Wednesday☕️

Earth Intelligence

04 Jun 2025 — 5 min read

Economics & Markets:

Yesterday’s U.S. stock market:

Today’s commodity market:

Today’s crypto market:

Geopolitics & Military Activity:

Yesterday, June 3, 2025, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) conducted airstrikes in southern Syria late in the evening, targeting Syrian regime military assets with fighter jets. The strikes were a response to rocket fire directed at Israeli territory earlier that day. Images from the area show explosions and large fires, indicating the intensity of the military operation.

The event occurred in southern Syria, a region near the Israeli border known for its volatility due to the presence of various armed groups and ongoing tensions. The targeted military assets were likely part of Syrian regime forces, though specific details on casualties or damage are not yet available. This incident contributes to the ongoing cycle of violence in the area, where rocket attacks have frequently led to Israeli airstrikes aimed at deterrence. The situation remains unstable, with the potential for further escalation depending on the response from Syrian forces and other regional actors.

Environment & Weather:

As of Today, June 4, 2025, Kansas is experiencing flooding following storms that began on Monday, June 2. Wichita has been significantly affected, with up to 6.21 inches of rain causing road closures and over 100 water rescues. El Dorado issued voluntary evacuations for northern and southern neighborhoods due to dangerous floodwaters, while Park City and Valley Center reported flooded roads after nearly three inches of rain. The Kansas governor declared a state of disaster emergency on June 3, activating the State Emergency Operations Center in Topeka to support impacted areas.

The storms have impacted Central Kansas and parts of Missouri, with rainfall totals ranging from 2 to 7 inches. In Wichita, debris is flowing down the Arkansas River, hindering response efforts. A flood watch remained in effect for Lawrence until 7:00 a.m. on June 4, while a flood advisory for the Kansas City area expired at 6:30 p.m. on June 3. Emergency services are on high alert, and residents are advised to monitor National Weather Service updates for safety guidance and potential further rainfall risks.

Science & Technology:

Yesterday, June 3, 2025, OpenAI announced multiple updates to Codex, its AI coding assistant, via a series of posts on X by the OpenAI Developers account. The updates expand access and functionality for the tool, aiming to make it more useful for developers while addressing safety and usability. Codex, previously available to ChatGPT Pro, Team, and Enterprise users, is now accessible to ChatGPT Plus subscribers—a $20/month tier—marking a significant step in broadening its user base. Alongside this rollout, OpenAI introduced new features and improvements to enhance the coding experience, with detailed documentation provided to guide users through the changes and potential risks.

The first major update allows ChatGPT Plus users to use Codex with initially higher usage limits, though OpenAI noted that temporary rate limits may apply during peak demand to ensure fair access for all. A second key feature is the introduction of optional internet access for Codex, which is turned off by default but can be enabled to perform tasks like installing dependencies, running tests requiring external resources, or updating packages—users can control which websites and methods Codex accesses to maintain security. Additionally, usability enhancements include the ability for follow-up tasks to update existing pull requests rather than creating new ones, and for organizations using single sign-on (SSO), the removal of mandatory multi-factor authentication setup. This internet access feature is currently available to Plus, Pro, and Team users, with Enterprise support planned soon.

Statistic:

Largest public tech companies by market capitalization:

🇺🇸 NVIDIA: $3.444T
🇺🇸 Microsoft: $3.441T
🇺🇸 Apple: $3.036T
🇺🇸 Amazon: $2.183T
🇺🇸 Alphabet (Google): $2.024T
🇺🇸 Meta Platforms: $1.676T
🇺🇸 Broadcom: $1.207T
🇺🇸 Tesla: $1.108T
🇹🇼 TSMC: $1.024T
🇨🇳 Tencent: $584.53B
🇺🇸 Netflix: $518.31B
🇺🇸 Oracle: $474.30B
🇩🇪 SAP: $360.07B
🇺🇸 Palantir: $311.60B
🇳🇱 ASML: $293.81B
🇨🇳 Alibaba: $277.06B
🇰🇷 Samsung: $275.52B
🇺🇸 Cisco: $254.86B
🇺🇸 Salesforce: $252.83B
🇺🇸 IBM: $246.47B
🇺🇸 Intuit: $213.39B
🇺🇸 ServiceNow: $209.48B
🇺🇸 AMD: $190.20B
🇺🇸 Booking Holdings (Booking.com): $178.16B
🇺🇸 Adobe: $175.80B

History:

The concept of data centers traces back to the mid-20th century when early computers, like the ENIAC (1945), required dedicated spaces with controlled environments to house bulky, heat-generating equipment. These early "computer rooms" were primarily used by governments, universities, and large corporations for scientific calculations and data processing. By the 1960s and 1970s, mainframe computers popularized centralized computing, leading to the development of more structured facilities with cooling systems, uninterruptible power supplies, and security measures. The rise of client-server models in the 1980s and the internet boom in the 1990s spurred demand for larger, purpose-built data centers to support web hosting, e-commerce, and enterprise IT. Companies like Exodus Communications pioneered commercial data centers, offering colocation services, though the dot-com bust exposed overbuilding risks. These early facilities laid the groundwork for modern data centers, emphasizing scalability, redundancy, and connectivity.
Today, data centers are critical infrastructure for the digital economy, driven by cloud computing, AI, and hyperscale demands. Giants like Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud dominate, operating massive facilities with hundreds of thousands of servers, often exceeding 1 million square feet. These hyperscale data centers, concentrated in regions like Northern Virginia and Dublin, prioritize energy efficiency (using renewable sources) and advanced cooling to manage immense computational loads. Meanwhile, edge data centers are emerging to support low-latency applications like 5G and IoT. The industry faces challenges like land scarcity, power constraints, and environmental concerns, prompting innovations in liquid cooling and modular designs. Global data center capacity continues to grow, with over 10,000 facilities worldwide, reflecting their pivotal role in powering everything from streaming services to generative AI workloads.

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