Susana Schwartz
Data center moratorium proposed to Congress
A coalition of 200 environmental groups yesterday signed a public letter to Congress asking for a moratorium on new data centers in the U.S. Citing a need for more information on the impact to water, electricity prices, climate goals, and jobs, the signatories included Food & Water Watch, Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth, and the US Climate Action Network, as well as dozens of regional and state organizations.
Given the profound impact the AI data center boom is having on GDP this year, it may be an uphill battle for environmentalists, but according to reporting by Data Center Watch and Fast Company, there has been a groundswell of resident-led opposition that is slowing data center development in some states, like Arizona (Goodyear/Buckeye), Virginia (Richmond, Catlett Station), Oregon (Cascade Locks), Wisconsin (Caledonia), Pennsylvania, and Tennessee.
Whether the pressure on lawmakers will be enough to inspire stricter federal regulations around water, energy and climate remains to be seen, but state by state, there is growing momentum around legislation to address grid strain and rising electricity prices, as well as water and climate impacts. Many governors are currently evaluating proposals. RCRTech will continue to monitor the news and report on developments.
Below, see what SoftBank, BT, Microsoft and others are up to in the AI infrastructure world.
Susana Schwartz
Technology Editor
RCRTech
AI Infrastructure Top Stories
SoftBank AI play: SoftBank is in active discussions to acquire DigitalBridge, which would give it a portfolio heavily weighted toward data centers and AI infrastructure for training and inference, with approximately $108 billion in AUM.
BT and UK digital sovereignty: Amid demand for stronger sovereignty controls, BT launched a new sovereign platform for upcoming sovereign-focused services in voice, cloud, and AI, as well as sovereign versions of existing core products.
Regulatory caps’ impact APAC DCs: Singapore and Hong Kong are critical data center hubs, but differences in their regulatory and land constraints are putting each on a different trajectory toward 500-600 MW capacity, with ultimate goals of 1 GW.
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Blueprint for 100MW hyperscale AI data centers: Siemens and nVent combined expertise in electrical systems and liquid cooling to develop a Tier III-capable blueprint for Nvidia DGX SuperPOD with DGX GB200 systems.
BAM makes inaugural Middle East investment: Brookfield Asset Management and Qatar’s Qai launched a $20-billion AI infrastructure joint venture to contribute capital and operating expertise to invest in AI infrastructure in Qatar. This is Brookfield’s first Middle Eastern AI investment.
Microsoft ups AI and cloud build in India: After meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella pledged $23 billion in AI investments, with $17.5 billion earmarked for India.
Research and Markets semiconductor report: Silicon wafers, which power fabrication of chips used in industrial automation, data centers, and AI processors, will drive a market valuation of $20.2 billion by 2030 — a 6.7% CAGR over 5 years.
Congress asked for DC moratorium: More than 200 environmental organizations in a letter to Congress asked for a national moratorium on new data centers until water, electricity and greenhouse gas concerns could be further evaluated.
No more mechanical chillers in data centers?: Nostromo Energy launched ICEBrick360, an “ice battery” that cools ice stored in cells at times where demand for power is low, using the the ice to chill cooling liquid needed in HVAC systems.
