Sustainability – Page 2 of 13

Spokane’s aerospace Tech Hub lands $48M in federal funding for Eastern Wash. testbed

After missing out on federal funding awarded in July, Spokane’s Tech Hub for developing advanced aerospace has landed $48 million to launch the Eastern Washington effort. The money is coming… Read More

As AI booms, here’s how Microsoft and Amazon are coming up with energy solutions

Artificial intelligence and the data centers that drive the technology are booming with no end in sight. That’s putting mounting pressure on tech giants to come up with climate friendly… Read More

Tech veterans from Meetingflow and EnergySavvy launch custom AI app startup in Seattle

A trio of seasoned, Seattle-area entrepreneurs has teamed up to create AZX, a startup pitched as a boutique company creating bespoke artificial intelligence solutions for critical industries. The business launched… Read More

REC Silicon shuts down manufacturing plant in Washington, lays off 224 workers

Silicon manufacturing company REC Silicon is ceasing operations in Moses Lake, Wash., but left the door open to a future restart that could benefit battery makers. The Norway-based business announced… Read More

Climate activism and community-building startup draws tech workers seeking camaraderie

A climate-focused startup fostering community is drawing tech workers who are feeling anxious about the planet’s environmental trajectory and eager to collectively engage in positive activism. “Tech is this perfect… Read More

A better weather forecast: Microsoft vets lead startup outperforming traditional sources

Working on Aurora, Microsoft’s AI foundation model of the Earth’s atmosphere, Cristian Bodnar and Jayesh Gupta could see that large scale machine learning was primed to drive a sea change… Read More

Amazon unveils new packaging for its devices, reducing the use of plastic, ink and bleach

Some boxes delivered by Amazon will have the same look on the inside as they do on the outside as devices from the company are being packaged in new-look materials… Read More

First Mode files for bankruptcy in sudden downfall for clean trucking company

First Mode filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Sunday as the Seattle-based clean tech company continues to explore strategic alternatives after its majority shareholder stopped providing capital. GeekWire reported earlier… Read More

Seattle aviation startup Nimbus Aerospace flies demonstrator model for planned electric jet

Editor’s note: This story was updated to reflect that Nimbus has been based in the Seattle region since its inception, and that the flight took place in Tulsa, Okla. Nimbus… Read More

Seattle-area startup Modern Hydrogen raises $25M to fuel clean energy efforts

Woodinville, Wash.-based clean tech startup Modern Hydrogen raised $25 million in new funding. The company confirmed the new investment after GeekWire spotted a regulatory filing. Existing and new investors participated… Read More

CarbonQuest partners with Icelandic venture to boost deployment of carbon capture and storage

Spokane, Wash.-based startup CarbonQuest announced a partnership with Iceland-based Carbfix, a global leader in carbon storage, to team up in deploying technologies that address climate change. CarbonQuest sells devices that… Read More

Microsoft shares new data center design featuring a closed-loop water system for cooling

Microsoft revealed details of new approach to cooling data centers that won’t lose water to evaporation. The strategy will still use water, but it’s contained in a closed-loop system where… Read More

First Mode explores strategic alternatives as Anglo American stops funding clean energy company

First Mode, a Seattle clean tech company aiming to reduce carbon emissions for mining trucks and other heavyweight vehicles, is in asset acquisition talks after a decision by its majority… Read More

Uncommon Thinkers: TerraPower Isotopes’ Chris Dunckley spearheads pursuit of ultra-rare element

Editor’s note: This series profiles five of the Seattle region’s “Uncommon Thinkers”: inventors, scientists, technologists and entrepreneurs transforming industries and driving positive change in the world. They will be recognized Dec. 12… Read More

Philanthropy vet launches startup to help people ‘get smart’ about climate investing and giving

President-elect Donald Trump is proposing fossil fuel champions for U.S. leadership roles. New research shows the world is off the mark for hitting carbon emissions targets. These headlines could make… Read More

Long-duration battery startup lands $5M on journey to one day power data centers and metro areas

Skip Technology raised $5 million to help the grid-scale battery startup begin deploying prototypes for field testing. The Portland, Ore., company is building long-duration batteries that use hydrogen bromine to… Read More

Your startup builds clean energy tech, but Trump loves fossil fuels – here are some keys to survival

President-elect Donald Trump is a champion of fossil fuels and calls President Biden’s New-Deal style programs for battling climate change the “greatest scam in history.” So what does a climate-focused… Read More

Amazon employee survey reveals concerns about company’s climate leadership and enviro impacts

Amazon Employees for Climate Justice surveyed 800 of the tech giant’s workers to get feedback on Amazon’s climate impacts and the role of leadership in portraying and addressing these issues.… Read More

Reading the EV tea leaves: What happens to electric vehicle sales under a Trump presidency?

For the past four years, the Biden administration revved up the adoption of electrical vehicles in the U.S., but President-elect Donald Trump campaigned on putting a stop to those efforts.… Read More

Energy demand, stoked by AI and expanding electrification, is outpacing supply

Washington state — a region once blessed with an overabundance of clean, affordable power thanks to its hydroelectric dams — can no longer make that claim. Energy use is surging… Read More

Clean tech outlook: How investors are strategizing given Trump’s climate antagonism

Over the past five years, growth in climate tech has been so prolific that it has drawn comparisons to the Cambrian explosion — an era some 530 million years ago… Read More

Sustainable chicken-sandwich chain Mt. Joy opening new Seattle location in Amazon space

Mt. Joy, the fast-casual chicken sandwich restaurant built around sustainable farming practices, is opening its second location in Seattle. The new space, opening Nov. 19, will be at The Deck,… Read More

Former Intellectual Ventures exec named CEO of startup destroying PFAS ‘forever chemicals’

After five years, four in-the-field clean-up demos, and more than a dozen lab tests, the “forever chemical” destruction startup Aquagga is ready to commercialize its technology with a new CEO… Read More

Former Gates Foundation leader lands $1.8M for engineered bamboo building materials startup

Launching one’s first startup — maybe a domestic software company, for example — could certainly be daunting. But creating a company to produce a physical, engineered product with international manufacturing… Read More

Microsoft tries to whittle down its carbon footprint by building data centers with engineered timber

Tech heavyweights are in hot pursuit of clean energy sources to power their data center operations while reining in climate impacts. But they also need to put their data center… Read More

Microsoft signs deal with ocean carbon removal project operating on Washington’s coast

Microsoft today announced a deal with a marine carbon removal startup on the northern edge of Washington’s Olympic Peninsula to potentially lock away up to 350,000 tons of CO2 over… Read More

Seattle’s Electric Era deploys EV chargers at Costco after opening big, new HQ – take a look inside

When EV charging startup Electric Era moved this summer to a spacious location south of downtown Seattle, the team was glad for the extra room to accommodate the growing business… Read More

California governor visits Seattle for rally against ballot measure that aims to undo climate efforts

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee hosted California Gov. Gavin Newsom in Seattle this past weekend in an effort to get out the vote in opposition to Initiative 2117. The ballot measure… Read More

DOE announces $900M for next-gen reactors as Amazon launches nuclear power pursuit

Matt Garman, CEO of Amazon Web Services, joined government officials and energy-sector leaders today in Virginia to announce multiple agreements to promote the expansion of next-generation nuclear power. During the… Read More

Amazon announces nuclear power deals as tech giants scramble for more clean energy

Amazon today announced agreements supporting the construction of a next-generation nuclear power plant in its home state of Washington — marking the latest development in the tech-driven resurgence of nuclear… Read More