and lawmakers sparred over who authored the 28-point, Washington-backed plan.The confusion suggested “foreign nations now have to deal with rival factions of the US government who keep major policy initiatives secret from each other… as the succession battle for 2028 begins,” The Wall Street Journal’s foreign affairs correspondent wrote, summing up one diplomat’s assessment. Even as President Donald Trump has pushed Kyiv to accept the deal by Thanksgiving, the agreement remains flexible, The Washington Post’s David Ignatius reported: An “agonizing choice” awaits Kyiv.— J.D. CapeloutoG20 aims to make the case for multilateralismUpdated Nov 23, 2025, 4:57pm ESTNov 24, 2025, 3:27am GMT+5:30PostEmailWhatsappCopy linkShareMarco Longari/Pool via Reuters Global leaders at the G20 summit looked to chart a path forward for a world order shaped by US retrenchment.Washington’s absence loomed large at the gathering in South Africa, where Canada’s prime minister said that the world would move on without the US and that “the center of gravity in the global economy is shifting.”South Africa cast the G20 as a win for multilateralism on Saturday after leaders agreed to a declaration that Washington opposed.Still, some cracks emerged, pointing to the US’ substantial influence: Western leaders scrambled to formulate a response to the US-backed peace plan for Ukraine, while sub-groupings of countries clustered to pursue their own priorities, Bloomberg noted. “The world is reorganizing itself,” Germany’s chancellor said.— J.D. CapeloutoWestern firms grow more open to ChinaUpdated Nov 23, 2025, 4:57pm ESTNov 24, 2025, 3:27am GMT+5:30PostEmailWhatsappCopy linkShareAndrew Silver/ReutersWestern companies are signaling a renewed eagerness toward doing business in China — or even expanding their footprint — despite lingering tensions, an economic slump, and the narrative of a decoupling.“The next China is China,” Estée Lauder’s CEO told the Financial Times, detailing plans to double down in the country despite the US makeup giant’s poor post-pandemic showing there.Even with Berlin’s “de-risking” push, China remains “an obvious place to do business” for German firms, which are pouring billions into the country, DW reported.Foreign companies are grappling with a slowdown in growth, government pressure, and geopolitical fault lines, but they should understand the Chinese economy is “not unraveling,” China Briefing wrote. “So far, we continue investing,” a JPMorgan vice chairman said.— J.D. CapeloutoAir show crash hurts Indian defense exportsUpdated Nov 23, 2025, 5:00pm ESTNov 24, 2025, 3:30am GMT+5:30PostEmailWhatsappCopy linkShareJingesh Variya via ReutersAn Indian fighter jet crashed during an aerial display at the Dubai Air Show, killing the pilot and dealing a blow to New Delhi’s goal of becoming a defense export powerhouse.The explosion in front of global arms buyers likely leaves India reliant on its own military for orders of the Tejas jet, Reuters wrote.“The imagery is brutal,” the head of a US aerospace-focused think tank said. India and its archrival, Pakistan, jockeyed for influence throughout the weeklong event, held six months after their brief clash, which featured the world’s largest air battle in decades.The Pakistani contingent touted a fighter it co-developed with China that was deployed during the May conflict.— J.D. CapeloutoDeepMind deepens push into roboticsUpdated Nov 23, 2025, 5:14pm ESTNov 24, 2025, 3:44am GMT+5:30PostEmailWhatsappCopy linkShareDemis Hassabis. Ludovic Marin/ReutersGoogle DeepMind hired the former CTO of Boston Dynamics, part of an attempt to push forward with robotics.AI’s rapid progress is less evident in robots. In 2021, DeepMind’s robotics chief said the field lagged the rest of AI by 10 years, limited in part by the problems of gathering data from the real world or simulation.DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis wants to fix that, and to use his company’s multimodal Gemini model as a sort of operating system.His new hire’s former company has developed some of the most advanced legged robots, and Hassabis told WIRED that AI-powered robotics “is going to have its breakthrough moment in the next couple of years.”— Tom ChiversTrump praises ‘rational’ and ‘great’ Mamdani after Oval Office meetingUpdated Nov 21, 2025, 5:34pm ESTNov 22, 2025, 4:04am GMT+5:30PostEmailWhatsappCopy linkShareJonathan Ernst/ReutersUS President Donald Trump praised New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani after their first meeting in the Oval Office Friday, as they downplayed their ideological differences and focused on common ground — affordability.“I think you’re going to have a really great mayor,” Trump said. “I want him to do a great job and I will help him do a great job.”The “lovefest” — as political pundits described the encounter — came after both men spent months bashing each other; Trump, who had threatened to cut off federal funding to New York City if the democratic socialist won, said Friday he would be happy to live there now. He also ran interference for Mamdani when the mayor-elect was asked about calling Trump a “fascist,” with the president saying, “You can just say yes. I don’t mind.”Despite “wildly different visions,” both figures have benefited from portraying themselves as political outsiders and opponents of a corrupt system, Semafor’s editor-in-chief Ben Smith wrote in a recent column.— Brendan RuberryInvestors flee US tech stocks after mixed jobs results Updated Nov 21, 2025, 7:07am ESTNov 21, 2025, 5:37pm GMT+5:30PostEmailWhatsappCopy linkShareBrendan McDermid/ReutersStock markets tumbled further as investors fled tech stocks, in what has been a tumultuous week after Nvidia’s better-than-expected earnings report briefly eased fears of a bubble. Asian stocks fell, following declines in the S&P 500 and in European markets; Bloomberg suggested that a mixed US jobs report and concerns over whether the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates were also behind the drop. AI may well be fueling a bubble, a leading expert wrote in The New York Times, but its broader impact could be profound: Investors are betting on “the potential transformation of the entire economy,” and while many of their bets may not come in, “the race itself will yield innovations” that could change the world.— Tom ChiversTrump threatens six Democrats with death penaltyUpdated Nov 21, 2025, 7:05am ESTNov 21, 2025, 5:35pm GMT+5:30PostEmailWhatsappCopy linkShareFrank Robichon/ReutersUS President Donald Trump launched a tirade against Democrats, as his control over the Republican party appeared to wane. Trump accused six Congressional Democrats of “SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH” for appearing in a video that urged military service members to disobey “illegal orders.” Even the Senate majority leader, a Republican, voiced dismay at the president’s remarks. Republicans are increasingly willing to defy Trump: “The president’s total control has slipped” across an array of issues, Semafor’s politics team notes in our DC briefing. Trump’s acrimony with Democrats may be on full display soon, with an Oval Office meeting alongside New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani — a democratic socialist whom Trump has vociferously opposed — due later today.— Prashant RaoUS pressures Ukraine to accept new peace planUpdated Nov 21, 2025, 6:42am ESTNov 21, 2025, 5:12pm GMT+5:30PostEmailWhatsappCopy linkShareSarah Meyssonnier/ReutersThe US is reportedly pressuring Ukraine to accept painful compromises as part of a peace deal with Russia, an agreement that analysts largely panned. The 28-point proposal would require Kyiv to give up the Donbas region and limit the size of its military, though according to Axios, it also includes a NATO-style security guarantee. Experts have criticized Washington for making excessive demands of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy while asking little of his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, and for largely excluding Kyiv from the drafting of peace plans. “As long as Trump thinks that he can end this war with Putin and without Zelensky and Ukraine, he will have to wait a whole lot longer,” an Obama-era NATO envoy wrote.— Prashant RaoTensions escalate between US, South Africa over G20Updated Nov 21, 2025, 8:25am ESTNov 21, 2025, 6:55pm GMT+5:30PostEmailWhatsappCopy linkShareYves Herman/ReutersTensions intensified between the US and South Africa after they exchanged conflicting remarks about whether American officials would attend the upcoming G20 summit in Johannesburg. The dispute — centered on US President Donald Trump’s boycott of the meeting over disputed allegations that Pretoria discriminates against its white population — threatened to sap attention from the talks, which South African President Cyril Ramaphosa wants to focus on issues such as global inequality and debt restructuring. Yet the lack of high-level buy-in means any progress may be limited: Along with Trump, the leaders of Argentina, China, Indonesia, and Mexico are also skipping what will be the first G20 on African soil.— Jeronimo GonzalezTrump walks back tariffs on Brazil as US inflation risesUpdated Nov 21, 2025, 7:01am ESTNov 21, 2025, 5:31pm GMT+5:30PostEmailWhatsappCopy linkShareEric Gaillard/ReutersUS President Donald Trump lifted tariffs on a raft of Brazilian agricultural products, a reversal of his trade policy that comes in response to rising domestic food costs. Duties will be scrapped on Brazilian imports including beef, coffee, and fruits, a move that follows Washington’s lifting of levies on foodstuffs from several Latin American countries and the Philippines. Trump had imposed 40% tariffs on Brazil — with which the US has a trade surplus — in response to what he said was Brasília’s unjust prosecution of rightist former President Jair Bolsonaro. The change comes as Trump’s economic approval rating plummets amid rising inflation, with several polls showing only around a third of respondents agree with his handling of the economy.— Jeronimo GonzalezRobotaxis to become the new norm, Baidu CEO saysUpdated Nov 21, 2025, 6:46am ESTNov 21, 2025, 5:16pm GMT+5:30PostEmailWhatsappCopy linkShareTingshu Wang/ReutersRobotaxis are on the brink of becoming mainstream, the Baidu CEO Robin Li said. The Chinese tech firm is among the world’s leaders in deploying autonomous vehicles; the bosses of tech giants Nvidia and Xpeng also recently expressed optimism about self-driving cars. Despite Western media focus on advancements by US firms Waymo and Tesla, the industry has expanded faster in China, with three Chinese companies signing partnerships with Uber. And the British government recently bet heavily on its homegrown self-driving firm Wayve, which a tech writer said had the potential to challenge the big players. McKinsey projects the autonomous driving market could be worth up to $400 billion by 2035.— Tom ChiversNvidia’s post-earnings rally fizzlesUpdated Nov 20, 2025, 5:35pm ESTNov 21, 2025, 4:05am GMT+5:30PostEmailWhatsappCopy linkShareDado Ruvic/ReutersNvidia erased its post-earnings stock rally on Thursday, as fears of AI overvaluation crept back up. The US chipmaker’s blockbuster report Wednesday temporarily calmed investors jittery about an AI bubble, but analysts said the strong demand for its AI processors doesn’t address questions about the payoff from Big Tech’s spending boom on data centers. Nvidia earnings aren’t “a reliable gauge of whether AI ec