Data center news covering hyperscale buildouts, AI infrastructure demand, power and cooling, colocation providers, and data center economics.
A UNU-INWEH report projects AI's water footprint by 2030 will match the basic domestic water needs of 1.3 billion people in Sub-Saharan Africa. In 2025, data centers used 448 trillion watt-hours of electricity and 1.2 trillion gallons of water, producing 208 million tons of CO2. By 2030, energy use could nearly double, ranking data centers as the sixth-highest country in electricity consumption.
Duke Energy CEO Harry Sideris forecasts power demand will grow at 10 times the historical rate, driven by AI data centers and electrification. He called the load growth in the past year unprecedented in his 30-year tenure.
Monterey Park, California voters overwhelmingly approved a permanent ban on datacenters via ballot initiative, with 86.3% in favor as of early results. The ban can only be overturned by another ballot measure, making it the most permanent data center ban in a jurisdiction. The proposed data center would have used three times the electricity of the entire 60,000-person city.
A Heatmap Pro survey found 71% of Americans would oppose a data center project near their homes, a sharp rise from 42% nine months ago. Opposition was highest among 18-34 year olds at 80%, and rural voters were particularly opposed. The 49-point swing reflects growing AI backlash and concerns over utility bills, water shortages, and pollution.
New York state lawmakers plan to pass a one-year moratorium on new data center projects before the session ends this week. The bill requires an environmental impact study, mandates eventual reliance on renewable energy, and funds community benefits. Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie called it a compromise after advocates sought a three-year ban.
Three Amazon employees publicly called for regulations on new data centers at Seattle City Council meetings, urging local governments to set terms for buildout and not let Big Tech burn Seattle to win the AI race. They proposed renewable energy requirements, taxes, and transparency on water and electricity usage.
The owners of Xnrgy Climate Systems, a manufacturer of heating and cooling parts for AI data centers, are considering a sale that could value the company at up to $10 billion, according to people familiar with the matter.
This commentary argues that virtual power plants (VPPs) can help meet data center energy demand, citing a new Google-Voltus deal as a concrete example. It contends that VPPs offer a flexible solution to grid stress, though questions remain about incentives and scalability for data centers.
JinkoSolar announced plans to build a 1 GW data center near Zhongwei in western China, directly powered by its solar plants. The facility will serve growing demand from AI computing.
Shares of construction and engineering firms surged on Wednesday, led by Sterling Infrastructure, as investors favored companies tied to AI data center development. The rally reflects continued interest in businesses benefiting from the artificial intelligence buildout.