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27 stories taggedenergy.
Australia's Data Centres Could Eat 13% of National Electricity by 2035
A regulator's forecast buried in a routine report reveals how sharply AI infrastructure is set to reshape Australia's power grid, and who gets to decide what gets built where.
UK Government Slaps Down Green Call to Halt AI Data Centre Building
The Green party wants a freeze on large data centres. Labour says that would kill jobs and damage national security. Here is what the row is actually about.
Why Everyone Suddenly Has Strong Opinions About Data Centres
Those giant warehouse buildings humming away on the edge of town power all the AI tools you use daily. Now they're sparking political fights from both sides. Here's what's going on.
A $500 Billion AI Datacenter Is Being Built in Rural Ohio. Not Everyone Is Happy About It.
OpenAI, Nvidia and Japanese investors are pouring half a trillion dollars into what could be the world's largest AI computing facility, tucked into the Appalachian foothills near Piketon, Ohio. The jobs sound good. The questions about land, water and power are harder.
Australia's PM Tries to Calm State Leaders Over National AI Datacentre Law
Anthony Albanese heads into a national cabinet meeting promising that new federal controls on datacentres will work alongside state rules, not override them. Behind the scenes: power bills, planning fights, and a seven-fold rise in electricity demand.
Fusion startup cuts fuel pellet production from days to minutes
Inertia Enterprises says it can now make the tiny fuel capsules at the heart of its nuclear fusion power plant in two to three hours, down from a week or more. The speedup quietly solves one of the hardest manufacturing problems standing between fusion energy and the electricity grid.
AI will do more to grow fossil fuel output than clean energy, new study warns
Researchers modelled 64 scenarios and found AI's productivity gains for oil, gas and coal outpace its benefits for renewables, adding up to 1.8 gigatonnes of extra carbon pollution a year.
A US Lawmaker Wants Communities to Have the Right to Reject AI Data Centers
Representative Ro Khanna is pushing a 'Data Center Bill of Rights' that would let neighborhoods block new facilities over electricity costs, water use and proximity to homes.
Amazon's New Texas Power Plant Could Emit More CO2 Than Any Coal Plant in America
A gas plant built to power Amazon's West Texas data center has a pollution permit larger than any coal facility in the US. The company says its climate commitment stands, but its own emissions have risen for years.
The Power Grid Is Struggling. A New AI Course Wants to Train the Engineers Who Can Fix It
America's electrical grid was designed for a calmer era. Now AI tools are being drafted to keep the lights on, and a new online programme is teaching engineers how to use them.
America Has a Data Center Problem, and AI Made It Worse
From MAGA rallies to environmental protests, ordinary Americans are furious about the AI infrastructure being built in their backyards. Here is why it happened.
A top House Democrat is demanding a tour of SpaceX's AI data centers in Memphis
Rep. Frank Pallone says the facilities are running gas turbines without proper permits, polluting the air, and shifting energy costs onto ordinary residents. He wants answers by August 11.
SpaceX Plans to Remove xAI's Illegal Turbines, But Not Until Mid-2027
The company running Elon Musk's AI data centers near Memphis says it will tear out 69 unpermitted gas turbines, replacing them with a permanent power plant. Nearby residents, already living in one of the most polluted regions in the US, will wait at least two more years for that to happen.
BP Puts North Sea Business Up for Sale as Middle East Crisis Squeezes Oil Markets
The British energy giant is seeking a buyer for its North Sea operations after a spike in oil prices, caused by Iran closing a key shipping route, forces a rethink of where it invests.
Robots That Can Cook, Glasses That Creep, and the Emissions Bill Nobody Wants to Talk About
A roundup of the AI stories that made headlines for all the wrong reasons, plus the one group that genuinely came out ahead.