19 stories tagged Data Centers
A single downed power line in Northern Virginia nearly caused a major outage for AI data centers, exposing a critical vulnerability in the grid. The article explores why this happened and what solutions exist to prevent future disruptions.
Energy companies are going public at the fastest pace this century as investors seek to capitalize on AI's soaring electricity demands. The trend underscores how AI is reshaping industries beyond tech, creating new opportunities in power generation and data center infrastructure.
Nearly 200 US utility companies and data center developers have signed President Trump's "rate payer protection pledge" to prevent AI's growing energy demands from driving up consumer electricity bills. The initiative aims to manage the power needs of AI data centers without passing costs to households.
AI data centers face a critical power shortage in 2026 as the rapid growth of AI models outpaces grid infrastructure. The bottleneck threatens to slow AI advancements, increase costs, and raise environmental concerns, particularly in high-density regions like Northern Virginia and the Pacific Northwest.
New York has become the first state to temporarily stop approving new large data centers, as Governor Kathy Hochul warns that the AI-driven building boom must not come at the expense of higher electricity costs, water supplies, or local control.
Local governments and residents are increasingly opposing the construction of AI data centers due to their massive energy demands and environmental impact. These protests are growing as tech companies expand their AI infrastructure.
Omen AI has secured $31 million in Series A funding to develop AI that monitors coolant in data centers and prevents bacterial outbreaks. This could make data centers more efficient and reduce downtime.
The surge in AI data centers is creating a boom in advanced battery technology. This could lead to cheaper, more efficient energy storage for everyday use.
Communities are pushing back against new data centers needed for AI growth. This could create delays and higher costs for AI development. The AI boom is at risk of slowing down.
Nvidia introduced a cooling system that reduces water use in data centers. However, this doesn't address the larger issue of water consumption by fossil fuel power plants that supply AI infrastructure.
The U.S. government has ordered faster grid connections for AI data centers, but this doesn't solve the underlying electricity shortages. Experts warn it could worsen shortages for other customers and drive up costs.
Amazon is reportedly investigating engineers who publicly criticized the company's plans to expand AI data centers. This highlights growing internal tensions over AI's environmental and ethical impacts.
Amazon's data centers consumed 2.5 billion gallons of water last year, highlighting the environmental impact of AI infrastructure. This disclosure comes amid growing concerns about the sustainability of data center operations.
New York lawmakers have passed a one-year moratorium on new large data centers. This pause aims to assess the environmental and economic impact of these facilities on the state.
AirTrunk, an Australian data center operator, is investing $30 billion to build 5 gigawatts of AI-focused data centers in India. This massive project will significantly boost India's AI infrastructure and global tech competitiveness.
Google announced five new commitments to reduce the environmental impact of its AI data centers, including a goal to replenish more water to local communities than it uses. This move aims to address growing backlash over the massive water consumption of AI infrastructure across the US.
Anthropic is leasing SpaceX's massive data centers for AI training, paying $15 billion annually. This deal highlights the skyrocketing costs of developing advanced AI models.
Tech companies are racing to build massive AI data centers, but these energy-hungry facilities are causing conflicts over power grids, utility bills, and environmental impact. The debate highlights the tension between AI's potential and its physical demands.
OpenAI is expanding its Stargate infrastructure to support AGI development, adding significant data center capacity. This move underscores the massive compute requirements for advanced AI models.