Axios

Public resistance to data centers isn't driven as much by electricity prices as conventional wisdom suggests — it's more about how the giant projects might alter their communities, a new Harvard/MIT poll shows.

Why it matters: The poll could shape how developers engage with communities as they try to build more data centers to meet AI's massive electricity demands, said Harvard researcher Stephen Ansolabehere, who oversaw the poll.

Tesla's electric vehicle sales disappointed investors in the first quarter — but CEO Elon Musk doesn't seem to mind as he sets his sights on an AI-powered future.

Why it matters: EV sales still pay the bills for Tesla, providing critical cash flow to fund costly endeavors like humanoid robots and self-driving car technology.

Google is weighing greater use of natural gas to power its AI ambitions than previously known, according to a report released Wednesday.

Why it matters: Google has earned a reputation for prioritizing clean energy in the rush to build data centers, but new findings from a market intelligence firm suggest it may also lean more on a fossil fuel.

Two prominent fusion companies — Commonwealth Fusion Systems and Realta Fusion — said Thursday they're teaming up to give the frantic push toward commercial fusion even better odds.

Why it matters: Executives said the successful development of fusion — the energy powering the sun — has become even more urgent at a time when the Iran war has shown a pressing need to diversify energy supplies.

President Trump said in a prime time address that the U.S. was close to ending its war in Iran but would spend the next two to three weeks bombing the country "back to the stone ages."

The big picture: If a deal to end the war cannot be reached, he said, the U.S. would bomb all of Iran's power plants and perhaps its oil fields. That would have devastating consequences for Tehran's civilian population and the future of the country, while likely inciting retaliation on America's allies in the region.

NASA's Artemis II Moon mission successfully launched from Florida's John F. Kennedy Space Center on Wednesday afternoon at 6:35pm ET.

Why it matters: Artemis II's planned crewed lunar flyby is set to mark the closest humanity has come to the Moon since the Apollo days.

When energy observers wondered when U.S. gas prices would hit $4 due to the Iran war, they looked at the cost of crude oil.

The big picture: Watching shifting crude oil prices — which can change because of demand, market expectations and taxes — can help you understand why costs at the pump might rise, but it's far from a perfect predictor.

Spending on data centers is surging to levels that rival investments in energy, according to a new report by Norway-based Rystad Energy.

Why it matters: The research firm's findings underscore how the AI boom is reshaping global capital flows.

There's a big shift happening in Big Tech as the AI transition enters a new era.

Why it matters: Investors are changing the way they price these superstar stocks, but judging by what happened in the market Tuesday, they are not totally sure how to do so.

Pioneering a whole new class of car is hard enough, but musician will.i.am tells Axios he also wants his Trinity three-wheeled electric vehicle to be an AI agent, helping its driver plow through emails or plot out strategy.

Why it matters: Trinity is the epitome of the kind of ambition sweeping Silicon Valley: that AI can turn even a single-seat vehicle into a platform — and that building it can revive left-behind communities.