Heron Power raised $140 million to build a solid-state transformer factory targeting 40GW of production capacity. Traditional grid transformers take years to procure and are a primary bottleneck for data center buildout, renewable interconnection, and grid modernization. Solid-state designs are smaller, faster to manufacture, and more controllable than their century-old electromagnetic counterparts.
The Not Boring team also launched a new recurring segment called Scientific Breakthroughs, written by Ulkar Aghayeva, co-author of the Frontier of the Year 2025 report. That report scored 202 scientific developments from 2024 by two variables: probability of generalization and magnitude of impact if generalized. The segment is paywalled for not boring world members and is worth the read for the methodology alone, not just the findings.
This is edition 181 of the Weekly Dose of Optimism. The full issue covers topics ranging from transformer infrastructure to extraterrestrial research. The Aghayeva segment marks a structural addition to the publication, moving it closer to primary scientific coverage rather than aggregation. Read the original for the full scientific roundup and the scoring framework behind it.
[READ ORIGINAL →]