What the US Movement Against Data Centers Can Learn From Abroad
Quick Look
Climate groups are attempting to link data center opposition with atmospheric impact, while Europe struggles to balance AI ambitions with climate goals and Amazon drops NDAs amid growing community moratoriums.
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Why It Matters
Rapid growth in artificial intelligence has driven a massive expansion in data center construction, raising environmental and community concerns.
The Data Center Backlash Should Also Be a Climate Reckoning. It Isn’t Yet
Climate groups are latching onto the data center opposition movement, but it remains to be seen if they can get people to care about the facilities’ impact on the atmosphere.
Europe Wants Data Centers. Its Climate Goals Are Getting in the Way
A plan to funnel the heat given off by data centers into nearby homes has run aground in Germany. Across Europe, policymakers are weighing AI ambitions against climate objectives.
Amazon Says It’s No Longer Giving NDAs for Data Centers
The company announced it has stopped using secret agreements with county officials and acknowledged that community backlash is leading to data center moratoriums across the country.
Rural Data Centers Are in for a Big Federal Tax Break
Under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, data center projects in rural areas could be eligible for major tax benefits starting next year. Some hyperscalers do not seem eager to take the free cash.
A Startup Has a Plan to Make Water From Air Using Data Centers’ Waste Heat
Atoco’s new machines use specialized materials that can harvest water from some of the driest air on Earth without using electricity.
Timnit Gebru Believes There Is No ‘Existential Threat’ From AI
One of AI’s fiercest critics believes the doom talk is about founders making money, not saving humanity.
Let’s Talk About the Super El Niño and Climate Change
Here’s what we know about the record-setting El Niño on a record-hot planet, and the most important questions scientists are trying to answer.
Whatever AI Safety Is, It’s Not This
Asking AI companies to self-regulate is a great way to pretend like you’ve accomplished something.
Encryption Is Getting Squeezed From All Sides
Canada’s planned surveillance law is the latest grim step in a series of threats to encryption that are spreading around the world.
The Politics of Solar Energy Are Getting Weird, Mean, and a Little MAGA
A mysterious super PAC that doubles as a pro-solar-energy outfit is funding some of the most knives-out attack ads of the midterms season.
AI Is Getting Really Good at Messing With Cybercriminals
Anti-cybercrime initiatives are increasingly using AI to scam the scammers by tricking them into talking to lifelike bots that they think are real victims.
Open Questions
- Will climate groups successfully shift public opposition toward atmospheric impacts?
- How will European policymakers resolve the conflict between AI ambitions and climate goals?
