The latest in data centers, AI, and energy  | The VergeSkip to main contentThe homepageThe VergeThe Verge logo.The VergeThe Verge logo.TechReviewsScienceEntertainmentAIPolicyHamburger Navigation ButtonThe homepageThe VergeThe Verge logo.Hamburger Navigation ButtonNavigation DrawerThe VergeThe Verge logo.Login / Sign UpcloseCloseSearchTechExpandAmazonAppleFacebookGoogleMicrosoftSamsungBusinessSee all techReviewsExpandSmart Home ReviewsPhone ReviewsTablet ReviewsHeadphone ReviewsSee all reviewsScienceExpandSpaceEnergyEnvironmentHealthSee all scienceEntertainmentExpandTV ShowsMoviesAudioSee all entertainmentAIExpandOpenAIAnthropicSee all AIPolicyExpandAntitrustPoliticsLawSecuritySee all policyGadgetsExpandLaptopsPhonesTVsHeadphonesSpeakersWearablesSee all gadgetsVerge ShoppingExpandBuying GuidesDealsGift GuidesSee all shoppingGamingExpandXboxPlayStationNintendoSee all gamingStreamingExpandDisneyHBONetflixYouTubeCreatorsSee all streamingTransportationExpandElectric CarsAutonomous CarsRide-sharingScootersSee all transportationFeaturesVerge VideoExpandTikTokYouTubeInstagramPodcastsExpandDecoderThe VergecastVersion HistoryNewslettersArchivesStoreVerge Product UpdatesSubscribeFacebookThreadsInstagramYoutubeRSSThe VergeThe Verge logo.The latest in data centers, AI, and energy Comments DrawerCommentsLoading commentsGetting the conversation ready...AIUpdated Mar 26, 2026, 2:25 PM UTCThe latest in data centers, AI, and energy by Verge Staff and Justine CalmaLinkShareRSSGiftMassive new data centers are the physical foundation for tech companies’ hopes and dreams for AI. But the rush to expand warehouses full of energy-hungry servers has also kicked up fights across the world over their impact on power grids, utility bills, nearby communities, and the environment.From audacious plans to launch data centers into space to the latest legal battles over pollution, The Verge has the biggest news and reporting surrounding data centers.Mar 26Stevie BonifieldSenators are pushing to find out how much electricity data centers actually useAn Amazon data center in Oregon. Image: AmazonOn Thursday, senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Josh Hawley (R-MO) sent a letter to the Energy Information Administration (EIA) asking it to collect “comprehensive, annual energy-use disclosures” on data centers and make that information publicly available, as first reported by Wired. They’re urging the agency to “establish a mandatory annual reporting requirement for data centers,” saying the data is “essential for accurate grid planning,” and ensuring the seven tech companies that signed the Ratepayer Protection Pledge earlier this month adhere to their commitments.The EIA announced Wednesday that it’s launching a voluntary pilot program to evaluate data center energy use in Texas, Washington, Northern Virginia, and Washington, DC. What Warren and Hawley are calling for in their letter is broader, mandatory reporting on data center energy consumption.Read Article >Mar 10Justine CalmaHow the spiraling Iran conflict could affect data centers and electricity costsA commercial ship is viewed anchored off the coast of the United Arab Emirates, in the Strait of Hormuz, Dubai, on March 2nd, 2026. Increased maritime traffic led to a buildup of vessels waiting near Dubai, highlighting the strategic importance of the strait, which handles 20 percent of global energy trade. Photo: Getty ImagesSoon after the Trump administration launched its war on Iran, I called up Reed Blakemore, director of research and programs at the Atlantic Council Global Energy Center, to talk about the consequences. While oil and gas prices were already on the rise, there was still more hope then that the impact of the conflict might be short-lived. At the end of our conversation, Blakemore said plainly: “Let’s have a call again [next week] … We’ll have a much clearer picture of what the conflict is going to look like and what the story really is going to be for energy moving forward.”It’s a week later and the conflict has only escalated since the US and Israel launched strikes against Iran, killing Supreme Leader Ayatollah ​Ali Khamenei. Energy infrastructure has become a key leverage point in the unfolding war, with Israel hitting Iranian fuel depots and Iran targeting Gulf neighbors’ oil and gas infrastructure in its own strikes. Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard threatened on Tuesday not to “not allow the export of even a single liter of oil from the region to the hostile side and its partners until further notice.” Iran has reportedly also started to lay mines in the strategic Strait of Hormuz, through which one-fifth of global petroleum consumption and liquefied natural gas (LNG) trade used to move.Read Article >Mar 5Justine CalmaSeven tech giants signed Trump’s pledge to keep electricity costs from spiking around data centers Trump summoned tech leaders to the White House on Wednesday, March 4, 2026 to sign pledges committing their companies to foot the electricity bill for energy-hungry data centers. Photo: Getty ImagesLeaders from Google, Meta, Microsoft, Oracle, OpenAI, Amazon, and xAI met with President Donald Trump today to sign a “rate payer protection pledge.” It’s one way they’re responding to growing bipartisan concerns about electricity rates rising as tech companies and the Trump administration rush to build out a new generation of AI data centers.“[Tech companies] need some PR help because people think that if a data center goes in, their electricity prices are going to go up,” Trump said during the event. “Some centers were rejected by communities for that and now I think it’s going to be the opposite.”Read Article >Feb 25Justine CalmaTrump claims tech companies will sign deals next week to pay for their own power supplyImage: Cath Virginia / The Verge, Getty ImagesPresident Donald Trump tried to quell Americans’ concerns about rising electricity costs during his State of the Union speech — and now we’re learning that the deals he promised could land next week. Trump claimed that he’s negotiated a “rate payer protection pledge” with major tech companies, which would see them build out or pay for new electricity generation for their data centers. Leaders from Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft, xAI, Oracle and OpenAI are expected to attend a March 4th event to sign the pledge, Fox News reported today.There are very few details at this point on what the pledge entails, nor how companies would be held accountable for following through on any commitments. “Under this bold initiative, these massive companies will build, bring, or buy their own power supply for new AI data centers,” White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers said in an email to The Verge.Read Article >Feb 11Justine CalmaAnthropic says it’ll try to keep its data centers from raising electricity costsImage: Cath Virginia / The VergeAnthropic is the latest AI company promising to limit the impact its data centers have on nearby residents’ electricity bills.The company said it would pay higher monthly electricity charges in order to cover 100 percent of the upgrades needed to connect its data centers to power grids. “This includes the shares of these costs that would otherwise be passed onto consumers,” the announcement says.Read Article >Feb 11Justine CalmaHow an ‘icepocalypse’ raises more questions about Meta’s biggest data center projectIllustration by Nick Barclay / The VergeDonna Collins lives about 20 miles from where Meta’s biggest data center is being built, in a house her family has lived in for five generations. Construction has thrown the small agricultural community in North Louisiana into the spotlight as a high-profile example of how the infrastructure behind generative AI could impact nearby residents.For Collins, this place is “a little piece of heaven.” “It’s all I’ve ever known as a home. It’s quiet. It’s rural. It is beautiful,” she says. “We can’t imagine the changes that are coming.”Read Article >Feb 10Justine CalmaMicrosoft wants to rewire data centers to save spaceA Microsoft data center in Aldie, Virginia, on Tuesday, October 28th, 2025. Photo: Getty ImagesMicrosoft wants to design more efficient data centers using materials that allow electricity to flow with zero resistance. If these new materials, called high-temperature superconductors, can make it to market, Microsoft thinks it could be a game changer for how data centers and the energy infrastructure they connect to are built.Tech companies are facing backlash over how much power generative AI demands, delays connecting to power grids that lack the infrastructure to meet those demands, and the impact construction of new data centers has on local residents. High-temperature superconductors (HTS) could potentially shrink the amount of space needed for a data center and the transmission lines feeding it power.Read Article >Feb 8Terrence O'BrienNew York is considering two bills to rein in the AI industryAI data centers are becoming a bipartisan concern. Image: MicrosoftNew York’s state legislature is set to consider a pair of bills that would require labels on AI-generated content and would put a three-year pause on new data center construction.The New York Fundamental Artificial Intelligence Requirements in News Act (NY FAIR News Act, for short) would require that any news “substantially composed, authored, or created through the use of generative artificial intelligence” carry a disclaimer. It would also require that any content created using AI be reviewed and approved by a human with “editorial control” before being published.Read Article >Feb 3Andrew J. HawkinsElon Musk is merging SpaceX and xAI to build data centers in space — or so he saysPhoto by Britta Pedersen-Pool/Getty ImagesOn Monday, Elon Musk announced that he was merging two of his companies, SpaceX and xAI, in a deal said to be worth $1.25 trillion. The reason, Musk said in an announcement, was that in order for AI to grow, it needed to go to space.AI relies on “large terrestrial data centers” that run on “immense amounts of power and cooling,” he said, which comes at great expense to the environment and community opposition. The solution: data centers in space. “In the long term, space-based AI is obviously the only way to scale,” Musk said.Read Article >Jan 29Justine CalmaIt’s a new heyday for gas thanks to data centersGas turbines at the on-site natural gas plant under construction during a media tour of the Stargate AI data center in Abilene, Texas, US, on Sept. 24, 2025. Photo: Getty ImagesThe US is now leading a global surge in new gas power plants being built in large part to satisfy growing energy demand for data centers. And more gas means more planet-heating pollution.Gas-fired power generation in development globally rose by 31 percent in 2025. Almost a quarter of that added capacity is slated for the US, which has surpassed China with the biggest increase of any country. More than a third of that growth in the US is expected to directly power data centers, according to a recent analysis by the nonprofit Global Energy Monitor (GEM).Read Article >Jan 27Stevie BonifieldMeta is spending millions to convince people that data centers are cool and you like themIllustration by Nick Barclay / The VergeOver the last few months of 2025, Meta spent $6.4 million on an ad campaign running in cities across the country, from Sacramento to Washington, with a clear mission: win over viewers on the construction of new data centers. As the New York Times reports, the ad campaign is anchored by short, folksy video spotlights on Meta’s data centers in Altoona, Iowa, and Los Lunas, New Mexico.The ads make the case that Meta’s data centers create jobs, revitalizing rural communities.Read Article >Jan 27Justine CalmaThe winter storm tested power grids straining to accommodate AI data centersPower lines during a winter storm in Irving, Texas, on Sunday, January 25th. Photo: Getty ImagesThe colossal winter storm that swept across 34 states left hundreds of thousands of people without electricity. Bitterly cold temperatures lingering after Winter Storm Fern are still testing power grids, already under stress from a rush of new AI data centers.Over the weekend, wholesale electricity prices soared in Virginia, the state with the most data centers. And while that’s not surprising during a spike in energy demand for heating, it could add to the growing discontent over rising utility bills that has fueled opposition to data centers across the US. Utilities and grid operators were already hard-pressed to meet the increasing power needs of AI, which can make it even harder to prepare ahead of a weather disaster.Read Article >Jan 21Robert HartOpenAI says its data centers will pay for their own energy and limit water usageImage: The VergeOpenAI says it will minimize water use and pay for energy infrastructure upgrades needed to power its data centers. “We’re being good neighbors,” the company said, directly addressing the growing opposition to AI projects amid rising utility bills.“We commit to paying our own way on energy, so that our operations don’t increase your electricity prices,” OpenAI said. The company promised to work with local communities to minimize the impact of its Stargate data centers. OpenAI was not specific but said plans could involve securing its own energy supplies or paying for local grid upgrades.Read Article >Jan 13Justine CalmaMicrosoft scrambles to quell fury around its new AI data centersImage: Cath Virginia / The VergeIt looks like the wave of campaigns against data centers are getting under big tech companies’ skin — and Microsoft is the latest giant to promise to address frustrations on the ground in communities around their data centers.The company announced a five-point plan today that it calls “Community-First AI Infrastructure.” That includes paying more to try to prevent data center energy demands from raising other customers’ electricity bills, minimizing the company’s water use, training workers and creating jobs, and contributing to the local tax base in locations it operates.Read Article >Dec 19, 2025Justine CalmaCommunities are rising up against data centers — and winningImage: Cath Virginia / The Verge, Getty ImagesIf there’s one thing Republicans and Democrats came together on in 2025 — at least at the local level — it was to stop big, energy-hungry data center projects.For communities sick of rising electricity bills and pollution from power plants, data centers have become an obvious target. Fights against new data centers surged this year as grassroots groups, voters, and local lawmakers demanded more accountability from developers. Already, they’ve managed to block or stall tens of billions of dollars’ worth of potential investment in proposed data centers. And they’re not letting up.Read Article >Dec 17, 2025Elissa WelleBillionaires want data centers everywhere, including spaceImage: Kristen Radtke / The Verge; Getty ImagesTech billionaires have been obsessed with space for a long time. Now, as the largest AI companies race to build more data centers in a frenzied pursuit of profitability, space is looking less like a pet project and more like a commercial opportunity. In 2025 alone, six proposals for giant AI data centers needing multiple gigawatts of power — a capacity only rumored of in 2024 — have been announced. Earthlings are catching on to the fact that power-hungry data centers take up land and water, while providing few jobs, too much pollution, and rising electricity costs.Hence the idea to put the data centers in orbit around the Earth, not on the Earth. Space-based data centers — in the form of satellites with solar panels — are Big Tech’s latest fad and Silicon Valley’s newest investable venture. In space, they theorize, the sun’s unlimited rays could provide endless amounts of energy to power your latest AI-generated Sora video. But it’s not likely to be that easy.Read Article >Dec 17, 2025Justine CalmaAI’s water and electricity use soars in 2025A data center under construction in Phoenix, Arizona in 2024. Photo: Getty ImagesAI created as much carbon pollution this year as New York City and guzzled up as much H20 as people consume globally in water bottles, according to new estimates.The study paints what’s likely a pretty conservative picture of AI’s environmental impact since it’s based on the relatively limited amount of data that’s currently available to the public. A lack of transparency from tech companies makes it harder to see the potential environmental toll of AI becoming a part of everyday tasks, argues the author of the study who’s been tracking the electricity consumption of data centers used for AI and crypto mining over the years.Read Article >Dec 16, 2025Elissa WelleRacks of AI chips are too damn heavyAn aerial view of a 33 megawatt data center (LOWER L) with closed-loop cooling system, amid warehouses on October 20, 2025 in Vernon, California. Image: Mario Tama/Getty ImagesIn the span of a decade and a half, from 2010 to the end of 2024, the number of data centers in the US quadrupled. The trend is similar worldwide: more data centers, bigger, now or soon. The number of the construction projects of centers over 100 megawatts announced over the last four years total 377, according to data center certification and research agency Uptime Institute.But before we allow Big Tech’s feverish race toward more compute, which environmentalists would not like us to allow, let us pause and consider another option: making do with what we have. Can we retrofit our current data centers to match the needs of our newest technology? Perhaps the building frenzy is not merited; perhaps we have all the facilities we need. A few upgrades here, some fresh servers over there, a new lick of paint, and voilà — an AI data center built from the shell of a legacy one.Read Article >Dec 10, 2025Justine CalmaThe scramble to launch data centers into space is heating upBaiju Bhatt, co-founder of space-based solar company Aetherflux and Robinhood Financial LLC, speaks during the TechCrunch Disrupt 2018 summit in San Francisco, California, U.S., on Thursday, Sept. 6, 2018. Bloomberg via Getty ImagesA startup developing technologies to harness solar power in space is throwing its hat in with big tech companies attempting to build out data centers that orbit Earth. The US-based company, Aetherflux, announced on Tuesday that it plans to launch its first data center satellite in early 2027 — the first piece of a larger constellation of satellites it’s calling the “Galactic Brain.”Tech companies are running into physical limits to their AI ambitions on Earth — namely needing more space and electricity for data centers. One potential solution they’re exploring is to try sending some of those data centers into orbit, where they could run on solar energy around-the-clock.Read Article >Dec 9, 2025Justine CalmaData center construction moratorium is gaining steamA Microsoft data center under construction in Aldie, Virginia, US, on Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025. Photo: Getty ImagesMore than 230 groups including Food & Water Watch, Physicians for Social Responsibility, and Greenpeace are demanding a pause on the construction of any new data centers in the US until stronger regulations are in place to prevent soaring electricity rates, water use, and pollution.“The rapid, largely unregulated rise of data centers to fuel the AI and crypto frenzy is disrupting communities across the country and threatening Americans’ economic, environmental, climate and water security,“ the groups say in a letter sent to Congress on Monday.Read Article >Nov 30, 2025Terrence O'BrienData centers in Oregon might be helping to drive an increase in cancer and miscarriagesImage: AmazonMorrow County, Oregon, is home to mega farms and food processing plants. But it’s also home to several Amazon data centers. And now, some experts believe, that combination is leading to an alarmingly high concentration of nitrates in the drinking water that is driving up cancer and miscarriage rates in the area.Rolling Stone’s exposé details how Amazon, despite not using any dangerous nitrates to cool its data centers, is accelerating the contamination of the Lower Umatilla Basin aquifer, which residents rely on for drinking water. It’s a combination of poor wastewater management, sandy soil, and good old physics that has led to nitrate concentrations in drinking water as high as 73 ppm (parts per million) in some wells, which is 10 times the state limit of 7 ppm and seven times the federal limit.Read Article >Oct 23, 2025Justine CalmaGoogle is turning on the gas for its data centersIllustration by Hugo Herrera / The VergeGoogle’s latest pledge to support a new clean energy technology is… a gas project? To be precise, it’s a gas-fired power plant outfitted with filtering devices to capture its planet-heating carbon emissions. Is this just a polluting fossil fuel project in sheep’s clothing?Google just inked an agreement to support the development of a new gas-fired power plant in Illinois called the Broadwing Energy Center. It’ll be paired with carbon capture and storage (CCS), technology meant to filter carbon dioxide from smokestack emissions and then store it underground so that the greenhouse gas doesn’t build up in the atmosphere.Read Article >Sep 4, 2025Justine CalmaTech companies ‘be on alert,’ NAACP says with new guiding principles for data centersDemonstrators rally in opposition to a plan by Elon Musks’s xAI to use gas turbines for a new data center rally ahead of a public comment meeting on the project at Fairley High School in Memphis, TN on April 25, 2025. Photo: Getty ImagesOne of the top civil rights organizations in the US is putting the tech industry “on alert,” issuing a call to action for communities to demand more accountability from companies building new data centers.Electricity demand is rising in the US for the first time in nearly two decades, thanks in large part to massive new data centers that are being built to support advancements in AI. Utilities and some tech companies are increasingly meeting that demand with fossil fuels that worsen air quality and exacerbate the climate crisis — prompting the NAACP to issue “guiding principles” to help local community members to fight back.Read Article >Most PopularMost PopularSony is raising PS5 prices by $100 in AprilMeta gets ready to launch two new Ray-Ban AI glassesRank the 50 best Apple productsNetflix is raising prices againApple’s Mac Pro is dead, apparently for good this timeThe Verge DailyA free daily digest of the news that matters most.Email (required)Sign UpBy submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice. 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The rapid expansion of data centers, fueled by the burgeoning advancements in artificial intelligence, is generating significant global concerns across multiple domains. This expansion, spearheaded by major tech companies like Amazon, Google, and Microsoft, is fundamentally driven by the immense computational power required to train and operate increasingly sophisticated AI models. However, this technological momentum is colliding with substantial challenges related to energy consumption, environmental impact, and community disruption.

Initially, the enthusiasm around data center development was predicated on the belief that innovation and growth would outweigh any negative consequences. However, increasing scrutiny has revealed the considerable strain these facilities place on local power grids and utility infrastructure. As a result, momentum is building to place more stringent regulations on data center construction and operation. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is attempting to establish a mandatory annual reporting requirement for data centers, aiming to gain better insights into their energy-use profiles and to hold the signatories of the Ratepayer Protection Pledge accountable, including Google, Meta, Microsoft, Oracle, OpenAI, Amazon, and xAI.

The escalating energy demands of AI have precipitated a shift in the energy landscape, with gas-fired power plants experiencing a resurgence in development as companies seek to meet the amplified power needs. This trend has drawn criticism from environmental groups, who worry about the increased carbon emissions resulting from reliance on fossil fuels. Just before the Ukraine conflict escalated, Reed Blakemore of the Atlantic Council warned of the potential impact on energy markets, highlighting the critical role that energy infrastructure would play as a strategic leverage point in the escalating conflict. Iran’s threat to disrupt global oil trade further underscored the vulnerability of global energy systems linked to data center operations.

Beyond energy concerns, the construction of these massive facilities is raising serious questions about local community impact. In Louisiana, the development of Meta’s data center plans has sparked intense opposition from residents of North Louisiana, particularly those who have lived in the area for generations. Concerns include the strain on local water resources, potential impacts on drinking water quality due to nitrate contamination, and the disruption of rural landscapes and communities.

Tech companies are responding to this growing resistance with various initiatives, including pledges to foot their own electricity bills, implement water conservation measures, and contribute to local economies. OpenAI, for example, has committed to paying for the upgrades needed to connect its data centers to the power grid, acknowledging the need to minimize its impact on surrounding communities. Similarly, Microsoft is exploring innovative solutions like high-temperature superconductors to make data centers more efficient and reduce their physical footprint. Elon Musk’s ambitious plan involves locating data centers in space, leveraging solar energy to power AI operations, presenting a technically complex and potentially expensive venture.

However, even space-based solutions are not without their challenges. Concerns about the potential environmental impact of launching and operating satellite data centers, along with the logistical hurdles involved, are prompting caution. Meanwhile, regulators and policymakers are grappling with how to balance the economic opportunities presented by AI with the need to protect communities, safeguard the environment, and ensure sustainable energy practices. The conflict between the desire for technological advancement and responsible resource management is at the heart of the data center debate, demanding a comprehensive and nuanced approach to ensure a future where innovation and sustainability can coexist.