Today in Data Centers
Tracking popular press coverage of data centers and their ecological foundations and repercussions.
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Suggested citation: Annabel Rothschild, 2024. “Today in Data Centers” dataset. https://annabelrothschild.com/today-in-data-centers/
2024-12-29
Tech Crunch, “AI data centers could be ‘distorting’ the US power grid”. https://techcrunch.com/2024/12/29/ai-data-centers-could-be-distorting-the-us-power-grid/
2024-12-28
Wall Street Journal, “The Data-Center Boom Eats Up a Lot of Land. Atlanta Says It’s Gone Too Far.”. https://www.wsj.com/real-estate/data-center-land-use-atlanta-georgia-bd6a2f93
2024-12-27
ZDNET, “AI data centers are becoming ‘mind-blowingly large’”. https://www.zdnet.com/article/ai-data-centers-are-becoming-mind-blowingly-large/
2024-12-24
Virginia Mercury, “We suspected data centers were creating an energy crisis for Virginia. Now it’s official.”. https://virginiamercury.com/2024/12/24/we-suspected-data-centers-were-creating-an-energy-crisis-for-virginia-now-its-official/
2024-12-19
CTV News, “Ireland embraced data centres that the AI boom needs. Now they’re consuming too much of its energy”. https://www.ctvnews.ca/sci-tech/ireland-embraced-data-centres-that-the-ai-boom-needs-now-they-re-consuming-too-much-of-its-energy-1.7151659
2024-12-18
Wired, “Generative AI and Climate Change Are on a Collision Course”. https://www.wired.com/story/true-cost-generative-ai-data-centers-energy/
2024-12-16
Wired, “Big Tech Will Scour the Globe in Its Search for Cheap Energy”. https://www.wired.com/story/big-tech-data-centers-cheap-energy/
2024-12-14
CNBC, “Big Oil wants to help Big Tech power artificial intelligence data centers”. https://www.cnbc.com/2024/12/14/big-oil-wants-to-help-big-tech-power-artificial-intelligence-data-centers.html
2024-12-12
E&E News (Politico), “White House weighing executive action to spur data centers”. https://www.eenews.net/articles/white-house-weighing-executive-action-to-spur-data-centers/
2024-11-29
Yle, “Google plans “historic” data centre expansion in Finland”. https://yle.fi/a/74-20128014
2024-11-04
Ars Technica, “Endangered bees stop Meta’s plan for nuclear-powered AI data center”. https://arstechnica.com/ai/2024/11/endangered-bees-stop-metas-plan-for-nuclear-powered-ai-data-center/ 🐝🐝
2024-10-30
DW, “E-waste from AI computers could ‘escalate beyond control’”. https://www.dw.com/en/e-waste-from-ai-computers-could-escalate-beyond-control/a-70619724
2024-10-22
The Register, “AI’s energy appetite has Taiwan reconsidering the nuclear option”. https://www.theregister.com/2024/10/22/taiwans_ai_chip_boom_sparks/
2024-10-17
Ars Technica, “Amazon joins Google in investing in small modular nuclear power”. https://arstechnica.com/science/2024/10/amazon-the-latest-tech-giant-to-announce-investments-in-nuclear/
2024-10-16
The New York Times, “Hungry for Energy, Amazon, Google and Microsoft Turn to Nuclear Power”. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/16/business/energy-environment/amazon-google-microsoft-nuclear-energy.html?smid=nytcore-android-share
2024-10-15
Deutsche Welle, “Google wants nuclear reactors to power its AI data centers”. https://www.dw.com/en/google-wants-nuclear-reactors-to-power-its-ai-data-centers/a-70497345
The Guardian, “Google to buy nuclear power for AI datacentres in ‘world first’ deal”. ttps://www.theguardian.com/technology/2024/oct/15/google-buy-nuclear-power-ai-datacentres-kairos-power
2024-10-04
Wall Street Journal, “Why Microsoft Wants Three Mile Island’s Nuclear Power”. https://www.wsj.com/podcasts/the-journal/why-microsoft-wants-three-mile-island-nuclear-power/54D5F512-BC1C-4D69-BBD8-CC656C6A6595
Atlanta Journal Constitution, “Helene severely damages major hub for global climate data”. https://www.ajc.com/news/southeast/noaa-hub-for-global-climate-data-severely-damaged-by-hurricane-helene/AEU3V5RY6BFHTJ6REXYWSQFNUE/
2024-10-02
The Real News, “AI data centers are draining water from this drought-stricken Mexican town”. https://therealnews.com/ai-data-centers-are-draining-water-from-this-drought-stricken-mexican-town
2024-09-25
Ars Technica, “OpenAI asked US to approve energy-guzzling 5GW data centers, report says”. https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2024/09/openai-asked-us-to-approve-energy-guzzling-5gw-data-centers-report-says/
2024-09-17
Time, “Elon Musk’s New AI Data Center Raises Alarms Over Pollution”. https://time.com/7021709/elon-musk-xai-grok-memphis/
2024-08-13
The Register, “Small datacenters face the axe under China’s new energy policy”. https://www.theregister.com/2024/08/13/china_green_policy_tech_elements/
2024-07-03
Wired, “Britain’s Brewing Battle Over Data Centers”. https://www.wired.com/story/data-centres-uk-boom-elections/
2024-06-20
Jacobin, “The Hidden Environmental Impact of AI.” https://jacobin.com/2024/06/ai-data-center-energy-usage-environment
2024-03-04
Yes! Solutions Journalism, “The Weight of the Cloud”. https://www.yesmagazine.org/issue/connections/2024/03/04/the-weight-of-the-cloud
2024-01-26
Bloomberg, “AI Needs So Much Power That Old Coal Plants Are Sticking Around.” https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-01-25/ai-needs-so-much-power-that-old-coal-plants-are-sticking-around