Big Tech Partners with Power Sector on High-Tech Solutions to Bolster U.S. Grid

• Anthropic filed a lawsuit in San Francisco federal court on March 24, 2026, urging a judge to block the Pentagon's designation of the AI firm as a supply-chain risk. • The company described the label as 'unprecedented and stigmatizing,' amid a feud with the Trump administration over potential AI use in warfare. • A hearing occurred on Tuesday before Judge Lin, with Anthropic also filing a separate case in Washington, D.C. federal appeals court.

• President Donald J. Trump appointed the first members to the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) on March 25, 2026. • Co-chaired by David Sacks and Michael Kratsios, the council includes Marc Andreessen, Sergey Brin, Safra Catz, Michael Dell, Jacob DeWitte, Fred Ehrsam, Larry Ellison, David Friedberg, Jensen Huang, John Martinis, Bob Mumgaard, Lisa Su, and Mark Zuckerberg. • Established by Executive Order, PCAST will advise on emerging technologies' impact on the American workforce and strengthening U.S. leadership in innovation.

• Anduril demonstrated its AI-powered Lattice OS at the Hill and Valley Forum on March 24, 2026, for asset tracking and kill chain analysis. • The system supports autonomous defense in multi-domain environments, aiding U.S. military re-industrialization. • Used in drones and submarines, it addresses AI sorting challenges in high-stakes operations.

• Semiconductor design giant Arm revealed on March 25, 2026, it will market its own chips for the first time, aiming for $15 billion in annual sales. • CEO Rene Haas discussed the move in exclusive interviews, marking a shift from licensing designs to direct competition in AI and data center markets. • The announcement boosted SoftBank shares and highlights re-industrialization trends in U.S. tech supply chains amid AI demand.

• OpenAI announced on March 25, 2026, it is discontinuing support for its Sora video generation model and ending its collaboration with Disney. • The move follows challenges in scaling the technology amid competition and resource constraints in AI media tools. • This reflects broader pressures on AI firms to prioritize core models over experimental features, impacting Hollywood's generative AI adoption.

• Seagate Technology (STX.US) will go ex-dividend on March 25, 2026, with shareholders of record receiving a cash dividend of $0.74 per share payable on April 8, 2026. • The ex-dividend date marks the deadline for investors to hold shares to qualify for the upcoming dividend distribution, a common corporate action in the technology hardware sector. • Cash dividends provide shareholders periodic income distributions, though they may trigger tax consequences and can cause temporary share price adjustments equivalent to the dividend amount.

• U.S. equities showed mixed performance in early trading on Tuesday, March 24, 2026, with technology stocks under pressure while energy and financial sectors gained ground. • The mixed market action reflects ongoing uncertainty around Federal Reserve rate policy and its impact on different economic sectors, with tech facing particular headwinds. • Technology stocks continued to face selling pressure as investors reassess valuations amid expectations for interest rate changes and macroeconomic conditions.

• Edmonton-born startup Smart Access raised $12 million in Series A funding from Bay Area investors Lobby Capital, Aspenwood Ventures, and Coelius Capital to expand its digital workforce management platform. • The company, co-founded by Tim Regnier and John White, helps large distribution operations optimize training, safety programs, and adherence to standard operating procedures across their workforce. • Smart Access, which relocated its operating base to San Francisco while maintaining Edmonton roots since its 2015 founding, plans to scale deployments across North America using the new capital.

• Broadcom announced supply chain bottlenecks across the tech sector, particularly at TSMC, due to skyrocketing demand for AI chips on March 24, 2026. • The constraints affect networking, custom silicon, and data-center hardware critical for AI infrastructure beyond major model developers. • This highlights the AI hardware race creating opportunities for startups to innovate in chip manufacturing tools amid industry-wide shortages.

• Baker Hughes announced a collaboration with Google Cloud on March 24, 2026, to develop AI-enabled power optimization and sustainability solutions for data centers. • The Houston-based initiative targets efficiency in high-demand AI computing environments using advanced cloud technology. • This partnership addresses growing energy challenges in U.S. data centers powering AI workloads.

• Samsung began rolling out Quick Share with AirDrop interoperability on Galaxy S26 devices and additional models on March 24, 2026, enhancing cross-platform sharing for U.S. users. • The update improves file transfer compatibility between Android and iOS ecosystems. • This move strengthens Samsung's position in the competitive U.S. smartphone market.