Skip to content

Let's Data ScienceLEARN • BUILD • STAY AHEAD

News
Blog
Code Problems
Pricing
Contact

© 2026 Let's Data Science

Advertise|Terms|Privacy||Image Rights

Home
News
Data Centers

Topic24 articles · Updated May 14, 2026

Data Center News

The AI-era data center story: hyperscaler build-outs and capacity announcements, power purchase agreements, cooling and efficiency, and the physical supply chain for modern AI.

public-opinion
6.8
May 14, 2026
Americans Oppose Local AI Data Center Construction
According to a Gallup poll reported by Gizmodo, 71% of Americans oppose construction of data centers in their area, including 48% who are strongly opposed and 23% somewhat opposed. By contrast, 53% oppose nearby nuclear power plants, per the same poll. Among opponents of data centers, 50% cite strain on local resources, including 18% who mention water use and 18% who mention energy consumption; other concerns include higher utility bills (15%), quality of life or property-value effects (22%), pollution (14%), and job-replacement fears (12%). Supporters point to job opportunities (55% of supporters) and technological benefits (17%). The poll frames public resistance as focused on environmental and local economic impacts.
Quick Read
nv-energy
7.1
May 14, 2026
NV Energy Ends Lake Tahoe Power Supply After May 2027
Multiple outlets report that NV Energy has told Liberty Utilities it will stop supplying about 75% of the electricity that serves roughly 49,000 Lake Tahoe customers on the California side after May 2027, creating an urgent need for a new wholesale supplier (Fortune, QZ, Newser). NV Energy spokesperson Katie Jo Collier described the change as "a planned transition for many years, not a reaction to recent developments," per QZ. Liberty President Eric Schwarzrock said, "This does not mean the power is shutting off," per Fortune. Reporting cites Desert Research Institute and NV Energy filings projecting large new data-center demand in northern Nevada, and local officials and residents have requested regulatory review (Fortune, Electrek, QZ).
Quick Read+8
data-centers
7.1
May 14, 2026
AI Boom Drives $50B Data Center Construction Surge
Data center spending hits a record $50B, surpassing office construction spending. The surge is driven by demand for artificial intelligence capacity and expanded compute infrastructure. REITs Equinix and Digital Realty are in focus, profiting from the AI-driven construction surge.
Quick Read
data-centers
7.0
May 14, 2026
Uber establishes first India data centre with Adani
Uber Technologies announced it will build its first India data centre in partnership with the Adani Group, CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said in a post on X, reporting the facility will be "ready later this year" (Business Standard; Financial Express). The companies did not disclose the investment size, Financial Express reports. Reporting by the Economic Times and Financial Express frames the move as part of broader trends: localisation of compute for lower latency, support for AI and data‑intensive workloads, and India's expanding role in global cloud and digital infrastructure. Business Standard also reports Khosrowshahi met Indian ministers during the visit to discuss investment and mobility initiatives. Editorial analysis: Companies localising infrastructure typically gain lower latency and faster product iteration for AI workloads, which is likely why global platforms are accelerating regional data‑centre deployments.
Quick Read+7
tdk
6.8
May 14, 2026
TDK increases capex to capture AI-driven demand
According to a Japan Times report citing Bloomberg, TDK CEO Noboru Saito said the company is prepared to add investments to ride the global boom in generative artificial intelligence. The firm has added ¥100 billion to its multiyear investment plan each year since 2024, and the three-year spending plan now stands at ¥900 billion through March next year, the report says. In the fiscal year ended this March, TDK reported capital investment of ¥298.6 billion and operating cash flow of ¥507.7 billion, per the article. Saito was quoted as saying AI-driven mobile and data-center workloads are increasing demand for denser energy storage, and he indicated TDK's chipmaking equipment and materials group may become a growth area, the report adds. Toyo Research Advice analyst Hideki Yasuda described the spending as "astonishing, but very positive," the article reports.
Quick Read
ls-eco-energy
6.8
May 14, 2026
LS Eco Energy Supplies Cables for Viettel AI Data Center
LS Eco Energy announced that its Haiphong production subsidiary, LS-VINA, will supply power cables for a hyperscale AI data center being developed by Viettel Group, Vietnam's largest telecommunications company, according to reporting by BusinessKorea and Asiae. The facility is described by multiple outlets as a 60 MW project near Hanoi, equivalent to the simultaneous electricity use of 40,000 to 50,000 households (BusinessKorea, Asiae, SE Daily). The supplied products will connect the data center to a substation and form part of the site power grid (BusinessKorea, Asiae). Several outlets noted LS Eco Energy has previously supplied busducts and transmission cables to hyperscale data centers in Indonesia and Malaysia (SE Daily, BusinessKorea). LS Eco Energy shares rose in early trading on the announcement, with intraday gains reported between 12% and 16.7% across Korean business outlets (Chosun Biz, Aju Press).
Quick Read+4
ai-energy
6.8
May 13, 2026
AI Increases Data Center Energy Demand, Raises Carbon Questions
Per POWER magazine, Dr. Anastasia Behr and Dr. Young Lee published an article titled "Managing AI's Footprint in a Carbon-Constrained World" on May 13, 2026 that highlights the energy behind everyday AI features. The authors report that even small AI conveniences rely on a large amount of computing power for training and inference, and that this computing translates into growing electricity demand and emissions pressure. POWER frames the issue as one of managing AI's energy and carbon footprint as use of large models and inference scales spreads across industries.
Quick Read
microsoft
7.2
May 13, 2026
Microsoft spent over $100 billion on OpenAI partnership
Bloomberg, as carried by the Financial Post, reports that Microsoft has spent more than US$100 billion on its partnership with OpenAI, a figure presented alongside a reported US$852 billion valuation for OpenAI as of the end of March (Financial Post / Bloomberg, May 13, 2026). Earlier reporting described a separate, proposed U.S. data-center project nicknamed "Stargate" that could cost about $100 billion and that Microsoft would likely finance (Reuters, March 29, 2024). Independent coverage has also described OpenAI near a large private raise of about $100 billion at an > $850 billion valuation (TechCrunch, Feb 19, 2026), and CNBC reported that OpenAI's nonprofit parent would own an equity stake valued at more than $100 billion, while noting Microsoft had previously invested over $13 billion (CNBC, Sep 11, 2025).
Quick Read+3
public-opinion
7.0
May 13, 2026
AI Backlash Spurs Data-Center Protests and Violence
The Atlantic reports growing bipartisan anxiety about AI, with quotes from Senator Bernie Sanders and Steve Bannon decrying AI's impact on workers and communities. The Atlantic reports that Maine passed the country's first statewide data-center moratorium, though the governor vetoed the bill. The Atlantic reports that, nationally, proposed data-center projects were canceled in the first quarter of this year following local pushback. The Atlantic reports isolated episodes of violence and threats linked to anti-AI sentiment, including someone firing 13 rounds at an Indianapolis councilman's house and an alleged Molotov-cocktail attack on OpenAI CEO Sam Altman's home; The Atlantic reports the accused has pleaded not guilty to several charges, including attempted murder. The Atlantic reports polls show the United States ranks among the countries most concerned about AI.
Quick Read
hyperscalers
6.8
May 13, 2026
Hyperscalers Drive Energy Demand, Lift Select Energy Stocks
Per CNBC, consensus estimates for A.I.-related capital expenditure have surged: BNP Paribas places 2026 hyperscaler capex at $725bn, nearly double mid-2025 estimates. CNBC's Power Insider newsletter frames the A.I. spending boom as a major driver of energy demand, noting compute growth from "hyperscalers" requires large amounts of electricity. Per CNBC, UBS says natural gas and solar are likely beneficiaries of that spending trend. The newsletter also reports that CNBC cited JPMorgan saying the Strait of Hormuz will open in June "one way or another." CNBC highlights two under-the-radar energy stocks as potential beneficiaries and notes one of them doubled in a week, without naming the companies in the excerpted text.
Quick Read
data-centers
6.8
May 13, 2026
Jacobs wins EPCM contract for Hut 8 Texas campus
Jacobs has been awarded a sole-source engineering, procurement and construction management (EPCM) contract by Hut 8 to deliver a second U.S. AI data centre campus, according to Jacobs' investor news release dated May 12, 2026. The project, named Beacon Point, is located in Nueces County, Texas and is designed to support up to one gigawatt of total capacity across multiple phases, per the press release. Jacobs will apply proven design elements from Hut 8's River Bend campus in Louisiana and deploy digital twin technology to simulate critical assets, the release and Yahoo Finance report state. Initial energization and commissioning are targeted for 2027, according to Jacobs. Jacobs' CEO Bob Pragada and Hut 8 CEO Asher Genoot provided quoted comments in the company release.
Quick Read+2
additive-manufacturing
7.0
May 13, 2026
Formnext Asia Spotlights AM for AI Liquid Cooling
Voxelmatters and 3DPrintingIndustry report that Formnext Asia Shenzhen will return to the Shenzhen World Exhibition & Convention Center from August 26-28, 2026, with a featured focus on additive manufacturing (AM) for liquid cooling in AI infrastructure. The event will cover the end-to-end AM production chain, metal powders, printing systems, post-processing and batch services, and include a new forum on AM applications in liquid cooling, according to Voxelmatters. Voxelmatters cites a Goldman Sachs projection that liquid-cooled AI servers will reach 76 percent market penetration in 2026, up from 15 percent in 2024, and cites a JPMorgan figure reported by Reuters that places the global market for AI server liquid-cooling systems at over $17 billion this year, up from $8.9 billion last year. Reporting identifies metal AM suppliers, copper powder producers and service providers among confirmed participants.
Quick Read
data-centers
6.8
May 13, 2026
Data centers drive local economic and energy effects
Marginal Revolution published a May 13, 2026 post summarizing a county-level empirical study of data centers in the United States. Marginal Revolution summarizes that the authors assembled a facility-level panel of global data centers with precise coordinates, scale metrics, and annualized revenue, mapped facilities to U.S. counties, and merged those data with county-level business, tax, housing, and electricity records. The post reports that the study uses two shift-share instruments based on proximity to InterTubes long-haul fiber nodes and the 1980 county share of U.S. urban college population to address endogenous siting, and that IV estimates show positive effects on employment, establishments, house prices, electricity prices, and several income measures. Editorial analysis: For practitioners, the paper underscores that data center expansion has measurable local economic benefits while also creating grid and housing pressures.
Quick Read
data-centers
6.2
May 13, 2026
B.C. Premier Voices AI Optimism Amid Data-Centre Push
Reporting by The Canadian Press says British Columbia Premier David Eby told a Vancouver Web Summit crowd he remains "a huge optimist" about artificial intelligence despite seeing both the "opportunity and the threat" the technology presents. According to The Canadian Press, Eby referenced the Tumbler Ridge mass shooting and said the shooter used ChatGPT in planning an attack that resulted in eight deaths. Reporting by The Canadian Press also notes that Telus and federal AI Minister Evan Solomon announced plans for a cluster of three AI data centres in B.C., and Eby highlighted BC Hydro's low-cost, clean power as a "huge advantage" for hosting such projects. Editorial analysis: For infrastructure and ML practitioners, announced data-centre investment plus concerns about grid strain flags capacity planning and procurement risks.
Quick Read+10
epa
7.3
May 12, 2026
EPA Zeldin Proposes Permitting Reform to Speed AI Infrastructure
The Environmental Protection Agency published a proposed rule that would change the New Source Review definition of "begin actual construction," allowing non-emitting site work such as utility infrastructure and concrete pads to start before a full air permit is issued, Bloomberg Law reports. The proposal, published in May 2026, is framed by the agency as a way to reduce permitting delays for manufacturing reshoring and AI data centers, per the EPA preamble. The agency will open a comment period after publication, Bloomberg Law reports. Observers including the Sierra Club criticized the proposal as risking public-health protections, while industry participants at an EPA roundtable urged permit streamlining, per Bloomberg Law, E&E News, and the EPA press release.
Quick Read+4
microsoft
6.9
May 12, 2026
Microsoft hires 375 workers for Mount Pleasant data center
According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Microsoft employs more than 375 people at its Mount Pleasant data center and the outlet reports plans for 500 full-time workers. The Mount Pleasant village board unanimously approved site plans for Microsoft's expansion in Racine County, per reporting by WPR. WPR says the board attached multiple conditions to the approvals, including traffic impact studies, outdoor lighting plans, landscaping plans, and compliance with local and state rules on water use and return. During the meeting, residents voiced concerns about scale, noise, and energy bills; WPR quotes Tony Martino and Alyssa Poniatowski raising those issues. Editorial analysis: For infrastructure observers, the approvals and the reported staffing level are consistent with large hyperscaler campus builds that combine extended construction timelines with phased operational hiring.
Quick Read
data-centers
7.0
May 12, 2026
Nscale Secures $790M for Narvik AI Data Centre
According to reporting by The Next Web, DatacenterDynamics and Tech.eu, Nscale has secured $790 million in debt financing from ABN AMRO, DNB, Eksfin (Export Finance Norway), Nordea and SEB to fund its AI data centre campus in Kvandal, outside Narvik, northern Norway. The facility includes an uncommitted accordion feature of an additional $790 million earmarked to underwrite a further 115MW expansion, per The Next Web and DatacenterDynamics. The financing follows Nscale's $2 billion Series C round in March 2026 and a $1.4 billion delayed-draw term loan signed in February 2026, sources report. Multiple outlets also report that Microsoft has signed an agreement to take capacity at the Narvik site. Josh Payne, Nscale's founder and CEO, is quoted in the company announcement saying, "Together, these developments position Nscale at the forefront of global AI infrastructure, delivering scalable, high-performance capacity to meet rapidly growing demand for our services."
Quick Read+12
quantum-computing
7.2
May 12, 2026
Quantum computing raises major energy and infrastructure questions
The Sifted op-ed reports Europe expects to bring Magne, described as its most powerful quantum computer, online later this year; the project is built by Microsoft and Atom Computing and backed by €80m from the Novo Nordisk Foundation and EIFO. The piece argues that commercial utility will require many machines and that hardware footprint, deployability and energy will shape the industry, noting Atom Computing uses neutral-atom technology which avoids dilution refrigeration but still needs significant vacuum, laser and control hardware (Sifted). An independent economic analysis by ICM, cited in Sifted, estimates power at the 4,000 logical qubit threshold of roughly 160 MW for superconducting, 100 MW for photonic and 140 MW for ion-trap approaches, figures comparable to a modern hyperscale AI data centre at 100-200 MW.
Quick Read
data-centers
7.1
May 12, 2026
IREN Raises $2B Convertible Notes for AI Data Centers
IREN Ltd is offering $2 billion of convertible senior notes in two $1 billion tranches to fund data center expansion, AI infrastructure and related capital needs, according to CryptoBriefing and Ventureburn. The tranches mature in 2032 and 2033, with marketed coupons in the 0%-1% range and conversion premiums of roughly 25%-30%, per Ventureburn. The deal includes a potential greenshoe that could add $300 million in capacity (two $150 million options), the outlets report. CryptoBriefing and Ventureburn say proceeds will support the Sweetwater 1 campus (reported 1.4-gigawatt target, over 700,000 GPUs planned), GPU and equipment purchases tied to a reported $9.7 billion five-year Microsoft contract, debt repurchases, and general corporate purposes. GuruFocus notes IREN stock fell about 8% in pre-market trading after the filing.
Quick Read+1
telus
7.1
May 12, 2026
Telus and Canada Announce B.C. Sovereign AI Cluster
Canada's AI minister Evan Solomon and TELUS announced a three-site AI data centre cluster in British Columbia on May 11, 2026, the Canadian Press reports. The project covers two Vancouver sites and an expansion in Kamloops, with the Kamloops expansion and a Mount Pleasant facility slated to open later in 2026 and a downtown Vancouver site expected in 2029, according to multiple outlets including BNN Bloomberg and CTV News. TELUS's May 11 media release states the cluster is planned to scale to more than 60,000 GPUs and 150 MW of capacity by 2032, and the company estimates roughly $9 billion in economic value while running on 98% clean energy and using liquid cooling and heat recovery technology. The Canadian Press reports the federal government has committed $2 billion over five years under a sovereign data centre initiative. Evan Solomon was quoted discussing financial risks at the announcement, per The Canadian Press.
Quick Read+10
softbank
7.2
May 12, 2026
SoftBank Weighs Major AI Data Center in France
Bloomberg reported that SoftBank founder Masayoshi Son has held talks with French President Emmanuel Macron about an ambitious AI data center project in France, and that Son has floated the possibility of investing as much as $100 billion, according to people familiar with the matter. Reuters corroborated the Bloomberg reporting, saying the potential investment could include a multibillion-dollar data center project and noting the plan could be announced during the Choose France Summit. Reuters also reported that it could not immediately verify the Bloomberg report and that details remain in flux. Reuters additionally noted SoftBank has invested more than $30 billion in OpenAI to date, a high-stakes figure relevant to SoftBank's broader AI infrastructure activity.
Quick Read+9
military-infrastructure
6.9
May 11, 2026
Army Partners with Private Firms to Build Data Centers
Truthout reports that in late March 2026 the U.S. Army selected companies to build and operate two hyperscaled data centers, one at Fort Bliss, Texas, and one at Dugway Proving Ground, Utah. An Army spokesperson told Truthout the service has entered an "exclusive negotiation period" with the developers to settle "specific lease economics" for what the spokesperson described as "long term, 50-year" leases. The spokesperson said the Army will accept "in-kind consideration," receiving services or improvements in lieu of cash rent, and confirmed the sites "are indeed commercial data centers" that will be allowed to sell excess capacity. Truthout frames the buildout as occurring alongside the Pentagon's increased adoption of AI, which is driving rising demand for computation.
Quick Read
data-centers
5.8
May 11, 2026
IDGT Provides Concentrated Exposure to AI Infrastructure
According to Seeking Alpha, the iShares US Digital Infra & Real Estate ETF (ticker IDGT) offers concentrated exposure to the physical AI infrastructure layer, combining technology and real-estate owners such as Equinix (EQIX) and Digital Realty (DLR). Seeking Alpha reports that IDGT has rallied about 55% and is trading at roughly 19.04x trailing earnings, and that the author maintains a Buy rating. Seeking Alpha lists fund metrics including Fund AUM $329.84M, expense ratio 0.39%, dividend yield 0.79%, and a recent share price near $122.07. Editorial analysis: Concentrated ETFs that blend data-center operators and REITs expose investors to both hardware-driven demand and real-estate leasing dynamics, making leasing activity and capex cycles key observables for practitioners.
Quick Read
telus
7.2
May 11, 2026
Telus and Canada Announce Three AI Data Centres
The federal government and Telus announced plans for a three-site AI data centre cluster in British Columbia, including an expansion in Kamloops and two new facilities in Vancouver, per reporting by BetaKit, BNN Bloomberg (The Canadian Press) and The Logic. Reporting states the cluster is framed as a "sovereign" AI infrastructure project and is tied to Ottawa's initiative to encourage large-scale domestic compute. Per BetaKit and The Logic, the companies behind the project estimate roughly $9 billion in economic activity, 1,000 construction jobs, 525 permanent operational roles, and up to 150 megawatts of capacity powering over 60,000 GPUs by 2032. AI Minister Evan Solomon is quoted describing the project as reflecting "the kind of ambitious infrastructure we need as a country," according to BetaKit.
Quick Read+6

Showing 24 articles

See the full news feed