Indium phosphide prices have surged sharply due to unprecedented demand for optical modules driven by the artificial intelligence boom, with major suppliers in China and Japan hiking wafer costs.
Nvidia agreed to provide a guarantee of up to US$105 billion to help OpenAI lease a massive data centre in Ohio developed by SB Energy, alongside a US$1.5 billion investment in the firm.
Nvidia collaborates with six Wall Street firms to create 'compute financing platforms,' enabling AI companies to borrow up to $500 billion, secured by Nvidia's chips and infrastructure, to fuel the AI boom despite growing capital expenditure pressures.
New South Wales has introduced a framework offering fast-tracked 75-day planning assessments for data centre builders that meet strict environmental, energy, water, and community infrastructure standards.
Ten Lowell, Massachusetts residents are suing the state's environmental regulator and Markley Group over a data centre expansion, citing inadequate review of environmental impacts, including diesel emissions and noise, in a densely populated area designated as an Environmental Justice community.
Alibaba Cloud reduced large-scale AI data centre delivery times to 100 days using its CUBE 5.0 system, compared to standard domestic times of six to 12 months.
Darwin residents and local councillors have called for a moratorium on proposed data centres in the Northern Territory, citing intense water consumption, noise, and reliance on gas-powered energy.
Nvidia has partnered with major Wall Street investors including BlackRock, Goldman Sachs, and KKR to raise $500bn for artificial intelligence infrastructure, treating AI hardware as an independent asset class for the first time.
2026 sees surge in US protests against data centre buildouts, with 142 protests in 42 states on July 18, and $130B in projects blocked or delayed, driven by concerns over energy costs, environmental harm, noise, property values, jobs, and taxation.
Amazon is financing a massive private gas power plant in Texas known as GW Ranch to power its AI operations. The facility could generate 7.65 gigawatts, potentially becoming the largest single source of greenhouse gas emissions in the US.
Shares of top Chinese optical-module makers recovered early losses after analysts downplayed potential US restrictions aimed at barring new Chinese optical transceivers from American AI data centres.
German chip manufacturer Infineon reported a 13 percent revenue increase to 4.2 billion euros and a 39 percent profit rise to 423 million euros in its third fiscal quarter, driven by demand for AI data centre power solutions and automotive chips.
Donald Trump claimed that China is funding resistance against new US artificial intelligence infrastructure to hinder American progress, while praising data centers as economic assets.
The World Bank's chief economist, Indermit Gill, urged developing economies to leverage lower-cost AI tools to drive growth in sectors like health and education, despite facing the weakest average growth performance in three decades.
Cloncurry Mayor Greg Campbell suggests building Australia's next generation of AI data centres in remote outback Queensland to ease urban pressure, contingent on energy projects like CopperString.
India's proposed 9,030 MW data centre pipeline could generate 4.33 lakh ecosystem jobs and 195 million sq ft of residential demand by 2030. This growth, driven by investments in power and fibre, will transform surrounding regions, particularly Maharashtra and Karnataka, and benefit Tier-2/3 cities.
Shanghai-based RedNote plans a 600MW data center project in Ulanqab, China, with a budget of around 15 billion yuan ($2.2 billion). The company is in talks with VNET for the buildout, targeting delivery in Q1 2027, as China encourages private investment in computing infrastructure.
The Research Grants Council (RGC) has allocated a total of HK$478 million to Hong Kong universities for research initiatives under the Areas of Excellence (AoE) and Theme-based Research Scheme (TRS), with City University, HKU, and Polytechnic University receiving the most funding.
Zhongji buys back shares to stabilize prices before Hong Kong IPO, amid risk of onshore stock decline impacting offshore listing success.
Ofgem proposes refundable fees (£237,500 to £712,500 per MW) for data centre developers to connect to the UK electricity grid, citing a surge in demand from AI-driven projects.
Hosepipe bans across large parts of England are causing public frustration and a "culture war" over exemptions for vulnerable groups. Critics blame water companies for significant leaks and AI data centers for high water consumption, while experts highlight climate change and aging infrastructure as root causes.
Weddell, a Darwin suburb, is the proposed site for a $40 billion gas-powered data centre and power station, fueled by gas from the Beetaloo Basin. The NT government signed an exclusive "do-not-deal" agreement with Beetaloo Energy to explore the project, sparking environmental concerns.
Firmus Technologies, an AI data centre company, inadvertently published an internal note on its FAQ page revealing plans to use farm irrigation water for its proposed Wesley Vale facility in Tasmania. The company deleted the note after ABC inquiries, stating rainwater harvesting is the primary plan, but community concerns persist regarding water usage.
Beijing-based Z.ai has acquired Chinese infrastructure software developer XCore Sigma, a spin-off from the Chinese Academy of Sciences. This acquisition, alongside a new data center, aims to address computing power constraints and improve AI inference efficiency for Z.ai.
