Airlifting a 5‑MW microreactor & Superconductors for data-center power - Tech News (Feb 23, 2026)

Today's topics: Airlifting a 5‑MW microreactor - The U.S. Department of Defense flew an unfueled 5‑MW Ward250 microreactor on C‑17 aircraft, testing rapid deployment logistics under the Janus Program. Keywords: microreactor, TRISO fuel, HALEU, C‑17, remote base power. Superconductors for data-center power - Microsoft is backing high‑temperature superconducting (HTS) cables as a way to move more electricity through cramped AI data centers with lower losses. Keywords: HTS, REBCO tape, liquid nitrogen cooling, grid constraints, hyperscalers. AI coding agents go unattended - Stripe says over 1,300 weekly pull requests are fully produced by its autonomous ‘minions,’ using isolated devboxes and blueprint-based orchestration. Keywords: coding agents, dev environments, CI loops, guardrails, automation. MCP and tool access scaling - As Model Context Protocol (MCP) catalogs explode, Cloudflare and Stripe are converging on ‘discoverable tools’ and code-based execution to keep context small and safer. Keywords: MCP, typed SDK, sandboxing, Toolshed, OpenAPI search/execute. AI hype meets public skepticism - New surveys suggest AI’s narrative is slipping: many people fear AI harms, and firms report limited productivity impact so far, even as leaders promise transformation. Keywords: adoption, productivity, narrative gap, diffusion, skepticism. Gemini 3.1 Pro reasoning jump - Google previewed Gemini 3.1 Pro, emphasizing multi-step reasoning gains and broader rollout across app, NotebookLM, Vertex AI, and the Gemini API. Keywords: ARC-AGI-2, reasoning, agentic workflows, developer tools, Deep Think. Mars rover gets GPS-like navigation - NASA upgraded Perseverance with Mars Global Localization, letting the rover self-localize within about 25 cm by matching panoramas to orbital maps. Keywords: autonomy, localization, Jezero Crater, drive planning, robotics software. Germany’s new space deterrence push - Germany is investing heavily in military space capabilities, including radar reconnaissance and resilient SATCOM, while discussing non-kinetic options like jamming and dazzling. Keywords: Bundeswehr, Iceye, SAR, deterrence, satellite resilience. Polygenic embryo selection concerns - A new book warns polygenic scores and embryo selection are racing ahead of regulation, with risks of inequality, misleading marketing, and reduced genetic diversity. 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