US communities, led by activists like Elizabeth Bauer in Frederick, Maryland, are increasingly protesting the rapid expansion of data centers due to concerns over land use, high energy and water consumption, increased electricity prices, and health risks from diesel generators, despite some temporary construction halts.
TeraWulf is reportedly seeking $3.5 billion in debt financing led by Morgan Stanley to expand its Kentucky data center campus, leased by AI firm Anthropic. This move highlights growing funding opportunities for data center operators driven by AI demand.
Lowell residents, aided by Yale Law's Environmental Justice Clinic, are suing state officials and a data center developer to halt expansion, citing noise pollution and high rates of asthma linked to emissions. A recent one-year moratorium on data center development in the city was passed, but the lawsuit alleges attempts to bypass permitting.
Lake Tahoe faces an energy crisis as its power contract with NV Energy expires in May 2027, with capacity being diverted to support booming data center demand. Residents face rising costs as regional power competition intensifies due to massive AI infrastructure needs.
Riot Platforms posted $167.2 million in Q1 2026 revenue, bolstered by a new data center business that offset declining Bitcoin mining income. The company is increasingly diversifying into AI infrastructure, highlighted by an expanded contract with AMD.
Pennsylvania has four competitive House races in 2026, all of which are in areas where Gov. Josh Shapiro has AI data center expansion plans.
Core Scientific is raising $3.3 billion through senior secured notes due 2031 to fund data center expansion across Georgia, Texas, North Carolina and Oklahoma, and to refinance existing short-term debt. The debt offering allows capital access without shareholder dilution. The move follows a $1 billion credit agreement with Morgan Stanley in March as crypto miners increasingly pivot toward high-performance computing and AI workloads.
