On Wednesday, Microsoft announced that it had reached a key renewable energy milestone, matching 100% of its annual global electricity use with renewable energy. The company aims to be carbon negative by 2030. Microsoft’s investment in renewable energy projects is helping drive energy innovation, support energy reliability, and create jobs. The Wall Street Journal covers this news here, and you can read an in-depth discussion of how Microsoft achieved this milestone in this blog.
Thank you for reading! See below for more tech policy news and a featured blog by a VFI leader.
This Week in Washington
- MeriTalk: The Department of Homeland Security entered a partial shutdown this week after lawmakers failed to agree on funding by a February 13 deadline. Among agencies affected was the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), hindering federal cybersecurity efforts.
- Inside Towers: The U.S. House Natural Resources Committee advanced the Enhancing Administrative Reviews for Broadband Deployment Act, which would review broadband approval processes for administrative barriers. The bill will next be considered by the full House.
- Nextgov: U.S. Representatives Brian Babin (R-TX) and Jay Obernolte (R-CA) sent a letter to the Government Accountability Office (GAO) this week calling for a comprehensive review of AI regulations at the state and federal levels. The two lawmakers said the review would help Congress evaluate existing regulations across the U.S. and identify opportunities for effective federal legislation.
- Science Business: At the Munich Security Conference, Microsoft and 15 other technology companies officially launched the Trusted Tech Alliance, a commitment to secure, resilient, and trusted technology across the supply chain.
Article Summary
- Axios: AI is being used throughout the ongoing Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics. The revolutionary technology is being implemented to manage complicated event logistics, provide additional data to coverage, ease language barriers through translation, and more.
- StateScoop: Texas is suing TP-Link Systems, a large networking equipment manufacturer, claiming it allowed China to access Americans’ devices and misled consumers about their devices’ origins. TP-Link is responsible for around two-thirds of the U.S. home router market.
- CBS News: Amira, an AI literacy tool, is being deployed in a Pennsylvania school district to provide personalized reading education to students. The program, which was piloted in 2024-2025 and is now standardized across the district, also screens for dyslexia.
Featured Highlight
- Voices for Innovation Blog
Microsoft’s Community-First AI Infrastructure Plan represents a critical step forward in responsible data center development. Voices for Innovation Advisory Task Force member Carol Lynn Grow attended the plan announcement and briefly spoke with Microsoft Vice Chair and President Brad Smith. Read her takeaways on the VFI blog. (Expanding AI Infrastructure in Harmony with Communities)
Note: Voices for Innovation regularly shares a range of opinion articles and press releases from organizations in and publications covering tech policy. These pieces are meant to educate our audience, not to endorse specific platforms or bills.