TECH

A low-tech solution to the 6G problem—metacrystal panels offer cheap way to guide wireless signals around corners

The advent of sixth-generation (6G) and future wireless technologies will transform communications by offering higher data rates, improved energy efficiency, and lower latency1. However, the realization of high data rates necessitates the exploration of new frequency bands, such as millimeter (mm) waves and sub-THz bands. While these frequencies offer vast amounts of bandwidth, they also present considerable challenges due to their high atmospheric attenuation, free-space path loss, and harsher scattering effects when encountering obstacles. Therefore, reliance on traditional multipath propagation is no longer feasible, and directional beams must be used for communication. Moreover, higher-frequency signals are often blocked by obstacles, such as walls, requiring a denser network of base stations and relays. Recently, metasurfaces, also referred to as intelligent surfaces, have been proposed to mitigate these challenges by efficiently redirecting communication signals in free space to bypass obstacles. These artificial surfaces, strategically positioned on walls, ceilings, and even windows, can substantially enhance both indoor and outdoor signal coverage through anomalous reflection or refraction, requiring minimal to no energy for their operation.

Most of the existing studies on intelligent surfaces focused on achieving reconfigurable responses. Programmable metasurfaces are capable of dynamically manipulating several wave characteristics, including wave vector, polarization, frequency, and wavefront, within a unified structure. However, they have proven to be too expensive for widespread adoption in the communication industry. This is primarily due to their requirement to operate at high frequencies (above 30–50 GHz), their large physical footprint (approximately one square meter) even for incorporating a single communication channel, and the need for highly tunable constituent elements. Consequently, their non-reconfigurable (completely passive) counterparts have recently gained great attention due to their significantly lower manufacturing and maintenance costs. In fact, in many real-world scenarios, reconfigurability is not necessary because the positions of the receivers and transmitters are fixed or weakly varying. For instance, in industrial settings, machinery and sensors are usually installed in fixed locations; the infrastructure and major pathways in large public hubs remain constant; and in office environments, the locations of access points are typically fixed.

While various pathways for the analytic design of passive intelligent surfaces were proposed (e.g., anomalous reflectors, smart skins, metagratings, and aperiodic gratings), all of them lack the sufficient versatility for realistic applications. Indeed, in most practical scenarios, it is necessary for the intelligent surface to operate effectively across both signal polarizations, multiple frequency bands, various angles of arrival, and even all at once. Realizing such versatile surfaces with current analytical or semi-analytical design techniques remains very challenging, as these techniques rely on specific homogenization models (e.g., based on polarizability, susceptibility, or surface impedance tensors). Factors, such as frequency dispersion, nonlocality, and anisotropy make the implementation of the unit cells with required material parameters hardly possible. Recent work on multifunctional metasurfaces at microwave and sub-THz frequencies falls into two main classes: multi-incidence and multi-dimensional. 

Multi-incidence designs operate under multiple incidence angles or wave vectors; examples include angle-dependent/independent metasurfaces, directional Janus metasurfaces, and schemes multiplexing guided and space waves. Multi-dimensional designs simultaneously control several wave properties (polarization p, propagation direction/wavefront angle θ, phase ϕ, and amplitude A) typically for a single incident wave. Demonstrations include concurrent control of polarization and direction, wave-vector modulation across frequencies using multi-band metasurfaces, and co-modulation of polarization and wavefront.

Basements, tunnels, large buildings—a weak Wi-Fi or mobile signal in these hard-to-reach places is frustrating. The usual solution is to add more electronics like routers, repeaters and base stations. Yet, as we move towards a 6G mobile network, this kind of complex infrastructure can be unsustainable and prohibitively expensive. Higher-frequency channels of 6G communications aim to provide vastly more data bandwidth than the current 5G, but those channels are more easily blocked by walls, people and other obstacles.

A passive 3D-printed metacrystal panel redirects radio waves around obstacles and toward users, offering a low-cost way to improve indoor/outdoor wireless coverage without adding base stations, wiring or powered electronics(image above). Credit: Aalto University / Mahdi Asgari

To tackle this, researchers at Aalto University have developed a new solution in the form of metacrystals: passive, 3D-printed smart panels that can shape wireless signals without electronics, a power supply or active tuning. The paper, "Metacrystals: Inversely-designed 3D-printed intelligent panels for 6G communications" is published in Nature Communications.

"When a room is too dark, you can bring in more lamps—or use simple mirrors to guide the already available light. This is what these metacrystals do, but with radio waves," explains doctoral researcher Mahdi Asgari. "Unlike previously proposed single-layer intelligent surfaces, these volumetric metacrystals can be designed to control multiple incoming signals or frequency bands independently—a key requirement for realistic wireless communication."

The panels could be installed on walls, ceilings, furniture, or other surfaces to redirect signals around corners, into shadowed areas or toward specific users or devices.

Unlike many existing intelligent surfaces, which often perform only one task for one signal direction, the panels can handle several incoming waves at the same time, operate over different frequency bands simultaneously, work in reflection or transmission mode, and even fully absorb unwanted signals.

3D printed, custom elements...Conventional reconfigurable intelligent surfaces require many tunable elements and complicated control circuits, which makes them expensive and difficult to deploy widely. However, the metacrystal panels can be fabricated using 3D printing, leaving the estimated price of consumable material at a few tens of euros per piece. This also allows for creating custom panels for specific environments, rather than having one universal device.

"For industry, the most attractive use cases are static or slowly changing environments like factories, indoor 5G/6G networks, warehouses, and long corridors," says Asgari. "In such places, a passive panel designed for a known layout could be much cheaper and simpler than an actively controlled surface that requires continuous maintenance."

Asgari says that complex electromagnetic functionality can now be realized as a low-cost, single-piece plastic structure ready to be put on a wall. These panels can quietly improve wireless connections in the background. Once installed, geometry does all the work.

Metacrystals could become part of everyday architecture...The researchers are now looking into pathways to commercialize the discovery and are seeking engagement from industrial collaborators interested in programmable metasurfaces, intelligent wireless infrastructure and low-cost passive signal-control technologies.

"The hope would be that in the future we can see these scalable, smart wireless environments put to practical application in indoor spaces and outdoor urban settings," says Asgari.

The next step is to move from static towards reconfigurable panels that can adapt when the wireless environment changes, he says. Today's reconfigurable intelligent surfaces are often too costly and complex for broad industrial use, so the team is exploring simpler ways to fabricate tunable panels while keeping them affordable and practical.

Provided by Aalto University

 

TECH

New WebAssembly memory layout could stop Heartbleed-style browser attacks with no visible slowdown

Modern web development increasingly requires complex applications running natively on the web, driving adoption of fast, efficient technologies like WebAssembly (WASM), now used by sites such as Figma and Google Earth.

Despite its strengths, WASM lacks common low-level protections (stack canaries, ASLR, safe unlinking), leaving buffer overflows and use-after-free exploitable for control-flow hijacking. While the WASM VM blocks some attacks, we show that these flaws can still cause classic web exploits, compromising the host.

Although WASM’s security model has been scrutinized over the years, little work maps low-level WASM bugs to web-layer attacks. Web security often targets high-level code, overlooking the impact of integrating compiled modules.

We show how unsafe WASM can introduce atypical web flaws that evade traditional analysis. We build PoC web services with intentionally vulnerable WASM modules to demonstrate how memory-safety bugs become high-impact attacks, including SQL injection and XS-Leaks.

For reproducibility, each PoC offers step-by-step instructions or a Python demo script. Modules are written in C and compiled with Emscripten to showcase classic exploitation; findings generalize to other unsafe languages (e.g., C++).

The primary contributions of this work are:

• We analyze memory/control-flow bugs (stack buffer overflows, use-after-free, integer overflows, format strings) and show how they enable web exploits (SQLi, SSTI, XS-Leaks), chosen for their historical weight (SQLi) or novelty in WASM (SSTI, XS-Leaks).

• We propose a reproducible methodology linking compiled-code flaws to web-layer impact, combining vulnerability selection, PoC building, exploit automation, and impact assessment.

• We create reproducible PoCs embedding vulnerable WASM modules that realize concrete exploits (e.g., SQL injection via buffer-overflowed queries), with minimal Node.js server/client code and Python scripts for independent checks.

• We publish all PoCs, scripts, and docker containers for full reproducibility

Google Earth, Zoom, Twitch.tv or Photoshop—thanks to the WebAssembly standard, many powerful applications now run directly in a browser without installation. However, some of these web apps have serious security vulnerabilities. Researchers from paluno—The Ruhr Institute for Software Technology at the University of Duisburg-Essen—have developed a solution to secure COTS applications by automatically reorganizing their memory.

Since 2019, WebAssembly (Wasm for short) has been a stable web standard designed to make complex desktop applications run in the browser. To make this possible, the original program code—often written in C or C++—is compiled into the Wasm binary format, which is supported by all major browsers.

There is a catch, however: If the code contains vulnerabilities, these are also transferred into the Wasm module during compilation. In C/C++, these are typically memory access errors such as buffer overflows. Hackers can exploit such vulnerabilities for so-called cross-site scripting attacks, injecting malicious code that users then unknowingly execute in their browsers.

Existing approaches to securing Wasm modules are hardly practical. Many require access to the application's source code, while others need special hardware or customized browser environments. The new solution developed by paluno researchers Oussama Draissi and Prof. Lucas Davi takes a different approach. They use Wasm's multi-memory feature to perform a one-time, fully automated memory reorganization of existing modules.

The restructuring is reminiscent of a Japanese bento box, in which different foods are neatly separated into individual compartments. The advantage: Isolating memory areas prevents, for example, HTML tags in one memory area from being overwritten by a buffer overflow in another.

For users, the restructuring of the modules comes with no noticeable drawbacks. They will notice neither longer loading times nor a significantly larger memory footprint.

The researchers tested the effectiveness of the bento approach using known security vulnerabilities, including the infamous Heartbleed bug.

"In extensive tests, we were able to demonstrate that our solution would have successfully defended against real-world attacks on widely used applications," explains Oussama Draissi.

Provided by University of Duisburg-Essen

DIGITAL LIFE

Erin Brockovich returns to the scene, but to lead resistance against data centers

For years, artificial intelligence has been presented as one of the most promising technologies of the 21st century. However, behind the advances in chatbots, automation systems, and generative models, there is a gigantic infrastructure that rarely appears in public discussions: data centers.

Now, one of the best-known environmental activists in the United States wants to draw attention precisely to this less visible side of the digital revolution. Erin Brockovich, whose story inspired the famous film starring Julia Roberts, has launched an online platform to monitor the construction of new data centers throughout the United States.

According to her, many communities only discover that a large technological project will be installed near their homes when construction is already well underway.

The initiative is called Brockovich Data Center and gathers information on existing projects, ongoing construction, and future planned data centers in the United States.

The goal is to offer transparency to residents and local authorities about a rapidly growing industry driven by artificial intelligence, cloud computing, and digital services.

Since the platform's launch in April 2026, thousands of people have submitted information and reports about projects near their communities.

For Brockovich, the problem is not only technological but also democratic. According to the activist, the population should not be the last to know about projects capable of profoundly transforming the environment in which they live.

Although they have existed for decades, data centers have entered a new phase of expansion with the explosive growth of artificial intelligence.

These facilities house thousands of servers responsible for processing, storing, and distributing information. The continuous operation of this equipment requires enormous amounts of electricity and sophisticated cooling systems.

It is precisely at this point that the main criticisms arise.

Experts and environmental organizations warn that a single data center can consume energy equivalent to that of a small city. In addition, many projects depend on large volumes of water to keep their equipment cool.

In some regions of India, residents have reported difficulties accessing water after the installation of these structures. According to reports released by environmental organizations, communities have begun to receive water supply for limited periods of the day due to the growing demand for water. Impacts that go beyond energy...Concerns are not limited to electricity and water consumption.

Critics also point to the increase in electronic waste production. As servers need to be constantly updated to keep up with technological evolution, large quantities of equipment end up being discarded after only a few years of use.

Another frequently cited problem is noise pollution. Ventilation and cooling systems operate continuously, generating noise that can affect both residents and local wildlife.

From an economic point of view, the benefits are also questioned. Although investments often reach billions of dollars, data centers tend to employ relatively few people after the construction phase.

Many facilities occupy areas equivalent to dozens of football fields, but operate with fewer than one hundred permanent employees.

Where expansion is most intense...The United States leads the number of data centers in the world, with approximately 5,400 facilities in operation.

Following are countries such as Germany, the United Kingdom, China, Canada, France, Australia, the Netherlands, and Russia.

The trend, however, is for accelerated growth. Thousands of new projects are planned for the coming years, especially in rural areas.

In Asia, countries like China, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan are rapidly expanding their investments. In the Middle East, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar are also heavily investing in the sector.

In Europe, the Frankfurt region in Germany remains one of the largest global hubs for the industry.

Communities are beginning to react... The advancement of this infrastructure has provoked resistance in different parts of the world.

In the United States, some states are already discussing or implementing temporary moratoriums to slow down new construction while they study its impacts.

Similar cases have emerged in Ireland, the Netherlands, and several Latin American countries.

In Chile, environmental groups managed to block a project linked to artificial intelligence in 2024. In Brazil, local movements are also beginning to question new ventures, especially in the Northeast region, considered strategic for the sector's expansion.

In Germany, the American company EdgeConneX recently abandoned an energy project associated with a data center after facing opposition from the local population and municipal authorities.

The debate raised by Erin Brockovich highlights an increasingly relevant issue: every technological innovation has a physical and environmental infrastructure behind it.

As artificial intelligence becomes part of everyday life, the need to discuss the energy, water, and social costs that sustain this transformation also grows.

For Brockovich, the solution lies not in halting technological advancement, but in ensuring transparency, public participation, and proper planning. After all, while millions of people use AI tools daily, few know what is being built to make it all possible.

mundophone

 

DIGITAL LIFE

Ebola virus and the smartphone

The Ebola epidemic spreading through the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda has reignited an alert that goes beyond public health. Researchers and international organizations have been drawing attention to a less obvious, but increasingly relevant connection: the relationship between deforestation, mining, and the risk of new outbreaks of diseases transmitted from animals to humans.

At the heart of this discussion is the Congo Basin forest, the second largest tropical rainforest in the world, after the Amazon, and one of the most strategic regions for the digital economy. The Democratic Republic of Congo holds large reserves of cobalt, copper, coltan, gold, and other minerals used in smartphones, semiconductors, batteries, electric cars, and technology equipment.

Global demand for these inputs has driven industrial mining and, especially, artisanal mining, an informal activity involving hundreds of thousands of workers in the country.

According to a report in The Guardian, this rush for minerals has encroached upon forested areas and altered the ecological balance of regions where viruses like Ebola circulate in wild animals, mainly fruit bats, considered likely natural reservoirs.

The logic is straightforward. When the forest is felled or fragmented, animals that previously remained in more preserved areas begin to occupy smaller fragments of forest, often closer to human communities, mining camps, and makeshift settlements. This more frequent contact increases the chances of viruses present in wild animals reaching people.

The problem is not only environmental but also economic. The digital economy depends on minerals extracted in areas where governance is weak, health infrastructure is limited, and armed conflicts hinder any rapid response. In eastern Congo, where some artisanal mining is concentrated, workers enter forested areas in search of gold, coltan, and other minerals, often without adequate sanitation, housing, or medical assistance.

This scenario creates a favorable environment for the spread of diseases. Mining camps and mining villages often bring together people from different regions, with high mobility and low coverage of public services. If an infection arises in these places, it can spread more rapidly than in isolated communities.

The current outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo virus, a type of Ebola considered serious and for which there is no approved vaccine or specific medication. In June, the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention counted hundreds of confirmed cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda. The World Health Organization had already classified the situation as a public health emergency of international concern, due to the risk of regional expansion.

The relationship between mining and Ebola, however, is a simple causality. There is no proof that artisanal mining was the direct origin of the current outbreak. What studies indicate is that deforestation and forest fragmentation increase the risk of pathogen spillover, the moment when a virus passes from animals to humans.

The English website cites the case of Mongbwalu, a mining town in northeastern Congo, as an example of this overlapping risk. The region appears among the locations associated with the first clusters of fatal cases in the current outbreak and is also surrounded by gold mining areas. Satellite images analyzed by researchers indicate recent progress in forest loss around the city.

Demand for minerals...The International Energy Agency, linked to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), projects significant growth in demand for critical minerals in the coming decades. Congo, in turn, occupies a central position in this dispute. According to the United States Department of Commerce, the country holds between 50% and 70% of the global supply of cobalt, in addition to significant reserves of copper, coltan, lithium, and gold.

This concentration places governments and companies before a difficult choice. Ignoring Congo is not a realistic option for the global clean energy and technology industry. At the same time, maintaining supply chains based on informal extraction, deforestation, and weak oversight tends to increase reputational, social, and environmental risks.

Experts argue that the response cannot be limited to the emergency fight against Ebola. It is necessary to strengthen health systems, expand epidemiological surveillance, protect forests, and create stricter mechanisms for mineral traceability. It also involves supporting economic alternatives for local populations, who often turn to artisanal mining because agriculture has become less viable in the face of conflict, poverty, and climate change.

For consumers, the connection between a smartphone and an epidemic may seem distant. But it reveals a less visible facet of the digital economy. Every electronic device depends on a global chain that begins long before the factory, in mines, forests, and communities that rarely appear in innovation campaigns.

This discussion doesn't mean that cell phones, semiconductors, or batteries are directly responsible for Ebola outbreaks. The point is broader: the growing demand for technology is reorganizing territories, putting pressure on ecosystems, and creating risks. In the age of artificial intelligence, electric vehicles, and permanent connectivity, the question of the origin of minerals becomes as important as the innovation they help to build.

mundophone

TECH

Star Wars Zero Company now has an official release date

Fans of the galaxy far, far away have great reason to celebrate. Electronic Arts took advantage of the spotlight at Summer Game Fest 2026 to reveal more details about the highly anticipated Star Wars Zero Company.

The new title promises to bring a genuine breath of fresh air to the franchise, betting on a turn-based tactical strategy format that immediately reminds us of the classic XCOM. It's a different approach from the usual frenetic action we're used to seeing, but it has everything to keep players glued to the screen for hours on end.

Developed in a powerful partnership between Respawn Entertainment and the newly created studio Bit Reactor, the game has just received its first gameplay trailer. The best news of all is that the mystery is over and we already know exactly when you can get your hands on this adventure.

The narrative takes us back to the ever-fascinating period of the Clone Wars, putting you in the shoes of Hawks, a former officer of the Galactic Republic. Your main mission will be to recruit and lead the “Zero Company,” a rather peculiar group composed of mercenaries, astromechs, and renegades from across the galaxy.

Your squad's ultimate goal is to stop the forces of Kundri Fathom, the fearsome leader of a cult focused on the dark side of the Force. Along the way, and as one would expect in a title of this magnitude, you will encounter iconic figures from the saga, including the unavoidable Jedi General Anakin Skywalker.

All the action takes place from an isometric perspective, where every military decision can mean the difference between a heroic victory and a crushing defeat. It's, at the very least, thrilling to see the Star Wars universe embracing this more cerebral and demanding genre with such a high level of detail and customization.

Electronic Arts, Bit Reactor, and Respawn Entertainment announced during the Summer Game Fest 2026 broadcast that Star Wars Zero Company will be released for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, and PC (Steam and Epic Games Store) on August 27, 2026.

The companies also revealed the official prices for the game:

PC (Steam and Epic Games Store): $49.99

PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series: $59.99

Deluxe Edition (Steam and Epic Games Store): $59.99

Deluxe Edition (PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series): $69.99

The Deluxe editions will include additional content to be detailed later.

From the Star Wars Zero Company Steam page, we can read: Command an elite squad in a story of courage and authenticity in Star Wars Zero Company, a turn-based tactical single-player game set in the twilight of the Clone Wars. You will play as Hawks, a former Republic officer who leads Zero Company, as they are recruited for an operation that puts them in the path of an emerging threat that will consume the galaxy if left unchecked.

Lead the most astute Agents of Clone Wars...Command the galaxy's best agents in tactical operations, investigations, and other intense and thrilling missions through an original cinematic story.

Choose Your Path to Victory...Strategize and adapt, whether in your base of operations or on an ever-changing battlefield, so that every decision counts; the results of your choices make each gameplay experience different.

Engage in Tactical Combat in the Star Wars Universe...Mobilize a team of operatives comprised of a variety of archetypes, from bandits to astromechs, or even a Jedi, using an arsenal of tactical skills to outmaneuver and defeat your enemies.

Create deep bonds with your Squadron... Enhance your squadron's skills as you deploy them on missions, where they'll learn to work together and unlock new combat synergies that can make the difference between victory and defeat.

Customize your Fight...Customize Hawks' combat specialization and appearance, then recruit your team with original, personalized Star Wars characters whose appearances, equipment, and abilities adapt to your playstyle.

If you're already eager to don the commander's suit, mark August 27th on your calendar. The game will be released on major current-generation platforms, ensuring that console and PC lovers don't miss out on this tactical war.

Electronic Arts has already opened pre-orders for those who like to secure their one-way ticket to space in advance. The standard edition is priced around US$70, and there's also a Deluxe version that offers exclusive cosmetics for the most dedicated players.

This launch marks a bold move by the brand into a very specific niche of the video game market. Now we just have to wait a few more months to test our strategic thinking and try to save the galaxy with our own team of renegades.

TECH

Semiconductors enter 'multi-tasking' era: New device cuts required components by 75% and quadruples processing speed

Less than two decades after smartphones fit into the palm of our hands, artificial intelligence is now running on devices worn on our wrists. The challenge is that while devices continue to shrink, the amount of data they must process and the number of functions they must perform are growing exponentially. A research team at POSTECH (Pohang University of Science and Technology) has found a promising way to address this contradiction.

A team led by Professor Byoung Hun Lee of the Department of Electrical Engineering and the Department of Semiconductor Engineering at POSTECH, together with Dr. Jae Hyeon Jun of the Department of Electrical Engineering, has developed a transistor technology that enables a single semiconductor device to perform multiple circuit functions simultaneously. The new approach significantly simplifies circuit design and increases data processing speed fourfold compared with conventional methods. The findings were published in Advanced Functional Materials.

One of the key challenges in the semiconductor industry is integrating more functions into smaller chips. As the number of functions increases, so do the number of circuits and transistors required. However, when adding new functions to previously fabricated semiconductor chips, back-end-of-line processing must be conducted at temperatures below 400 C to protect the existing chip structure.

The research team focused on zinc oxide (ZnO) and tellurium (Te). Both materials can be fabricated as thin, uniform films at temperatures below 200 C, making them promising candidates for next-generation semiconductor materials. By combining the two, the team created a ZnO–Te heterojunction transistor.

Structure of the ZnO–Te heterojunction device and double NDT, D-NDT, characteristics that generate double current peaks within a single device through control of the geometric overlap length. Credit: POSTECH

The device controls current flow in a highly distinctive way. Unlike conventional semiconductors, in which current generally increases as voltage rises, this device exhibits negative differential transconductance (NDT), in which current decreases over a certain voltage range. The team successfully realized double negative differential transconductance (D-NDT), in which this phenomenon occurs twice in succession within a single device. In simple terms, the technology allows a single device to handle tasks that would normally be divided among multiple devices, thereby reducing circuit complexity.

The key lies in precisely controlling the overlap length between the two materials. When the overlap region is short, the current changes only once. However, as the overlap region becomes longer, both lateral and vertical currents form simultaneously within the device, generating double current peaks. Just as a current flowing in a straight line becomes capable of more complex routing when it meets a three-dimensional intersection, the device becomes capable of more complex signal processing.

Using this device, the team implemented a frequency quadrupler that converts one input signal into four output signals. This function would typically require multiple transistors, but the new technology achieves it with a single device, reducing the number of required transistors by 75%. In actual circuit experiments, the researchers also confirmed that data processing speed increased fourfold within a single input signal cycle.

"This study demonstrates the possibility of implementing complex circuit functions at the level of a single device," Lee said. "We expect this technology to be widely applicable to the development of ultra-compact AI devices and three-dimensional integrated, highly dense semiconductor systems."

Provided by Pohang University of Science and Technology 

DOSSIER

TECH

The boom in data centers and the boom in inflation in energy bills for the average consumer

The rapidly rising cost of electricity in the United States threatens to claim its biggest victim yet: the nation's largest power grid operator.

Federal authorities have begun considering the possibility of splitting up PJM Interconnection, responsible for managing the grid that stretches from the prairies of Illinois to the coast of New Jersey. The expansion of new data centers is putting pressure on the electricity supply in the 13 states served by PJM, driving up prices and fueling a political backlash.

Regulators, state officials, and executives in the electricity sector complain that the organization is taking too long to approve new power plants and generation projects capable of keeping up with the growth in demand.

Even the CEO of PJM stated that the current situation is "not sustainable," arguing that the entity cannot guarantee sufficient energy supply in the future while simultaneously protecting residential consumers from rising tariffs.

One of the largest energy utilities in its area of ​​operation, American Electric Power, even threatened to leave the organization, which could lead to the incorporation of its transmission lines into another nearby regional grid.

The FERC, the country's energy regulatory agency, has called a meeting for July 23 to discuss possible reforms, including changes to the governance of the PJM.

The FERC chair warned last month that the PJM may need to be broken up into smaller, more manageable parts if reforms do not appear feasible. A senior White House official, speaking on condition of anonymity, also stated that a split should be considered if necessary.

The organization's inability to act more quickly, said FERC chair Laura Swett, jeopardizes the United States' leadership in the field of artificial intelligence.

"The PJM is on the front line; it is the laboratory of national and economic security upon which our country can prosper or fail," Swett stated during the organization's annual membership meeting, held on May 12 in Baltimore.

"We now face historically unprecedented demand and the possibility of a historically unprecedented catastrophic failure."

Founded nearly a century ago, PJM Interconnection manages the transmission grid that supplies electricity to 67 million people—almost a fifth of the United States' population.

Its vast territory also houses some of the largest concentrations of new data processing centers in the country, especially a strip in northern Virginia now known as "Data Center Alley." After decades of modest growth, energy demand is skyrocketing.

Prices are following this trajectory. In the first three months of this year, electricity prices in the PJM grid's wholesale market jumped 76% compared to the same period of the previous year, reaching an average of US$136.53 per megawatt-hour. Capacity costs, a mechanism that ensures sufficient energy supply during periods of higher demand, have increased by almost 400%.

The rise in electricity bills is causing political turmoil in the United States on the eve of this year's legislative elections, and officials from different political currents have blamed PJM for part of the problem.

Pennsylvania even threatened to leave the organization. President Donald Trump, accompanied by governors from several states, requested that the PJM hold a special energy auction in which technology companies would finance the construction of new power plants by bidding for 15-year electricity capacity contracts. In response, the PJM stated that it will change the way data centers and suppliers enter into contracts and will anticipate the contracting of new energy supply.

"There is no clear plan from the PJM to simultaneously address tariff affordability and system reliability," said Maryland Governor Wes Moore, considered by some to be a potential Democratic presidential candidate in 2028, at the opening of the PJM's annual meeting in May. "Even if we hadn't foreseen the scale of the phenomenon, data centers are nothing new, and we've known for some time that we would see many more of them."

"The PJM failed to anticipate this," he added.

A representative from PJM stated that the organization generates significant value for the states it serves and will continue working to address supply shortages.

— We understand the states' concerns about tightening electricity supply and increasing demand, which pose challenges to both reliability and tariff affordability — said spokesperson Jeffrey Shields.

— PJM has been warning about these issues for several years and remains committed to working with states and its members to address these common challenges.

Part of the problem lies in PJM's complex and unusual structure. The organization oversees both electricity transmission and the markets and auctions that determine energy prices. Technically, it is a private company, but it operates as a membership association.

Its more than 500 voting members — including utilities and power plant operators — can influence policies through internal committees, although the entity also has a technical team and board of directors that make their own decisions. Frequently, the interests of the participants diverge profoundly: some advocate for the expansion of renewable sources, while others continue to bet on coal.

Its CEO, David Mills, took office just a month ago. In a letter sent to market participants, he described a “credibility gap” between the need for high prices to stimulate the construction of new power plants and the obligation to protect consumers from unsustainable tariffs. According to him, limiting the prices paid by consumers means reducing incentives for the entry of new energy generation.

— My job is to ensure that PJM stops being seen as the punching bag responsible for solving all these problems — Mills stated during the annual meeting. — It will require a collective effort.

One of PJM's main challenges will be reforming the so-called capacity market, a mechanism created to guarantee sufficient energy during the dozens of hours per year when demand peaks and the risk of blackouts increases.

According to a recent report from the independent PJM market monitor, the data center boom added approximately US$23 billion (about R$116 billion) to the cost of this "insurance" for the three-year period ending in mid-2028.

How the PJM will be structured a year from now will depend on the decisions made by the organization and its regulators in the next two months, according to a White House official who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue.

There is even a risk that the network operator will dissolve without federal intervention if American Electric Power (AEP) abandons the organization and other utilities follow suit.

FERC President Laura Swett made it clear in her speech at the PJM annual meeting that profound changes may be necessary.

"We are facing a moment of profound consequences. Personally, I am very willing to act aggressively when the future of the country is at stake," Swett stated.

More pollution...A surge in Australian data centre construction driven by AI risks pushing up power bills and climate pollution, according to a new report from the Climate Council.

The report, Clouded future: Managing risks of the data centre boom, reveals that Australia is already a global investment hotspot – second only to the USA in 2024 – with 162 data centres in operation and more than 90 projects in the pipeline.

 

Unchecked, this growth risks:

↑ 26% wholesale electricity price rise in NSW, and 23% rise in Victoria by 2035 if data centre demand is met with gas, not renewables

↑ 14% more climate pollution from our main electricity grid by 2035 without intervention

3X projected growth in data centre energy demand by 2030 – making their power use equivalent to all Victorian homes – in the midst of the clean energy build out 3X projected growth in water demand by 2030 as our climate is becoming hotter and drier. Water utilities have received single site connection requests to be able to use up to 40 million litres a day (equivalent to 16 Olympic swimming pools).

But proactive, swift Government action can better align data centre growth with Australia’s switch to clean, reliable and affordable energy. Requiring new data centres to match their load with low cost, new renewables and storage will protect Australians from price hikes and pollution surges.

Climate Council CEO Amanda McKenzie said:

“Australia is navigating a dual boom: a critical switch to a clean energy system and a historic surge in digital infrastructure. To protect the Australia of tomorrow, our governments must act today.

“Data centres are hungry for energy. Governments must proactively manage the surging demand, making sure that they are powered with clean renewable power. If they don’t, there is a big risk that they will push up pollution from coal and gas at a time when we’re already living through more frequent floods, and ferocious fires.

“Unchecked construction of data centres would hit Australians in the hip pocket, too, if their high energy demand is met by expensive and polluting gas rather than additional renewables. But, matching new data centre load with low cost, new renewables and storage will protect households, and other businesses from those costs.

“There is an opportunity to align the expansion in datacentres with climate action, and the time for Government action is now.”

Climate Councillor and energy expert, Associate Professor Joel Gilmore, said:

“How we manage this industry will shape our energy system – and climate – for decades to come. Done poorly, data centres threaten to derail our switch to clean energy – which will push up pollution and power prices. With government intervention and enforceable requirements, data centres can play a role in our clean energy shift, support grid reliability, and avoid unnecessary power price rises.

“Data centres are like a giant snowball rolling down the mountain. If they don’t bring new, low-cost renewables and storage with them and pay for the energy and water infrastructure upgrades they need, they’ll be dumping massive costs onto households and businesses.

“These are large, well-resourced corporations who can afford to pay for the clean energy they need. Australian households should not be subsidising big American tech companies – our governments must act swiftly to insist that these companies come to the party with additional renewable energy and storage.’’

mundophone