Michigan AG Challenges DTE Google Data Center Power Contract

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The Daily Brief for November 1, 2026 opens with a ratepayer challenge in Michigan to a Google data center power contract. The edition also covers a smaller OpenAI funding round, a Windows 11 reinstall feature in preview, and the planned arrival of Apple Intelligence in China.

AI Business

Michigan AG seeks rehearing on DTE's Google data center power contract

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel has asked the Michigan Public Service Commission to rehear its approval of a 20-year electric service contract between DTE Energy and Google, as set out in a press release from the attorney general's office. The petition, filed October 30, 2026 in case U-22058, concerns a 1-gigawatt hyperscale data center in Van Buren Township near Detroit. The commission approved the deal earlier in October on the basis that no costs would pass to DTE Electric's other customers. Nessel disputes that method because costs are averaged across 20 years, which can hide individual years in which existing customers cover part of Google's load. The commission's own order points to higher net costs for other DTE customers from 2035 through 2038, and the petition asks for costs and benefits to be reconciled every year.

OpenAI cuts its funding round to up to $20 billion at an unchanged $1.25 trillion valuation

OpenAI is now seeking up to $20 billion in its latest funding round, down from an earlier target of up to $30 billion, while keeping a $1.25 trillion post-money valuation, according to CNBC. Investors from the United Arab Emirates lead the round alongside Coatue, and commitments were due by a Friday deadline. The round has not closed and its terms may still change, and OpenAI has not published a closing statement. One report puts commitments at about $11 billion so far, a figure OpenAI has not confirmed. Holding the price while shrinking the raise means the valuation now rests on fewer committed dollars than the original plan assumed.

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Windows 11 Cloud Rebuild reinstalls Windows without USB media

Microsoft has added Cloud Rebuild to optional preview update KB5127936 for Windows 11 versions 25H2 and 26H2, so PC owners can reinstall Windows without a USB recovery drive, as Windows Report covered. The feature downloads a Windows image and matching device drivers from Windows Update, so a PC that will not start can be rebuilt over an internet connection. That goes further than the existing Cloud Download option, which fetches Windows alone. The function sits under Settings, System and Recovery as Rebuild PC, and in the Windows Recovery Environment under Troubleshoot. Microsoft expects the enhancements to arrive with the November 10, 2026 Patch Tuesday updates, although some capabilities may follow in a later wave.

Apple Intelligence in China reaches iPhone in December with iOS 27.3

Apple confirmed in a China newsroom statement dated October 31 that Apple Intelligence will reach iPhones in China in December alongside iOS 27.3, after a developer beta that opens November 4, as MacRumors reported. The first wave includes around 18 features, among them writing tools, live translation for calls and messages, Genmoji, the Clean Up photo tool and visual intelligence. Part of the AI work runs on Alibaba's Qwen model, which answers specific requests inside Siri, Writing Tools and Visual Intelligence. Eligibility is limited to iPhone 15 Pro and newer models, and specific device and Siri language settings are required, so local approval rules shape which features Chinese owners receive.

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Researched and cross-referenced against primary sources by the Bytevyte editorial team. This article was generated with the assistance of artificial intelligence and reviewed by the Bytevyte editorial team.