Data Center Watch reports that local resistance blocked or delayed $68 billion worth of data center construction between April and June 2026, driven by concerns over water use, electricity demand, land, and noise. Despite this pushback, hyperscalers have poured over $1 trillion into data infrastructure since 2023, with $745 billion more expected this year alone, and total data center investment is still projected to reach $32 trillion by 2050.
President Trump said he will soon name an AI tsar and establish an 'AI Force,' framing artificial intelligence as a transformative economic force that could account for up to a quarter of US GDP. He dismissed growing warnings from industry figures about losing control over the technology, along with backlash over data centers, calling them politically motivated 'hoaxes' rather than legitimate concerns requiring regulation.
AMD has crossed a $1 trillion market valuation, becoming the fourth US chipmaker to hit that milestone after Nvidia, Broadcom and Micron. Its stock has nearly tripled in 2026, rising from around $223 in January to over $607 currently, fueled by strong AI-driven demand. Intel, despite a 208% year-to-date share gain, remains far behind with a market cap of about $643.5 billion.
Bloomberg reports that Wall Street investors are increasingly worried the AI industry's financial structure is a precarious 'house of cards,' built on massive capital expenditures and debt tied to data center buildouts. Analysts note AI-related spending now accounts for roughly half of US GDP growth, meaning any slowdown could trigger a financial shock comparable to the dot-com crash.
Prominent hardware leaker Kopite7Kimi says Nvidia's next-generation RTX 60 series, built on the Rubin architecture, won't launch until 2028 at the earliest, later than the previously rumored late-2027 window. Nvidia declined to comment, saying it doesn't discuss rumors or unannounced products.
At this year's Congressional Black Caucus Annual Legislative Conference in Washington, discussions shifted from the usual festive tone to serious debate over artificial intelligence and data center risks. Rep. Troy Carter said nearly all 62 CBC members would back legislation establishing guardrails, transparency requirements, and safety guidelines for AI, arguing that competing with China should not override protecting communities from potential harms.
Conservative activists like Molly McCann Sanders of the Eagle Forum are publicly rejecting Trump's pro-data-center stance, citing pollution and land-use fears. Polling from the New York Times shows over 60% of Americans, including nearly half of Republicans, oppose new data center construction, and GOP strategists have warned in internal memos that supporting AI infrastructure could hurt candidates in the midterms.
Data center technicians spend their shifts walking miles of server rows, sniffing for burning smells, and checking equipment for damage—including from birds—as they keep facilities powering the AI build-out running smoothly. The work combines physical inspection routines with constant vigilance for small warning signs that could signal bigger equipment failures.
President Trump posted on Truth Social suggesting AI be rebranded with a term like 'Superior,' 'Extreme,' or 'Supreme Intelligence,' running a poll for followers to choose. He also claimed that growing public concern over AI and data centers is a manufactured Democratic hoax akin to past controversies like Russia investigations and impeachment efforts, vowing not to let opposition to AI succeed.
A group of roughly 10 people vandalized the Montreal offices of Quebec's AI research institute MILA and a nearby AI company this week, smashing windows and spray-painting slogans including "burn the data centers." Montreal police confirmed the coordinated attack and briefly detained a 25-year-old woman found near the scene before releasing her without charges.
GlobalFoundries and Marvell Technology have extended their manufacturing partnership, with GlobalFoundries boosting silicon germanium (SiGe) production capacity at its Burlington, Vermont facility. The multi-year deal targets components used in pluggable optical transceivers, near-packaged optics, and co-packaged optics, technologies that data centers need to move data faster than copper wiring allows.
The U.S. House approved H.R. 9340, the Ratepayer Protection Act, which amends the 1978 Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act to require state regulators and non-regulated utilities to consider adopting a federal standard within two years. Under the bill, data centers drawing 100 megawatts or more would have to cover the full incremental cost of generation, transmission, or distribution upgrades built to serve them, even if they later cancel their power contracts.
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