#data-centers

Google and Xcel Energy have announced a partnership to bring 1.9 gigawatts of new clean energy capacity to Minnesota's electricity grid. The deal reflects the growing trend of tech giants securing dedicated renewable energy to power data center operations.

Six American companies and a Chinese firm have expressed interest in building orbital data centers over the past month, driven by AI's insatiable demand for computing power. But experts warn the move could shift critical digital infrastructure beyond the reach of national laws.

The cost of long-term renewable energy contracts rose 9% in 2025 and is expected to continue climbing as data centers, manufacturing reshoring, and electrification drive unprecedented electricity demand. Energy storage agreements have emerged as the fastest-growing segment of the clean energy market.

Constellation Energy's latest earnings reveal that day-ahead electricity prices in the PJM West region jumped 49 percent in 2025, driven by soaring data center demand. The nuclear-heavy power producer is positioned to benefit as capacity prices reflect the tightest supply conditions in years.

Residents of Potters Bar, a quiet commuter town north of London, are fighting a five-billion-dollar data center project that would consume 85 acres of protected greenbelt farmland. Their battle has become a flashpoint in the collision between AI infrastructure demands and local conservation.

As AI models grow larger and inference demand scales, the industry's focus is shifting from GPU scarcity to memory constraints. High Bandwidth Memory from SK hynix, Samsung, and Micron is emerging as the critical — and increasingly expensive — component in AI infrastructure.

Mesh Optical Technologies, founded by former SpaceX engineers, has closed a $50 million Series A led by Thrive Capital to mass-produce optical transceivers for AI data centers. The startup targets a critical infrastructure bottleneck as data centers scale to meet AI demand.