Communities in Texas, New Mexico and Arizona are protesting new AI data centers over concerns about water consumption, energy use and pollution. Data centers use water for cooling systems that manage heat generated by processors, which can reach internal temperatures near 176 degrees Fahrenheit. While estimates suggest data centers consumed about 66 billion liters of water in 2023—under 1 percent of total U.S. water use—that figure could grow sharply as AI infrastructure expands.
WIRED announced a livestream Q&A on September 10 where a panel of its reporters will field reader questions about the growing controversy surrounding AI data centers. Readers can submit questions in the comments, with the event covering political, environmental, and business angles on the issue.
Bill Gates published an essay urging governments to impose enforceable rules on AI, including a tax on AI token usage to fund support for displaced workers and protected 'Human Reserved' jobs like caregiving. He said tech executives privately worry about AI's disruptive pace but avoid saying so publicly, breaking from the industry's optimistic public stance.
The UK's grid connection queue is overwhelmed with speculative data center projects that are unlikely to ever be built, worsening wait times and complicating energy demand forecasts. Ofgem has proposed requiring developers to post large nonrefundable deposits, potentially reaching hundreds of millions of dollars for the biggest projects, and to demonstrate secured customers and funding before joining the queue. The plan is open for industry feedback until September before being finalized.
NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is scheduled to launch from Kennedy Space Center on 30 August after completing vibration testing at Goddard Space Flight Center. The telescope's wide field of view and infrared sensitivity are expected to let it survey far more sky in far less time than the Hubble Space Telescope, dramatically expanding the catalog of known exoplanets.
Nvidia reported second-quarter revenue of $96bn, over twice what it earned a year earlier, driven largely by its data centre business which brought in $89bn, up 117% year-on-year. The company forecasts $108bn in revenue next quarter, and shares rose about 4% in after-hours trading following results that beat Wall Street estimates.
An opinion piece suggests communities resisting new data center construction could be won over by receiving actual financial stakes in the projects, modeled after the Consumer Stock Ownership Plan structure. Instead of only offering tax breaks or jobs, developers would share ownership benefits directly with residents near the facilities.
Nvidia reported record quarterly revenue of $96.2 billion, up more than $10 billion from the prior quarter, driven by data center revenue that more than doubled year-over-year to $89 billion. Profits also more than doubled to $59.7 billion, and the company projects revenue will climb to $108 billion in the coming quarter.
More than 15 candidates for state and federal office, including Nebraska Senate independent Dan Osborn, have signed the AI Pact, a five-point pledge covering mandatory AI safety reviews, worker dividends from AI profits, and legal accountability for AI-caused harms. The pact grew out of the Political Integrity Project, an anti-money-in-politics group, and is funded by a progressive PAC rather than tech companies or AI safety organizations. Nearly all current signers are Democrats, though organizers say they hope to attract Republican candidates too.
Public opposition to AI data centers has grown sharply since ChatGPT's 2022 launch sparked a computing boom, with communities pushing back against projects backed by Oracle, Meta, Google, Amazon and Microsoft, who plan to invest over $700 billion in U.S. data centers this year. The backlash has become significant enough to shape 2026 midterm election dynamics and prompted President Trump to publicly defend the industry.
New tracking data shows gas-fired power capacity under development in the United States has surged past China's, reaching roughly three times the amount, driven largely by data center demand. The volume of U.S. gas power projects tied to data centers nearly doubled in just the first half of 2026.
An industry commentary argues that data center providers can no longer treat energy access as a late-stage formality. With surplus grid capacity disappearing, the piece calls for providers to engage utilities earlier and plan for long-term power partnerships rather than opportunistic siting.
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