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Alphabet is sending its tensor processing units to space on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket as part of the Transporter-18 mission launching from Vandenberg Air Force Base. The flight carries Planet Labs satellites, including a solar-powered prototype fitted with Google's AI chips, marking the first in-orbit test of Google's Project Suncatcher initiative first announced in November 2025.
Russian military strikes on Ukrainian data center infrastructure caused temporary outages at piracy torrent trackers 1337x and NordicQuality, both of which rely on Ukrainian hosting. Companies including Virtual Systems, MiroHost Ukraine, CosmoNova, DataGroup, CityHost and telecom firms KyivStar and Vodafone Ukraine were also affected by strikes clustered mainly around Kyiv. Both torrent sites have since come back online.
Management consulting firm Bain and Co. released an analysis stating the global AI industry must generate $6 trillion in annual revenue by 2031 to cover the capital being poured into data centers. The firm estimates commercial AI tools will contribute $1.8 trillion of that figure, leaving a $4.2 trillion gap that would need to come from elsewhere. Bloomberg reported the findings, which echo earlier warnings from hedge fund manager Harris Kupperman that data center economics don't currently add up.
The New York Times reported that Meta has been securing tax credits and incentives from local governments to help finance construction of its AI-focused data centers. The report characterizes this practice as controversial, noting that taxpayers are effectively subsidizing part of the infrastructure build-out for a highly profitable company.
In a Fast Company panel discussion, Andrew Beebe of Obvious and Michael Obradovitch of Ecolab, moderated by Kristin Toussaint, discussed the electricity and water demands of data centers built to support AI. The panelists addressed topics including renewable energy, grid resilience, cooling technology, and water conservation as ways to manage the infrastructure's growing footprint.
A year-long investigation by Lighthouse Report, Trouw and other European media found that most data centers in Europe do not disclose their electricity and water consumption, despite an EU directive requiring larger facilities to report such data. In the Netherlands, fewer than a quarter of the 186 commercial data centers with capacity of 500 kW or more have published usage figures, and the national agency tasked with collecting this data has records for only 104 of them.
A gathering billed as a 'pro-data center party,' organized by journalist Jonas Du and nonprofit Young Voices, was held at a Washington, DC bar over the weekend. Protesters interrupted the event multiple times, shouting objections before being escorted out by security amid boos and chants from attendees. Protesters later said they oppose data centers because of rising energy bills tied to the facilities.
President Trump announced a 'morally binding' agreement called the Joint Commitment On Frontier Responsibilities, signed by executives including Elon Musk, Sam Altman's OpenAI cofounder Greg Brockman, Dario Amodei, Mark Zuckerberg, Sundar Pichai and Jensen Huang. The deal asks companies to maintain internal safety controls and work with external auditors, and Trump said a board would oversee compliance, though no members were named. Trump also signed an executive order renaming artificial intelligence as 'superintelligence' and reaffirmed his backing of data center expansion.
Average consumer memory prices have risen sharply since last September, with 2TB NVMe SSDs up 137%, 32GB DDR5 kits up 363%, and some 64GB DDR5-6000 kits up nearly 500%. High-capacity RAM like 128GB and 512GB ECC kits has become scarce or drastically more expensive, and a 4TB Samsung SSD that cost $390 in 2024 now runs $1,100. IDC data cited alongside these figures shows smartphone average selling prices are also expected to climb 27.6% in 2026 amid falling shipments, while Apple has raised prices across much of its product line.
At this year's New York Climate Week, much of the climate tech industry's attention centered on the AI data center boom, with founders and investors pivoting toward energy infrastructure to power AI. PitchBook data cited shows climate tech venture funding has risen for four straight quarters, topping $14 billion in Q1 2025, driven largely by grid infrastructure, built environment, and dispatchable energy deals tied to data center construction. Some founders at the event expressed concern that this focus is overshadowing other promising climate tech sectors.
We Make Indiana, a coalition of 25 nonprofits, faith groups and civic organizations near South Bend, sought funding from Microsoft under the company's publicized commitment to invest in local nonprofits near its AI data centers. According to Ars Technica's reporting, Microsoft's community liaison did not commit to providing the requested support, leaving the group without the promised backing.
A commentary argues that the rapid expansion of AI computing infrastructure—chips, data centers, cloud systems and new power sources—needs applications that convert that capacity into real economic and human value. It points to medicine, particularly drug development, as a leading candidate for where that value could materialize.