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Tech News
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro told CNBC that many AI data center developers disregard the concerns of communities where they build, contrasting them with companies like Chobani that engage locally. His remarks followed an August executive order imposing strict new requirements on data center projects and removing them from a fast-track approval process.
MediaTek stock jumped 10% on Tuesday following news that Nvidia will invest $3.5 billion in convertible bonds issued by the Taiwanese chipmaker. The deal deepens a partnership aimed at expanding MediaTek's presence in data center chips, extending a rally that has seen its shares nearly triple this year.
Scientists from Karlsruhe Institute of Technology and the University of Tsukuba built a solid-state cooling prototype that uses a shape-memory titanium-nickel film to convert heat directly into the mechanical motion needed to drive elastocaloric cooling, replacing the usual electric actuator. In tests, heating the actuator film to 86°C produced a 4.0 K temperature difference across the cooling device, and swapping in an external 130°C heat source still yielded a 2.2 K span, showing waste heat alone can power the cycle.
SB Energy, a SoftBank-owned data-center developer, offered OpenAI a discount valued at $5.5 billion as part of an agreement to build data-center capacity together. The concession strengthens the financial relationship between SB Energy and OpenAI as they work to develop new infrastructure projects.
A report examines whether components and equipment sourced from Chinese manufacturers are quietly underpinning the rapid expansion of American data centers driving the AI buildout. The claim centers on supply chain dependencies that persist even as US-China tech tensions escalate publicly.
An investigation by Floodlight and The Guardian used thermal drone imagery to find at least 45 of 62 massive gas-powered generators running simultaneously at the DataOne facility in Vineland, New Jersey, with no permits for any of them. The site, which supplies Microsoft with AI computing power through a $17 billion deal with Nebius, sits about a mile from two schools and has already drawn noise complaints and a lawsuit from residents.
The Trump administration is weighing new tariffs on semiconductors, prompting pushback from tech lobbyists who say the move would raise chip costs and slow data-center construction. Industry representatives argue that domestic chip manufacturing capacity is years away from meeting soaring demand, making the tariffs impractical. The Computer and Communications Industry Association warned that the resulting cost increases and uncertainty could jeopardize the ongoing data-center expansion.
Labor unions are increasingly pushing back against data-center construction, warning politicians who support these projects that they risk losing union backing. The move signals that blue-collar workforce concerns are becoming a central point of contention in the broader public backlash against data-center expansion.
Chris Malone, OpenAI's head of data centers, has reportedly left the company, becoming the 13th senior executive to depart this year. His exit follows a string of high-level resignations amid the company's rapid infrastructure expansion.
Nvidia CFO Colette Kress said on August 26, 2026 that the company expects 70% revenue growth in fiscal 2028, which would translate to roughly $673 billion in annual sales based on current fiscal 2027 consensus estimates. That figure would put Nvidia ahead of Apple and Alphabet, trailing only Amazon among major US tech firms. The outlook follows a fiscal 2027 second-quarter report showing $96.2 billion in revenue and 117% growth in data-center sales to $89 billion.
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.
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.