The AI data center boom is colliding with cities scarred by big industry 

National outcry against data center construction has spread to Philadelphia, where officials suggested possible construction in a neighborhood already impacted by a now-defunct oil refinery.

We don’t need AI regulation — leave safety to us, Nvidia’s Jensen Huang says

AI isn’t some new form of “alien mind,” according to Jensen Huang. It’s just hardware and software, so safety can be engineered by each AI product maker.

Amazon launches Alexa+ in India with Hindi support

Amazon is letting all customers use Alexa+ assistant in early access period.

Clean tech startup Fluxnium found a way to tap 50,000 years’ worth of nuclear fuel

Fluxnium’s fibers can extract uranium directly from seawater, which has enough of the nuclear fuel to power thousands of generations.

SK Hynix reportedly in talks with Intel to build memory chips in US

SK Hynix told TechCrunch the company hasn’t finalized any plans or arrangements yet.

Meta now lets AI agents handle the boring parts of WhatsApp Business setup

A new WhatsApp Business MCP server lets developers use AI coding agents like Claude, Cursor, Codex, and ChatGPT to handle setup, messaging templates, testing, and troubleshooting.

US military says it has launched weapons into space

This is the first public acknowledgment that the U.S. military put a space weapon in Earth’s orbit.

Health benefits platform Thatch reaches $1B valuation as healthcare costs surge

Thatch helps employers keep healthcare costs manageable by offering an individual plan marketplace through an Individual Coverage Health Reimbursement Arrangement — a model that lets companies fund employees’ own individual insurance plans instead of enrolling everyone in one company-wide plan.

AEO startup Profound hits unicorn valuation, raises $180M Series D 7 months after last round

Profound has raised a $180 million Series D at a $1.8 billion valuation, less than seven months after it raised a $96 million Series C.

Discover how to take your startup from prototype to production at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026

Learn how to scale your startup breakthrough from prototype to production at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 with scaling leaders, Adrian Macneil (Foxglove), John Mackey (MBRYONICS), and Boris Sofman (Bedrock Robotics). Register before September 25 to save up to $200 on your pass.