PsiQuantum announced an optical circuit switch built on its silicon photonics technology, aimed at AI data center GPU networking. A lab prototype with eight inputs and outputs lost just 1.2 dB of light without needing an amplifier, compared with a typical 3 dB loss tolerance in data center optics. The device is smaller than rivals' switches, which range from 32 to 300 ports, but PsiQuantum says larger versions are in development.
tomshardware.com
· 2026-10-30
Real estate agents working for Elon Musk's SpaceXSI have been approaching residents of the Colonial Hills neighborhood in Southaven, Mississippi, offering to purchase their homes at market value on condition they do not join a noise-pollution class-action suit against the company's nearby data centers. A realtor said the plan covers 418 homes, with 18 owners already agreeing to sell, and that the purchased properties would house SpaceXSI staff. Residents have complained of constant loud noise from gas turbines at the Colossus sites, which continue operating without required air-pollution permits.
techspot.com
· 2026-10-30
The contest between Sen. Susan Collins and Democratic challenger Troy Jackson has become a referendum on data center expansion in Maine, after the Legislature's proposed moratorium on large facilities was vetoed by Gov. Janet Mills in April. Towns across the state have since passed local moratoriums or put the issue to voters, and a September UMass Lowell/YouGov poll found 76 percent of Mainers oppose a data center in their community. Spending on the race is projected to reach $81 million from Democrats and $114 million from Republicans, much of it tied to the data center industry.
theverge.com
· 2026-10-30
Microsoft announced a $25 billion bond offering, with proceeds slated for general corporate purposes including capital expenditures, acquisitions, buybacks and debt repayment. The company is targeting roughly $170 billion in 2026 capital spending to meet AI demand from clients like OpenAI and Anthropic, and expects the bond sale to close on November 4.
cnbc.com
· 2026-10-30
A Sierra Club report cited by Bloomberg estimates that planned AI data centers in the US could increase power-sector carbon emissions by 618 million metric tons between 2025 and 2030, a 42% jump that would push 2030 emissions to 2.1 billion metric tons. The group also estimates off-grid power sources built to supply data centers directly could add another 460 million metric tons, roughly Mexico's annual emissions.
techspot.com
· 2026-10-29
DeepGreen Holdings has filed a preliminary permit application with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to build submerged data centers powered by tidal turbines in Cook Inlet, Alaska, and the Gulf of Maine. The Cook Inlet site would use 66 data center pods powered by up to 350 tidal turbines generating 100 megawatts, while the Maine site would use 50 turbines producing 51 megawatts. Both locations overlap with habitats of endangered whale populations, and local communities have objected to the projects.
techspot.com
· 2026-10-29
A Wired opinion piece, shared via Slashdot, argues that the modern internet has become toxic, citing privacy and mental-health lawsuits against Meta and Google, smartphone bans in schools, youth social media restrictions in several countries, and a flood of AI-generated 'slop' content. The author points to Oxford's naming of 'rage bait' as 2025's word of the year as evidence that manipulative, AI-amplified engagement tactics now dominate online spaces.
tech.slashdot.org
· 2026-10-29
The Sierra Club estimates that planned U.S. data center construction will push power-sector carbon emissions to 2.1 billion metric tons by 2030, a 42% jump from 2025 levels, according to Bloomberg. That figure, roughly equal to Mexico's total emissions, is two to four times higher than the group's earlier projections, and would effectively erase 15 years of U.S. emissions-reduction progress.
tomshardware.com
· 2026-10-29
A new Sierra Club analysis projects that US power sector carbon dioxide emissions could climb 42 percent between 2025 and 2030, driven by fossil fuel plants built to supply electricity for AI data centers. The group estimates this would add 618 million tons of CO2, roughly equal to annual emissions from over 128 million homes, erasing about 15 years of prior emissions cuts. A separate June academic study estimated a smaller 28 percent rise, while the Environmental Defense Fund reported this month that planned US fossil fuel capacity additions are the highest in a decade.
theverge.com
· 2026-10-29
Fujifilm will invest 10 billion yen ($63.3 million) to expand capacity at its Odawara plant, aiming to boost magnetic tape production by up to five times by fiscal year 2028. The upgrade will let it manufacture tapes with capacities up to 100TB, marking its largest investment in tape storage in roughly two decades, according to Nikkei Asia.
tomshardware.com
· 2026-10-29
A new analysis looks at the employment impact of data centers, which typically require massive capital investment in land, buildings, equipment and power but employ only a few dozen people on-site, in roles such as IT technicians, engineers and security guards. The report identifies three indirect ways these facilities can generate local employment beyond their small permanent staff, as billions of dollars continue to pour into data center construction across the United States.
fastcompany.com
· 2026-10-29
Phoenix's TSMC chip plant uses roughly 5 million gallons of municipal water daily, part of a pre-pandemic bet to revive the region's economy that largely succeeded without major local opposition. Arizona now hosts 172 data centers, but newer, larger proposed developments from Phoenix to Tucson are drawing resistance over their heavier demands for water, power and land.
theverge.com
· 2026-10-29
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