2025 was a turbulent year for clean energy under President Trump, who called renewables a “scam” and signed a tax bill slashing subsidies. Yet, solar and storage still made up 85% of new grid power, proving economic fundamentals can trump politics.
Japan’s new law is forcing tech giants to allow third-party app stores and payments. Apple and Google have complied, but with clear reluctance and warnings about security risks. Meanwhile, Debian adds support for a Chinese CPU architecture.
An international team has directly observed “hybrid excitons” forming in less than one ten-trillionth of a second. This quantum phenomenon could lead to radically more efficient solar cells and optoelectronics.
In a wild experiment, a tech journalist tried to infect a Windows XP virtual machine with modern malware. Surprisingly, much of it simply wouldn’t run, crashing due to missing system features or 64-bit requirements. But this doesn’t mean the 23-year-old OS is safe.
Researchers have cracked a long-standing problem plaguing tin sulfide thin-film solar cells. By inserting an ultra-thin 7-nanometer germanium oxide layer, they boosted device efficiency from 3.71% to 4.81%, a nearly 30% jump.
Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney has announced Fortnite will not return to iOS in Japan in 2025 as planned. He accuses Apple of implementing “competition-crushing” new fees instead of complying with a law requiring it to open iOS to competing stores.
The future of browsing might be AI agents doing the work for you. But a real-world test of the two leading contenders shows that future is still frustratingly far away. One agent, however, failed much more gracefully than the other.
A critical vulnerability in WatchGuard Firebox firewalls is being actively exploited in attacks, prompting CISA to issue an urgent remediation order. Federal agencies have until December 26 to apply the patch, but all organizations are urged to act quickly.
A major complaint about the Nintendo Switch 2 might be getting addressed. Publisher Inin Games is switching its physical release of *R-Type Dimensions III* from a Game-Key Card to a real cartridge, citing new, cheaper cartridge options from Nintendo.
Microsoft is buying over 28,500 tons of carbon removal credits from Brazilian startup InPlanet. The deal uses enhanced rock weathering, where crushed silicate rock is spread on farms to pull CO2 from the air.
