Minds, Bodies, and Terawatts

AI was cited as the cause of 26% of April's U.S. job cuts, according to Challenger, Gray & Christmas, making it the second-largest single reason for layoffs. Monthly hiring averaged just 76,000 jobs so far in 2026, up from a dismal 10,000/month average in 2025, but unemployment remains sticky at 4.3%–4.5%. Major firms restructuring around AI include PayPal and Ticketmaster.

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• AI Layoffs 2025-2030: AI Now #1 Reason for US Job Cuts
• 4.3% US Unemployment, 408 Million Jobs Gap: 2026 Data

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SpaceX will provide Anthropic with the entire capacity of its Colossus 1 data center, delivering over 300 megawatts of compute backed by 220,000 Nvidia GPUs, to meet the demand surge for compute power in AI development. Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei cited difficulties with compute as the driver for the deal. This partnership signals the extreme GPU shortage and reshapes the competitive energy-and-compute infrastructure race among frontier AI labs.

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• Inside xAI Colossus: The World's Largest AI GPU Cluster
• GPT-4 Training: 50,000 MWh and the AI Energy Crisis

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SpaceX will provide Anthropic with the entire capacity of its Colossus 1 data center, delivering over 300 megawatts of compute backed by 220,000 Nvidia GPUs, to meet the demand surge for compute power in AI development. Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei cited difficulties with compute as the driver for the deal. This partnership signals the extreme GPU shortage and reshapes the competitive energy-and-compute infrastructure race among frontier AI labs.

Continue the story on unscarcity.ai:

• Inside xAI Colossus: The World's Largest AI GPU Cluster
• GPT-4 Training: 50,000 MWh and the AI Energy Crisis

Full episode notes on unscarcity.ai

The US Commerce Department has announced that it will conduct pre-deployment testing of AI models from Google, Microsoft, and xAI, marking a significant pivot from the Trump White House's earlier hands-off approach to AI policy. This development sets a new regulatory precedent for the clearance of powerful AI systems for public release.

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• AI Governance: Why Hawk-Eye Works But Doesn't Make Rules
• Rules vs. Principles in AI Governance Design

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Nvidia and Corning are partnering to build three new advanced manufacturing facilities in North Carolina and Texas dedicated to optical technologies, creating at least 3,000 jobs and increasing Corning's U.S. optical manufacturing capacity by 10-fold. This deal signals Nvidia is moving to vertically secure its supply chain beyond chips. The partnership is a direct response to surging AI infrastructure demand, which relies heavily on optical interconnects.

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• AI Compute Clusters 2026: The $800B GPU Arms Race
• GPT-4 Training: 50,000 MWh and the AI Energy Crisis

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The Musk-Altman OpenAI lawsuit has yielded major financial disclosures, including the revelation that OpenAI co-founder Greg Brockman's equity stake is worth nearly $30 billion despite having invested no personal capital into the company. The trial is unfolding as OpenAI prepares for what could be one of the largest IPOs in history, with CFO Sarah Friar managing the transition. The lawsuit's financial disclosures are pulling back the curtain on OpenAI's governance and equity structure at a critical moment.

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• OpenAI's $122B Round: The Biggest Bet in History
• Iron Law of Oligarchy Explained: Michels to AI (2026)

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Anthropic's study finds computer programmers, customer service reps, and data entry workers face the highest AI displacement risk today, with hiring of workers ages 22–25 into AI-exposed roles dropping ~14% since ChatGPT launched. Independent research across multiple countries is building a clear empirical record that AI is already reshaping labor markets, sharpening the policy urgency around workforce transition.

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• Software Developer Unemployment: AI Ate the Best Job
• Gen Z: 89% of 2026 Grads Fear AI Will Take Their Jobs

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Meta has acquired Assured Robot Intelligence (ARI), a startup founded by UC San Diego's Xiaolong Wang and NYU's Lerrel Pinto, building foundation models for humanoid robots. The team folds into Meta's Superintelligence Labs.

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• Amazon Buys Fauna Robotics: The Warehouse Giant Goes Bipedal
• How Do You Train a Robot? The Data Problem Nobody Solved Yet

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1X Technologies has commenced full-scale production of its humanoid robot, NEO, at its vertically integrated factory in Hayward, California, marking a significant milestone in the mass manufacturing of humanoid robots. The company plans to produce 100,000 humanoid robots per year by the end of 2027. This development is expected to pressure competitors and potentially reshape labor markets.

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• The Humanoid Robot Revolution: 50,000 Units Shipping in 2026
• What Happens to Your $20K Robot When Robots Cost $200? (2026)

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Alphabet, Microsoft, Amazon, and Meta have collectively committed to spend $650 billion on AI infrastructure in 2026, with both Alphabet and Meta revising capex projections upward, amidst concerns over OpenAI's growth and the potential return on investment for AI spending. The earnings cycle has been overshadowed by a Wall Street Journal report that OpenAI missed internal revenue and user growth targets, raising questions about AI ROI timelines. Analysts warn that companies have roughly 'a couple of quarters' to demonstrate AI capex converting to measurable revenue growth before investor patience runs thin.

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• AI Compute Clusters 2026: The $800B GPU Arms Race
• The Bootstrap Paradox: How Do You Fund the Death of Money Using Money?

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