







Thermal drone footage shows DataOne — the Microsoft-backed AI data center in Vineland — is powering its operations with dozens of unpermitted generators
The Race to Rethink Data Centers for AI’s Power Surge
With energy demand already straining infrastructure, AI players are reimagining the data center from the ground up.

AI Data Centers: Big Tech's Impact on Electric Bills, Water, and More via @ConsumerReports
Massive data centers are gobbling up resources across the United States. The boom has just begun—and you may be paying for it.
Inside the Dirty, Dystopian World of AI Data Centers
The race to power AI is already remaking the physical world.
The UK tech energy grab: how AI data centres are delaying the building of homes
Artificial intelligence infrastructure is being handed priority access to Britain's overwhelmed electricity grid, pushing housing down the list. But as the US shows, there's an alternative: make Big Tech pay for the power it needs. Report by Nicole Kobie

Ukraine’s drones knock out AI data center belonging to "Russia’s Google"
One damaged data center has supercomputers used for training Yandex’s AI model.

Maine House advances data center moratorium • Maine Morning Star
The Maine House of Representatives has given initial approval to a bill that would ban most data centers until November 2027. The bill, LD 307, places a moratorium on data centers with a load of 20 megawatts or more. House lawmakers passed the bill by a vote of 82-62 Monday, advancing it to the Senate. […]

EU's data centre expansion will fast-track profits and power for US Big Tech and investors
The global competition to ‘win’ the AI-race is driving an unparalleled expansion of large-scale data centres across the world. Cloaked in a narrative of pursuing European tech sovereignty and adopting AI widely and rapidly, the EU is now proposing to fast-track data centre development across the region in what appears to be a gift to […]

AI Data Centers Use Far More Water Than Most Tech Giants Report
Water used at the power plants that supply electricity to data centers can be much greater than the water used in the data centers themselves.
People Hate Datacenters, Survey Finds
The data drops as Sen. Bernie Sanders calls for a moratorium on datacenter construction. 'We need to take a deep breath. We need to make sure that AI and robotics work for all of us, not just a handful of billionaires.'

As tech companies race to build data centers, more communities are pushing back
Concerns about electricity bills and local impacts are fueling bipartisan opposition to the massive data centers that power the digital economy, from cloud services to AI chatbots. In Wisconsin, as in other states, the tussles are personal – and fraught.

US data centers’ energy use amid the artificial intelligence boom
Data centers accounted for 4% of total U.S. electricity use in 2024. Their energy demand is expected to more than double by 2030.

Data Centre Silence
How EU leaders sided with Big Tech over the public’s right to know about the true scale and environmental impact of the AI build-out, forcing a legal challenge to seek disclosure

Elon Musk's Memphis AI empire is the epicenter of the data center backlash
Data center-related policy proposals, protests and litigation are underway across the country citing Colossus and Memphis as a cautionary tale.

What Happens When Data Centers Come to Town?
The rapid growth of data centers, with their enormous energy and water demands, necessitates targeted policy interventions to mitigate environmental impacts and protect local communities. To address these issues, states with existing data center tax breaks should adopt sustainable growth policies for data centers, mandating energy audits, strict performance standards, and renewable energy integration, while also requiring transparency in energy usage reporting. “Renewable energy additionality” clauses should ensure data centers contribute to new renewable capacity rather than relying on existing resources.

Are AI data centers coming to your area?
This free, crowd-sourced tracker website is one of the most comprehensive attempts we’ve seen to keep tabs on where new data centers are being proposed. Maps are currently available across 18 states, with data compiled from public sources. You can read about the Data Center Proposal Tracker creator’s methodology here. [Image: Here’s a screenshot from the tracker showing sites around NYC. https://platform.theverge.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/04/Screenshot-2026-04-16-100907.jpg?quality=90&strip=all]

AI Companies Are Trying to Hide a Staggering Amount of Debt
AI companies are pouring tens of billions of dollars into enormous data centers. They're being built on top of a mountain of hidden debt.
