
Meta is expanding Hyperion from 2 GW to 5 GW, lifting its Louisiana investment above $50 billion as it races to secure more AI computing capacity.
Ireland’s data centers consumed 23% of the country’s electricity in 2025, rising 10% in one year despite restrictions on new grid connections.

Global data center electricity consumption will grow 26% in 2026 to reach 565 TWh, up from 447 TWh in 2025.
Oregon approves the 29.7% price hike that Portland General Electric (PGE), the state’s largest power provider, will impose on users that consume 20MW or more. This move is backed by Oregon’s POWER Act, which helps ensure that data centers in PGE’s coverage area pay their fair share.
The British government ruled that nationally significant infrastructure projects, which include data centers, can bypass local council approvals. This move is expected to speed up developments by up to a year and save more than a billion dollars.
Wisconsin residents file class-action lawsuit against Microsoft due to data center noise — plaintiffs also mention construction noise and extreme light pollution
Fill-and-flush is a commissioning step whereby crews fill a cooling loop’s piping with water and flush it to clear debris before the system is run.

The rapid expansion of artificial intelligence infrastructure is typically framed as an energy problem. Data centers are projected to consume a growing share of global electricity demand: The International Energy Agency estimates they could account fo…

Valar Atomics claims to be the first startup to produce nuclear power, and it demonstrated that ability on stage by using its Ward 250 microreactor to power an RTX Spark unit. It also announced a partnership with Nvidia to build a 30MW closed loop AI data center that does not use water from surrounding communities.
SpaceXAI is trying to win residents living close to the Colossus 1 and 2 data centers by giving them discounted internet access. However, critics say that this is just a PR stunt to help win the community, even as it battles two lawsuits based on air and noise pollution complaints from people living near its data centers.