Data center news covering hyperscale buildouts, AI infrastructure demand, power and cooling, colocation providers, and data center economics.
Opponents of data center expansion coordinated protests in at least 125 locations across the US on Saturday, the first national effort against AI infrastructure. The grassroots group HumansFirst, co-founded by former Tea Party leader Amy Kremer, organized the rallies, citing concerns over power bills, water use, and pollution. Texas, a prime destination for data centers, saw 18 demonstrations.
A Leger poll found 81% of Canadians are concerned about AI data centres increasing household electricity bills, and 79% worry about environmental impacts. 46% support building data centres for Canadian-based AI services, while 44% would support them in their own province.
This article profiles Sebastian Rucci, a land-use lawyer with a controversial past involving a strip club and a drug-treatment center, who is now proposing a $10 billion data center in Imperial, California. It suggests that the AI data-center boom is attracting a diverse range of entrepreneurs, including those with unconventional backgrounds.
This commentary argues that opposition to data centers is a rare bipartisan issue, reflecting broader public frustration with political and economic systems perceived as stacked against ordinary people. It contends that data centers symbolize anxieties about AI and unaccountable corporate power, uniting diverse groups from Bernie Sanders supporters to Tea Party activists.
Homeowners and farmers in Georgia, Virginia, and Pennsylvania face eminent domain for transmission lines primarily serving AI data centers. In Georgia, a project requires over 300 parcels, with 70-80% of power for data centers. Dominion Energy's Virginia project could place a 185-foot pole on a property in Ashburn.
This commentary discusses how the rapid expansion of AI data centers is driving up energy costs and electricity bills. It examines New York Governor Kathy Hochul's moratorium on data center construction and the broader implications for energy prices and housing affordability.
A 94-year-old woman in Hino, Tokyo, is leading opposition to a massive data center planned near her home, reflecting growing unease in cramped urban Japan. The global AI-driven data center boom has sparked similar pushback elsewhere, including new rules in New York and Australia.
This commentary argues that the push for AI data centres in Canada, backed by federal subsidies, is becoming a contentious local issue due to environmental and energy concerns. It contends that the debate in Hamilton reflects a broader collision between AI industrial policy and grassroots opposition, highlighting the need to balance digital sovereignty with sustainability.
This commentary argues that the data center boom, driven by AI, is causing electricity costs to skyrocket for US consumers. It contends that data centers exploit the electrical grid's pricing structure, shifting demand to avoid peak charges while maintaining high overall usage, ultimately leaving the public to bear the financial burden.
This commentary argues that as AI data centers proliferate near residential areas, architects must consider what these facilities can give back to host communities beyond energy and data. It explores design concepts like the Pink Thermal Baths and questions whether architecture can reduce burdens or merely camouflage them.