Technologies

The AI Data Center Boom Is Driving Up Electricity Costs, Research Shows

The price of electricity, juiced by demand from power-hungry data centers, is being passed on to residential customers.

Electricity bills are going up around the US, but they’re rising even more sharply in areas located near data centers, according to an investigation into power costs by Bloomberg. The price of wholesale electricity has risen as much as 267% over the last five years in data center hot spots, according to the report, which also found that those costs are being passed onto home customers.

Data centers, which support functions including cloud storage, video streaming and AI training for companies of all sizes, use a tremendous amount of electrical and water resources. It’s estimated that their electrical usage will double by 2035 as power plants expand to support our data needs.

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AI, in particular, including demands as simple and numerous as ChatGPT queries, relies on data centers. Companies with big bets on AI, including Microsoft, Meta, Google and Amazon, have been investing in data centers and power sources, including nuclear power, to meet their energy demands. ChatGPT maker OpenAI, which is currently building a massive data center in Abilene, Texas, last week announced plans for five more supersized data centers across the US.

The Bloomberg investigation analyzed data from 25,000 nodes used by seven regional transmission authorities to estimate how much the price of wholesale power has changed since 2000. The report found that the spike in prices is affecting the cost of electricity for households and businesses, including fees to maintain and expand electrical networks.

«That can affect customers who aren’t in close proximity to a data center, since their energy relies on the same grid,» the story says.

Read more: AI Data Centers Are Coming for Your Land, Water and Power

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Wednesday, Oct. 1

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for Oct. 1.

Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Need some help with today’s Mini Crossword? For me, 6-Across was the toughest one, since it could have been almost anything. If you need help on that answer or any others, read on. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword

Let’s get to those Mini Crossword clues and answers.

Mini across clues and answers

1A clue: Finish filming
Answer: WRAP

5A clue: Capital city with a view of pyramids
Answer: CAIRO

6A clue: «Now that you mention it, of course!»
Answer: AHYES

7A clue: Make fun of mercilessly
Answer: ROAST

8A clue: Symbol on an L.A. Chargers helmet
Answer: BOLT

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: «Yay!»
Answer: WAHOO

2D clue: Saudi currency
Answer: RIYAL

3D clue: «Give it ___!»
Answer: AREST

4D clue: Write on social media
Answer: POST

5D clue: Pasta or bread, informally
Answer: CARB

Technologies

DoorDash’s Dot Bot Will Deliver Your Food, and It Won’t Just Cruise Down Sidewalks

The autonomous delivery robot will switch between sidewalks, bike paths and roadways.

A new robot will soon join the autonomous delivery fleet operating in certain neighborhoods. Dot is a bright red bot that is one-tenth the size of a car.

Unlike existing delivery bots, DoorDash’s Dot won’t always take up sidewalk space. Sometimes, it’ll be zooming right next to your car.

DoorDash says its Dot robot is purpose-built for local delivery, and can switch between sidewalks, bike lanes and roads as needed. The robot carries the same load as any other sidewalk delivery vehicle in the fleet, but it travels at up to 20 mph.

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The first Dot robot is live now as DoorDash tests it in Phoenix. The early program allows residents to give feedback on the bot’s performance as DoorDash prepares to release the Dot into other markets.

Even if you’re in an area where DoorDash operates robotic deliveries, you won’t necessarily be assigned a bot delivery. DoorDash uses an AI dispatcher to assign your orders to human drivers, drones, robots or bots, based on speed, cost and order size.

Reservations, restaurant videos are new

DoorDash paired its delivery-bot announcement with numerous app updates.

Among them, users can book restaurant reservations from the DoorDash app with the Going Out feature.

DoorDash will also feature creator videos showcasing new local restaurants, part of a new partnership with Yelp.

AI-powered recommendations built on your existing order history are now offered to San Francisco and Manhattan customers.

And when you order using the app, the new Complement Your Cart feature suggests relevant add-ons that pair well with the items in your cart.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints and Answers for Oct. 1, #373

Here are hints and the answers for the NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle for Oct. 1, No. 373.

Looking for the most recent regular Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle and Strands puzzles.

Oh, it’s on. Today’s Connections: Sports Edition has one of those classic purple categories where you have to mess with a letter in order to make the connection. If you’re struggling but still want to solve it, read on for hints and the answers.

Connections: Sports Edition is published by The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by the Times. It doesn’t show up in the NYT Games app but appears in The Athletic’s own app. Or you can play it for free online.

Read more: NYT Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle Comes Out of Beta

Hints for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Think of a noisy baby toy.

Green group hint: Not running-back numbers, but…

Blue group hint: Take me out to the ballgame here.

Purple group hint: Signal-callers, but we mess with the letters in their names.

Answers for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Yellow group: Rattle.

Green group: Stats for a WR.

Blue group: Last words in MLB ballpark names.

Purple group: NFL QBs, with the last letter removed.

Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words

What are today’s Connections: Sports Edition answers?

The yellow words in today’s Connections

The theme is rattle. The four answers are faze, fluster, shake and unnerve.

The green words in today’s Connections

The theme is stats for a WR. The four answers are receptions, targets, TDs and yards.

The blue words in today’s Connections

The theme is last words in MLB ballpark names. The four answers are Centre, Field, Park and Stadium.

The purple words in today’s Connections

The theme is NFL QBs, with the last letter removed. The four answers are Hurt (Jalen Hurts), Rattle (Spencer Rattler), War (Cam Ward) and William (Caleb Williams).