PNW eligible for $1B in federal funding as new hydrogen hub | Microsoft completes $69B Activision deal 

Clean energy boost for the Pacific Northwest: Washington, Oregon, and Montana will be home to one of seven Regional Clean Hydrogen Hubs announced Friday by the U.S. Department of Energy. The hubs are meant to kick-start the nascent hydrogen fuel sector and each will be eligible for roughly $1 billion of federal funding. Amazon, First Mode and PACCAR are among the companies with projects that could benefit from the deal. (Above: First Mode’s giant hydrogen-fueled mining truck.) Read more. 

Microsoft completes Activision Blizzard deal: The tech giant’s $68.7 billion acquisition of the video game maker ends a 21-month regulatory saga. Microsoft defied its opponents to pull off its biggest deal ever and the largest in the history of video games. Read more.

• Analysis: Microsoft and Activision Blizzard are headed into uncharted territory, because neither company’s now-standard rules can usefully be applied, says games writer Thomas Wilde.

In a tour de force for neuroscience, teams of researchers — including those from Seattle’s Allen Institute for Brain Science — have published a voluminous set of brain-cell atlases for humans and other primates. The atlases could point scientists toward new strategies for addressing mental conditions ranging from Alzheimer’s disease and schizophrenia to epilepsy and ADHD. Read more. 

Trupanion lawsuit: The Seattle-based pet insurance company is suing the founder of an app it acquired, alleging that he stole trade secrets and violated agreements after joining a new company that later released a competing product. Read more. 

Tech Moves: Dreambox Learning’s Jessie Woolley-Wilson is stepping down after an acquisition; former Outreach exec joins Zuper; and more key personnel changes. 

How is AI impacting your industry? That’s the question we posted to the founders participating in the newest Techstars Seattle cohort. Read their answers. 

Time for the second act at the former Cinerama: The historic Seattle movie theater has a new name — SIFF Cinema — and signage. The nonprofit film organization acquired the theater from the Paul Allen estate, and next week it will play host to the GeekWire Summit. Read more.

Jeff Bezos expands his real estate portfolio: The Amazon founder is the reported buyer of a $79 million mansion in South Florida’s exclusive “Billionaire Bunker” neighborhood. The property is next door to a $68 million home Bezos bought in June. Read more. 

Hot Links:

• Want to see a burning ring of fire? An annular solar eclipse, when the moon passes in front of the sun and creates the appearance of an illuminated ring in the sky, is expected to be visible Saturday morning. (King 5)

• Our favorite line of the week: Using an advanced AI model to summarize an email is “like getting a Lamborghini to deliver a pizza.” (Wall Street Journal)