#data-centers

A planned Amazon facility in Texas would emit 33 million tons of CO2 annually via on-site natural gas generation, undermining the company's 2040 net-zero pledge.

WIRED's podcast team covers Google Earth's AI failures, ICE's expanded DNA database, White House AI cybersecurity secrecy, and a bipartisan coalition against data centers.

Conservative and progressive voters are converging on opposition to AI data center construction, scrambling traditional political alignments ahead of midterm elections.

SoftBank's January donation to Trump's presidential library preceded a March federal land lease for a massive Ohio AI data center by two months, drawing scrutiny from Democratic lawmakers.

Governor Greg Abbott directs PUCT and ERCOT to audit data center proposals before grid connection, citing reliability concerns as requests exceed five times peak demand.

Governor Greg Abbott halts approval of new data center projects pending environmental and infrastructure reviews, citing a 474 GW interconnection queue.

The AI infrastructure company deploys portable compute units across three continents, betting distributed inference closer to users will outpace centralized facilities.

A grassroots anti-data-center movement spanning the political spectrum is reshaping how Americans view AI deployment and energy infrastructure.

Startup aims to replace undersea cables with orbital laser links delivering 2.4 terabits per second between data centers.

SpaceX will keep operating 69 unpermitted gas turbines at its xAI facilities until mid-2027, extending regulatory violations as it builds permanent infrastructure.

The operator of America's largest electrical grid will impose temporary power cuts on data centers 50 MW and larger starting June 2027 as AI infrastructure strains electricity supply.

AMD launches Helios, a rack-scale system for training frontier AI models, with backing from Microsoft, OpenAI, Meta, and Anthropic.

A grassroots backlash against AI infrastructure construction is emerging across ideological lines, with 70% of Americans opposing local data center projects.

OpenAI raised its capex target 25% to $750B through 2030, announcing a $20B data center campus in Georgia that will consume 3.2 GW of power—but the timeline and power source remain unclear.

Major power companies join Trump's rate protection pledge, though enforcement remains uncertain as grid operators warn of billions in additional infrastructure costs.

AI compute infrastructure is projected to quadruple power consumption, straining regional grids and pushing electricity prices to historic highs.

The Vermont senator advocates for data center moratoriums and wealth redistribution taxes on AI companies, sparking broader party interest in tech oversight.

South Korean tech giants commit over $900 billion to build memory fabs and AI data centers, positioning the nation as a global semiconductor powerhouse amid record chip demand.

Startup's real-time fluid monitoring spectrometer targets a critical failure mode as data centers push thermal limits.

Network automation startup Netris raised $15M Series A from a16z to help emerging GPU cloud operators reduce time-to-market by automating data center configuration and multi-tenancy management.

Nvidia claims its Rubin reference design reduces data center water use from 2.6M gallons per megawatt annually to nearly zero by adopting 100% liquid cooling and higher operating temperatures.

Nvidia's warm-water cooling system eliminates on-site water consumption, but fossil fuel power generation and chip manufacturing still account for 66–75% of total water footprint.

As tech giants race to build AI infrastructure, skilled trades workers are divided on whether the lucrative jobs represent opportunity or complicity.

Three Amazon employees filed a civil rights complaint after being investigated for speaking to Seattle City Council about data center regulation, citing illegal retaliation.

Three Amazon engineers filed a civil rights complaint alleging the company retaliated against them for testifying about climate concerns at Seattle City Council hearings.

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission orders grid operators to expedite data center interconnections while directing exploration of alternative transmission technologies.

CPP Investments commits up to $741M to Indian data center operator CtrlS, signaling institutional capital's pivot toward Asia-Pacific AI buildout.

A new 'power-flexible AI factory' in Virginia will demonstrate whether data centers can reduce electricity demand on command, solving a critical bottleneck in grid deployment.

Google announced a $1.5 billion investment to expand its Jackson County data center campus, along with $2.55 million in community programs focused on energy efficiency and STEM education.

OpenAI's claim of Chinese-origin accounts spreading anti-data center messaging has energized US officials, but social media analysts say domestic opposition dominates the conversation.

Amazon disclosed its data center water consumption for the first time, revealing 2.5B gallons used in 2025 while claiming superior efficiency versus Google, Microsoft, and Meta.

Google commits $15M to energy affordability and funds electrical apprenticeship training for 2,741 additional Virginians by 2030.

Amazon borrows $17.5B from major banks just two days after raising $14B in bonds, bringing total new financing to $31.5B as tech giants race to fund AI capex.

HiCloud Technology and China Communications Construction opened a 24 MW submerged facility off Shanghai, targeting 1.15 PUE using seawater cooling and offshore wind power.

Meta and Reliance Industries announced a 168 MW AI data center in Gujarat, marking Meta's initial infrastructure play in India's rapidly expanding AI compute market.

Current Amazon engineers testified in favor of a one-year Seattle data center moratorium, citing unsustainable resource consumption tied to AI infrastructure buildout.

Shelbyville, Indiana's mayor faces criticism after recorded comments disparaging residents opposing a $2B data center project.

New York lawmakers approved a temporary freeze on large data center construction, requiring environmental impact assessments and community hearings before projects can proceed.

Blackstone-backed operator plans major expansion in South Asia as tech giants race to secure computing capacity outside traditional markets.

SpaceX's amended IPO prospectus now flags water availability as a critical constraint for its data center expansion, joining power as a core infrastructure bottleneck.

OpenAI and partners opened The Barn, a 1GW data center in Saline, Michigan, pledging union jobs, water conservation, and community investment.

Environmental activist Erin Brockovich has created a public map and database to document data center construction practices and their local impact.

SoftBank Group commits to investing up to €75 billion to build 5 gigawatts of AI data center capacity across France by 2031, marking its largest European infrastructure play.

Amazon deployed a quasi-random networking design called RNG that reduces bottlenecks and energy use in data centers, a technical breakthrough it claims competitors haven't yet replicated at scale.

xAI is cementing natural gas turbines as its power source while SpaceX positions space-based solar as the long-term solution for AI data centers.

SpaceX's IPO filing reveals Anthropic will pay $1.25 billion monthly for AI training capacity, underscoring the compute scarcity driving major AI infrastructure deals.

A three-year infrastructure deal between rivals signals xAI's pivot to cloud provider model and raises questions about compute utilization.

SpaceX is investing heavily in portable gas generators to power its AI infrastructure, even as environmental complaints mount.

Elon Musk's xAI is committing $2.8B to additional gas turbine capacity over three years, even as the EPA and NAACP challenge its current operations for violating air-quality regulations.

Google announces community investments tied to its new Montgomery County data center, including workforce training and utility bill assistance.

Box Elder County commissioners approved the Stratos Project, a massive AI data center backed by Kevin O'Leary, but environmental permits and water sustainability remain unresolved.

OpenAI's Stargate initiative has already exceeded its original 10GW U.S. compute target, with 3GW added in just the last 90 days.