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ChainCatcher reports that US public safety AI company Peregrine Technologies has completed a $250 million Series D financing round, with its valuation reaching $6.8 billion. This marks an almost threefold increase in just 15 months since its previous round, which valued the company at $2.5 billion. The round was led by existing investors, including Sequoia Capital. Peregrine’s core product is a government data integration platform that unifies city data such as police records, 911 logs, permit databases, sensor data, and emergency management systems for real-time searchability. The platform features built-in role-based access control and complete audit trails while not collecting or retaining any data itself. To date, the platform serves more than 400 law enforcement agencies, covering around 125 million people in North America, and is operating security fusion centers for 8 of the 11 host cities of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The company’s co-founder and CEO Nick Noone previously led Palantir’s special operations business, including intelligence platforms for tracking ISIS; co-founder and CTO Ben Rudolph previously built data infrastructure at the UN Refugee Agency. According to the company, the newly raised funds will be used for product development, expanding engineering and implementation teams, international expansion, and employee liquidity arrangements. Noone noted that there is no decision yet on whether to IPO, but that internal infrastructure is being established to prepare for a potential public listing. The government AI market is expected to be valued at approximately $25 billion in 2025 and is projected to grow to $109 billion by 2035. However, ongoing challenges remain for Peregrine regarding civil liberty concerns around AI-driven law enforcement surveillance.

BlockBeats News, June 22, Microsoft and Chevron announced signing a 20-year long-term power purchase agreement to provide power support for Microsoft's data center in West Texas. Under the agreement, Chevron will advance the Kilby project, expected to provide 2.67 gigawatts (GW) of generation capacity, using General Electric's NovaLT and Solar Turbines for power generation. Chevron expects to make a final investment decision on the project by the end of 2026, with the first power delivery set for 2028. The Kilby project is expected to generate over $10 billion in tax revenue and 2,000 job opportunities. Meanwhile, Microsoft also announced its plan to build a new data center campus in Pecos, Texas, with investments expected to reach billions of dollars over 5 to 7 years, creating over 6,000 construction jobs. When operational, the campus will operate in conjunction with an on-site natural gas power plant.

In addition, two small crude oil tankers, each with a total carrying capacity of less than 2 million barrels, passed through the Strait of Hormuz into the Gulf of Oman.