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 theircommunities, 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.
HOUSTON — A high-stakes fight is emerging as the AI boom accelerates: Should data centers plug into the grid, or operate as energy "islands"?
Why it matters: The debate is shaping power flows and multibillion-dollar investments, as data centers rival entire cities in their electricity demand.
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.
