AI demand is causing price increases in the semiconductor supply chain, extending beyond GPUs and memory chips to upstream materials and manufacturing inputs, creating new bottlenecks for global AI infrastructure. Japan's Murata Manufacturing will raise prices for AI server components by 10-40% from July.
Apple CEO Tim Cook stated that price increases for Apple products are unavoidable due to soaring demand for AI memory chips. He cited supply chain issues and rising component costs, comparing the situation to a "hundred-year flood."
Energy industry voices are questioning the viability of the Marinus Link project due to the rapid expansion of AI data centres in Tasmania. These data centres require significant energy, potentially consuming a large portion of the state's supply, which could impact the project's business case.
AI hyperscalers are causing land surface temperatures around their data centers to rise by an average of 2C, creating 'data heat islands'. This phenomenon affects over 340 million people within 10km of these facilities, raising concerns about community welfare and environmental sustainability.
SoftBank plans a €75 billion investment in 5 GW of AI data centre capacity in France, with initial €45 billion by 2031 for 3.1 GW in Hauts-de-France. The project aims to support AI demand and create thousands of jobs.
Beijing is moving to make green electricity usage a key metric in the operation of new data centre projects, as part of a major push to align the rapid expansion of artificial intelligence with national carbon goals, according to an action plan released Friday. The policy document, jointly released by four bodies – the National Energy Administration, National Development and Reform Commission, Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and National Data Administration – encouraged operators...
From decade-long grid queues to facilities running at half capacity, a new study exposes the energy crisis at the heart of Europe's push to boost its AI capabilities.
China has released new guidelines to reduce carbon emissions across strategic sectors – including energy-intensive data centres – as Beijing pushes to secure its 2030 climate targets amid volatile energy prices triggered by the US-Israeli war in Iran. The 18-point document, issued by the ruling Communist Party’s powerful Central Committee and the State Council, China’s cabinet, called on heavy industries – including steel, non-ferrous metals and chemicals – to boost energy efficiency and...
