Tag

Data Centers

All articles tagged with #data centers

business31 minutes ago•17 min saved

Meta’s AI push aims to convert big spending into growth

Meta Platforms jumped after outlining an AI-driven plan to monetize its heavy capital expenditure: it will start manufacturing its Iris AI chip with Broadcom and TSMC to cut GPU costs, is building a CAD 13 billion data center in Canada to rent out excess compute as an AI Cloud, and has Muse Spark priced well below rivals to attract developers—all designed to boost future revenue from ads, cloud, and AI tools, though execution risk remains as chip production, data-center utilization, and developer adoption unfold.

via Yahoo Finance|

#ai #business #data-centers

environment4 hours ago•2 min saved

Texas AI Data Center Boom Creates a Hidden Diesel Grid and Soaring Emissions

The article reports a rapid expansion of fossil-fuel–powered AI data centers—especially in Texas—that is creating a hidden “shadow grid” of onsite gas plants and thousands of backup diesel generators, driving significant pollution as operators exploit loopholes to obtain permits. Scientists warn AI growth could push CO2 emissions to 24–44 million metric tons by 2030, comparable to millions of cars, while residents have limited ability to block expansion once permits are issued.

via Futurism|

#climate-change #data-centers #environment

environment1 day ago•31 min saved

Texas AI data centers could lock in fossil-fuel power and pollution

A Floodlight/ Texas Tribune investigation finds that Texas data centers, including OpenAI’s Stargate in Abilene, are driving on-site gas plants and relying on minor permits that could emit well over 100 million tons of greenhouse gases annually, with limited public input and enforcement, raising concerns about climate impact and local health as residents report pollution and quality-of-life issues.

via The Texas Tribune|

#air-pollution #data-centers #environment

environment2 days ago•14 min saved

Texas AI Boom Ignites Hidden Fossil-Fuel Grid, Sparking Pollution Fears

An investigative report shows Texas data centers are quietly driving a fossil-fuel build-out through 'permits by rule,' enabling thousands of backup diesel generators and gas turbines—forming a 'shadow grid' that could emit hundreds of millions of tons of greenhouse gases yearly and expose nearby residents to pollution with little public input.

via WIRED|

#air-pollution #data-centers #environment

technology2 days ago•2 min saved

Meta bets $9B on Alberta AI data center to power cloud ambitions

Meta is building its first large Canadian data center—a 1 gigawatt facility in Alberta's Sturgeon County that will cost about $9 billion and take 2–3 years, as part of a broader AI infrastructure push and potential cloud business selling excess capacity; the project will create thousands of construction jobs and involve local energy partners, while drawing scrutiny over environmental impact and energy use amid competition with other hyperscalers.

via CNBC|

#artificial-intelligence #canada #cloud-computing

policy3 days ago•16 min saved

Wetlands shield narrows, fueling a data-center boom

A 2023 Supreme Court ruling narrowing the Clean Water Act’s protection for streams and wetlands has allowed a surge of AI data-center projects to move forward with minimal or no federal water permits and limited public input. POLITICO’s review found at least 26 data-center sites since 2024 benefiting from streamlined nationwide permits, with many projects obtaining approvals without an individual, public-comment review, shifting much of the regulatory burden to states and localities and potentially shortening NEPA analyses as well. The build-out spans states from Ohio to Texas to Nevada, prompting concerns about water quality, flood risks, and community voices in permitting.

via Politico|

#army-corps-of-engineers #clean-water-act #data-centers

business3 days ago•3 min saved

Oregon Unveils First POWER Act Rate Hike Targeting Data Centers

Oregon’s Public Utility Commission unanimously approved Portland General Electric’s 29.7% rate increase for data centers and other large energy users under the POWER Act, making PGE the first utility to implement the new law that charges big users their share of electricity; residential bills will fall about 1.3% (roughly $1.91/month) as 963,000 customers are affected, and the changes include new charges, updated terms of service, and rules for connecting large users to the grid.

via Oregon Public Broadcasting - OPB|

#business #data-centers #oregon

business3 days ago•5 min saved

AI Data Center Boom Pushes Up Power Bills, Threatening Trump's Manufacturing Revival

Rising electricity demand from AI data centers in the PJM region is driving up power costs for Rust Belt manufacturers, squeezing steel and brick producers and complicating Trump’s Made in America plan as capacity prices soar and supply is forecast to lag.

via Ars Technica|

#business #data-centers #electricity-prices

innovation4 days ago•11 min saved

MIT advances photonic links to petabit-speed data transfer

MIT's FUTUR-IC program unveils advances in electronically-photonic integration to push data transmission toward and beyond one petabit per second with lower energy use, including evanescent and GRIN optical couplers plus a third previously developed one—optical 'solder bumps' linking photonic devices. These approaches can be manufactured with existing semiconductor equipment, and Earthster models environmental impact while the initiative trains a workforce for semiconductor efficiency. The aim is to separate computation (electronics) from communication (photonic) to reduce data-center energy as AI and cloud services scale.

via Interesting Engineering|

#co-packaged-optics #data-centers #energy-efficiency

technology5 days ago•188 min saved

Nashville Zoo Faces Off Over Near-Campus Data Center and Wildlife Risks

The Nashville Zoo is opposing a proposed 50-megawatt DC BLOX data center adjacent to its Grassmere campus, warning that constant noise, light and energy use could disrupt the zoo’s clouded leopard breeding program and affect thousands of animals; DC BLOX says its design includes noise/light mitigation and water-conserving cooling. The dispute mirrors a national debate over data-center expansion, with petitions and local government moves—including possible land acquisition—adding to the debate while supporters cite mitigations.

via CNN|

#clouded-leopard #data-centers #nashville

technology6 days ago•6 min saved

Three DOE-backed microreactors hit criticality, signaling a data-center power path

Three DOE-backed microreactors have reached criticality—Unity by Deployable Energy, plus Antares and Valar Atomics—marking a milestone in demonstrating compact reactors for powering data centers and other high-demand loads; however, experts say criticality is only an early step and scaling, HALEU fuel supply, financing, and NRC licensing remain major hurdles before any commercial deployment.

via TechSpot|

#criticality #data-centers #department-of-energy

technology6 days ago•11 min saved

Power Drives the New Data-Center Map as AI Demand Surges

AI demand is redefining data-centre location: power availability and price are now the primary constraints, not nearby talent. Iowa’s wind and land costs attract major players; Northern Virginia’s legacy fibre and network effects are now tested by grid limits; Ireland’s growth paused by grid strain and new renewable sourcing rules. Together, these cases show that energy policy and generation capacity, not just talent, will shape the next global data-centre map.

via Silicon Canals|

#ai #data-centers #electricity

energy8 days ago•185 min saved

DOE taps backup generators to ease grid strain during heat wave

As a brutal heat wave drives air-conditioning use, Energy Secretary directs mid-Atlantic data centers served by PJM to run on backup generators instead of drawing power from the grid, freeing capacity for residents. DOE estimates more than 35 GW of available backup generation nationwide; New York City is not part of PJM. While this can relieve grid stress, it raises emissions and air-quality concerns, and the PJM region has fewer large batteries to store peak energy.

via CNN|

#backup-generators #data-centers #energy

technology8 days ago•16 min saved

DOE Clears Backup Power Route for Data Centers Amid Heat Wave

Amid a brutal heat wave, the Energy Department authorized PJM to direct large-load customers, including data centers, to rely on their own backup power as a last resort to prevent blackouts, tapping an estimated 35 GW of unused backup generation (enough to power ~26 million homes) while exempting critical facilities; the measure is limited to emergency conditions through Friday and has raised concerns about emissions from backup generators.

via Gizmodo|

#backup-generation #data-centers #energy

technology8 days ago•11 min saved

Heatwaves test the resilience of essential tech

The BBC outlines how rising heat disrupts essential tech—from power transformers, distribution cables and telecoms cabinets to NHS IT systems and data centres—by reducing gas-fired plant output, lowering solar efficiency, and triggering equipment malfunctions or alarms. Hotter summers cause cable sag, higher thermal noise, and data-centre cooling failures, prompting outages; authorities are expanding ventilation, cooling and grid capacity to boost resilience as climate change promises more extreme heat.

via BBC|

#climate-change #data-centers #energy