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One fallen power line exposed a growing AI data center problem. Here’s how to fix it.
A close call in Northern Virginia revealed just how poorly data centers respond to grid disruptions. Here's how to fix the problem.
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Intel, AMD Pursue Long-Term China CPU Deals as AI Demand Surges
Intel and AMD are reportedly negotiating long-term CPU supply agreements with Chinese customers as AI demand drives higher server processor prices and tighter supply.
AI firms want more data centers; Trump's EPA may give neighbors less say
The Trump administration is quietly considering a rule change that could make it easier for polluters to build facilities—including certain gas plants and diesel generators that power data centers—with little to no notice to the public.
On Wednesday, the Environmental Protection Agency held a public hearing on a proposed rule change that would hand the power to states to decide how the public participates in the permitting process for certain new sources of air pollution. The proposed rollback comes as data centers face greater pushbackacross the US, with many communities using the permitting process to try to slow down development. Any changes could have major consequences for how ordinary people are given notice about new or expanded polluting facilities coming into their neighborhoods.
“As someone actively working in communities with data centers, I know this to be fundamentally true: People want to have a say,” Vanessa Lynch, a Pennsylvania organizer with Moms Clean Air Force, said at the EPA hearing.
© Getty Images
Intel Benefits From a New Shift in A.I. Spending
The Silicon Valley chipmaker’s revenue rose 25 percent in the latest quarter, its fastest growth in 15 years, as A.I. firms increasingly bought chips known as central processing units.
Alphabet Quadruples Profit to $112 Billion, Fueled by A.I. Investments
Google’s parent company, which has spent heavily on artificial intelligence, also showed growth across its businesses, particularly in cloud computing.
Energy IPOs surge as investors hunt for ways to play AI boom
Energy companies are raising money at IPO at their fastest pace this century, taking advantage of investors’ hunt for new ways to bet on the boom in power-intensive AI data centers.
Initial public offerings for energy firms raised $12.6 billion in the first half of this year, according to data firm Dealogic. That marks the highest half-year level since the peak of the dotcom bubble in late 1999 and the highest first-half figure on record. It is well above 2025’s full-year total of $4.3 billion.
The surge in fundraising comes as access to the vast amounts of energy needed to run data centers emerges as a bottleneck in a multi-trillion-dollar AI investment boom.
© Michael Nagle/Bloomberg
