Minnesota residents are organizing against proposed hyperscale data centers, especially Google-linked projects in Pine Island and Hermantown, citing secrecy through NDAs, inadequate environmental review, and issues with water use, electricity, noise pollution and more.
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.
I think the data center backlash is mostly about data centers
It’s probably not your ideological thing, or mine. It’s about object-level claims about how data centers impact the communities where they’re built, many of which are wrong.
I think the data center backlash is mostly about data centers
It’s probably not your ideological thing, or mine. It’s about object-level claims about how data centers impact the communities where they’re built, many of which are wrong.
Google’s Neighbors: How Uruguay Approved the Largest Data Center in Its History
The environmental case files for Google’s data center were approved despite the fact that its generators emit nitrogen dioxide at 17 times the legal limit—even though technology exists that can reduce...
The Cloud Is a Prison. Can the Local-First Software Movement Set Us Free?
Tired of relying on Big Tech to enable collaboration, peer-to-peer enthusiasts are creating a new model that cuts out the middleman. (That’s you, Google.)
Anger mounts over environmental cost of Google datacentre in Uruguay
Protesters say recently approved tax-free datacentre will ‘provide nothing except toxic waste and greenhouse gases’
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.'
Protesting data centre construction in South Morang – Victorian Socialists
As discussions about AI datacentres dominate the headlines, it can feel like working-class people have no input into the rollout of these monstrosities. Multinational companies are building them across our suburbs without any constraints, despite the overwhelmingly negative attitude of the public.
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]
Expanding our use of Google Cloud TPUs and Services
Announcing a dramatic increase in Anthropic's compute resources
Is the Left Making a ‘Massive Strategic Blunder’ on Data Centers?
A conversation with Holly Jean Buck, author of a buzzy story about Bernie Sanders’ proposal for a national data center moratorium.
Google data centre investigation targets Finland site
$15 billion Google data centre investigation in Finland examines alleged environmental law breaches near Muhos. Read what authorities are probing
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.
The crusade against open-source abuse | TechCrunch
There’s a dark cloud on the horizon. The behavior of cloud infrastructure providers threatens the viability of open source. Thankfully, several leaders have mobilized to propose multiple solutions.
‘Pure arrogance’: anger in Finland as Google illegally fells 250,000 trees for datacentre
Company ordered to stop work at two sites in country, which has found itself at forefront of tech firms’ latest push
‘Order from Amazon’: Tech giants storing mass data for Israel’s war
The Israeli army is using Amazon’s cloud service and AI from Google and Microsoft for military activities in Gaza, investigation reveals.
