A viral thought experiment, "Europe 2031," by the Arq Foundation, depicts the EU being economically ruined and sidelined by a tech-dominant US and China by 2031. The scenario highlights Europe's lagging AI ambitions and infrastructure, leading to job losses and political instability.
A growing backlash against AI is evident, with students booing former Google CEO Eric Schmidt and voters opposing AI's impact on jobs, creativity, and relationships. Cory Doctorow's new book argues that the revulsion stems from Big Tech's profit-driven model, not the technology itself.
Australians lost over $37m to romance scams in 18 months. Political focus on datacentre environmental costs and One Nation's appeal. Global news includes UK PM Starmer's potential resignation, Iran-US peace talks suspension, bird flu on Australian mainland, and exam leaks in India.
Australians lost over $37m to romance scams in 18 months, raising questions about bank and dating app responsibility. Concerns also arise over the environmental cost of Australia's growing datacentre industry. Meanwhile, UK PM Keir Starmer is reportedly poised to step down.
Australians lost over $37m in romance scams, prompting questions about bank and dating app liability. Concerns rise over the environmental impact of Australia's growing datacentre industry. UK PM Keir Starmer is reportedly poised to step down, potentially paving the way for Andy Burnham. Iran suspends peace talks with the US after Trump's threats.
Australia is experiencing a datacentre boom, with plans for massive facilities like the one on Mamre Road, Sydney. While promising economic growth and productivity, concerns linger about power and water consumption, job creation, and the broader implications of AI.
Australia is experiencing a datacentre boom, with plans for a "hyperscale" facility in Sydney. While promising economic growth and productivity, concerns exist regarding power and water consumption, potential electricity price hikes, and job creation.
Bill Gates expressed concerns that many new AI data centers may not be profitable due to high electricity costs and rapid chip obsolescence. He stated that communities should not bear higher power bills for hyperscalers' speculative investments, highlighting the potential for towns to be left with infrastructure costs when these centers fail.
A speculative thought experiment, 'Europe 2031,' envisions the EU's economy in ruins by 2031 due to a lack of AI investment, leading to populism and cyber-attacks. The scenario, gaining traction among policymakers, highlights the US and China's AI dominance and Europe's potential tech sovereignty crisis.
A speculative thought experiment, 'Europe 2031,' by Brussels thinktankers paints a bleak future for the EU due to its lack of AI investment, leading to economic collapse, populism, and cyber-attacks. The scenario, gaining traction among policymakers, highlights the urgency for EU tech sovereignty.
Australia's Assistant Minister for the Digital Economy, Andrew Charlton, is urging the nation to learn from the mistakes of the resources boom and establish clear terms for the burgeoning AI and data centre sector. He proposes a 'triple lock' system requiring new renewable energy supply, full cost recovery for infrastructure, and grid cooperation to manage the significant energy demands.
Australia's Q1 GDP grew 0.3%, driven by datacentre investment in machinery and equipment. This surge raises climate concerns, as datacentres are projected to significantly increase electricity consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, potentially derailing climate goals.
Australia's economy slowed significantly in early 2026, with real GDP growth falling to 0.3% in the March quarter. Living standards declined as household incomes struggled to keep pace with inflation, despite a boom in datacentre investment.
Ireland's datacentres used 22% of the country's electricity in 2023, increasing household bills by an average of €360 (2015-2023). A report warns this pattern could replicate across Europe, urging stricter renewable energy requirements for datacentres.
A Scottish charity, Action to Protect Rural Scotland (APRS), warns that the government's policy on "green datacentres" lacks a clear definition, potentially allowing significant carbon emissions to be overlooked. Despite huge energy demands and planned gas connections for over 100 datacentre projects, the policy's climate impact analysis is outdated and doesn't account for AI development.
BT CEO Allison Kirkby warns the AI boom is driving demand for semiconductor chips, potentially leading to shortages and price hikes for smartphones and other electronics. Tech firms are buying large quantities of memory chips for AI data centers, impacting supply chains.
Over 100 UK datacentres plan to use gas for power due to National Grid connection delays, raising concerns about climate targets. Developers are seeking permanent gas connections, a shift from previous temporary solutions, as AI energy demands surge.
Individuals can reduce datacentre environmental impact by practicing responsible data management. Additionally, repurposing 'waste' heat from datacentres for district heating, greenhouses, or hot water could significantly offset carbon emissions.
Datacentres now consume 6% of the UK's and US's electricity, with global usage rising 15% in two years, prompting community resistance and calls for transparency from tech companies amid energy shortages and environmental concerns.
Emissions understated by factor of five in Essex plans for tech giant, while Greystoke’s Lincolnshire plans show similar errorDevelopers working for Google have significantly misstated how much carbon two proposed AI datacentres will contribute to the UK’s total emissions in planning documents reviewed by the Guardian.The tech company wants to build two huge datacentres – one 52-hectare (130 acre) project in Thurrock and another at an airfield in North Weald, both in Essex. To do so, developers are required to submit planning documents calculating how much carbon these projects will emit as a proportion of the UK’s total carbon footprint. Continue reading...
Ambitious plans are being scaled back – but film and TV industry point to big existing investments in British productionHollywood blockbusters including the eagerly anticipated Beatles biopics and big-budget TV series such as Bridgerton have been keeping the UK’s film and TV studio facilities packed.But as the streaming wars recalibrate having passed “peak TV”, a slowdown in the content arms race is prompting property developers to switch to building datacentres amid the AI boom. Continue reading...
Residents in three Australian cities are opposing the rapid expansion of datacentres near residential areas, citing concerns over noise, environmental impact, and inadequate planning processes. The M3 datacentre in West Footscray, Melbourne, is set to double in size by 2027, while similar facilities are proposed in Sydney's Lane Cove and Perth's Hazelmere. Local councils say they have been sidelined in approval processes, while industry argues datacentres are critical for Australia's digital future.
The AI boom is worsening a global memory chip shortage, which Samsung predicts will continue into 2027Samsung Electronics on Thursday reported record quarterly profit driven by a 49-fold jump in chip income, saying it expects a severe supply shortage to deepen next year as clients spend on AI, driving up prices of its memory chips.A boom in the construction of AI datacentres has spurred Samsung and chipmaking peers to allocate production capacity to advanced chips that Nvidia uses in its so-called AI accelerators. Even so, chipmakers are struggling to meet demand while the move also squeezes the supply of conventional chips. Continue reading...
The UK government has revised its estimate of carbon emissions from AI datacentres by more than 100 times, after an investigation revealed the original figure was a significant underestimate. New data shows AI datacentres could emit 34-123 MtCO2 over the next decade, equivalent to 0.9-3.4% of the UK's projected total emissions between 2025-2035. The previous estimate claimed emissions would reach just 0.142 MtCO2 in a single year.
