Good News Roundup
Nuclear Breakthroughs, Semiconductor Surges, and AI Advances
Infophilia, a Positive Psychology of information | April 26, 2025 | Vol. 3, Issue 19
✨Welcome to Infophilia, a weekly letter exploring how our love of information and connections can help us all thrive, individually and collectively.
Cite as: Coleman, Anita S. (2025, April 26). Good News Roundup: Nuclear Breakthroughs, Semiconductor Surges, and AI Advances Infophilia, a positive psychology of information, 3 (19).
Dear readers,
It’s been a while since I wrote a roundup or any of my regular columns or sections: Wellness Wisdom, Wealth Watch, Your 5-Minute AI, Library News, and Local News. As I continue researching for the next article in my Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) + AI tools series, I thought: why not bring it all together in something simpler this week? After all, isn’t that what infophilia is about? The spark of curiosity, the joy of innovation, and the pursuit of a flourishing, well-informed mindset, reading slowly and savoring it all.
Free readers will get introductory highlights, while paid subscribers receive my complete semiconductor industry analysis, specific investment considerations for companies like Nvidia and TSMC, plus Palantir's remarkable growth, AI advances in general, library and local library news. And, a quick update about the infophilic information styles instrument. So, here we go!
In Memoriam
Rest in Peace, Pope Francis (Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 17 December 1936 – 21 April 2025)
Wellness Wisdom
Finland Tops Happiness Charts—and Tackles Nuclear Waste for Good
In late 2023, I shared that Finland had once again topped the world's happiness index. In late 2024, Finland did it again—ranked #1 and making it very clear that community well-being matters. But Finland isn't resting on its laurels. This March, it successfully completed the first test of an underground encapsulation plant for radioactive waste. If finalized, this would make Finland home to the world's first permanent facility of its kind—an unprecedented move for planetary and public well-being.
Public Health on the Line: A Timely Alarm, with Time to Act
In the latest edition of Inside Medicine, Dr. Jeremy Faust zooms out on a troubling development: on April 16th he’d shared a leaked draft from the current administration that proposes a $40 billion reduction in funding to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The cuts, if enacted, would dismantle long-standing public health infrastructure critical to protecting Americans from threats such as pandemics and cancer.
The good news is nuanced. This is a draft proposal — not enacted policy — and its early disclosure, which was reported by The Washington Post, gives the public health community a critical window to respond.
Dr. Faust's latest letter offers more than just a headline. It contextualizes the proposal within the broader framework of the federal budget process, providing insight into where this document fits and why it warrants concern and what can be done. Featuring expert analysis from Dr. Anne Schuchat, former Acting Director of the CDC, and other key voices, the piece underscores the importance of clinician engagement in preserving our national public health systems.
Wealth Watch
Disclaimer: This is not financial advice; I am not a financial advisor—please do your own due diligence or consult a licensed financial professional before making any investment decisions.
a single smartphone today has far more computing power than the computers used by NASA to land a person on the moon during the Apollo 11 mission in 1969. Source: SIA
Semiconductors Surge, Powered by Bipartisanship
In a time of political division, the semiconductor sector continues to enjoy rare bipartisan support. The U.S. semiconductor industry’s decline began in the 1980s due to global competition and reduced domestic policy support. The Biden-Harris CHIPS and Science Act (2022) explicitly reversed decades of laissez-faire policy by reintroducing industrial subsidies and R&D coordination and is boosting domestic chip manufacturing, ensuring the U.S. remains competitive in the global tech economy. With job creation, workforce development, supply chain security, innovation, and resilience on the horizon, this effort continues under the current administration—proof that when it comes to critical industries, collaboration still matters.
U.S. Semiconductor Industry: US Global Leadership in 2024
Global Market Share: The United States maintained its position as the global leader in semiconductor manufacturing, holding a significant share of the worldwide market.
Annual Sales: In 2024, global semiconductor sales reached a record-breaking $627.6 billion, marking a 19.1% increase from the previous year.
U.S. Manufacturing Capacity: Thanks to initiatives like the CHIPS and Science Act, the U.S. is projected to more than triple its semiconductor fabrication capacity by 2032, positioning the country to meet the rising global demand for chips.
Investment in Domestic Production: Since the enactment of the CHIPS and Science Act, companies have announced over 90 new semiconductor manufacturing projects across 28 U.S. states, totaling nearly $450 billion in private investments.