Centres

Federal-state stoush comes as rating agency warns that electricity bills could skyrocketFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastQueensland and the Northern Territory have rejected the federal government’s plans to mandate that AI datacentres use renewable power, rubbishing Anthony Albanese’s proposals to regulate the booming technology as “underdeveloped ideas that hand increased power to Canberra”.The latest federal-state stoush on energy comes as S&P Global, the economic rating agency, warns that power use from datacentres could rise five-fold by 2035 to 10% of Australia’s total consumption, and that a mismatch between delivery timelines for datacentres and renewable projects could lead to energy bills skyrocketing. Continue reading...

PM to declare Australia the first country worldwide to bring economic, social, security and environmental issues from AI under single office in major speechGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAnthony Albanese says the federal government will introduce faster approval processes for AI projects, including datacentres, across Australia, seeking to shore up investor certainty and maintain community confidence in the rapidly advancing technology.Announcing the creation of a new office of AI to be established within his department in a major speech on Wednesday, the prime minister will declare Australia is set to become the first country in the world to bring the economic, social, national security and environmental issues stemming from AI into a single, national framework. Continue reading...

• Water-related spending for European data centers is projected to reach €6.8 billion by 2036, driven primarily by the rapid expansion of AI technologies. • Growth is shifting toward new markets, including Spain, Italy, Poland, and the Nordic countries, each presenting unique regional constraints and opportunities. • This surge in investment is critical as operators must balance the high cooling demands of AI infrastructure with environmental sustainability and water scarcity.

• Approximately 12 data centre developers are targeting the Northern Territory (NT) for expansion due to the region's strategic advantages. • The NT is attractive to AI companies because of its abundant sunny skies for solar power, significant natural gas reserves, and geographic proximity to Asian markets. • This interest signals a potential shift in the region's economy, moving from traditional industries toward high-tech infrastructure to support the global AI boom.

Calls are growing for new datacentre approvals to be halted until stronger protections are consideredGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastTransport for NSW and the Reserve Bank have warned datacentres could take scarce land from logistics firms and housing developments, pushing up prices and overheating the economy, as calls grow for a national pause on the booming sector.The rapid growth of datacentres has raised concerns for the transport and logistics sector, with Transport for NSW telling the state parliament inquiry on datacentres there was already significant pressure on the availability of industrial land and infrastructure. Continue reading...

LSE analysis highlights litigation linked to energy sources, water consumption and air pollutionThe proliferation of datacentres and AI is increasingly at the forefront of environmental litigation around the world from Chile to Ireland, a report has found.In an analysis of about 3,600 climate-related lawsuits filed since 2015, the latest annual review of climate litigation by the London School of Economics (LSE) found a growing number of cases challenging the energy sources, water consumption and air pollution of datacentres, all of which have related climate implications. Continue reading...

• A devastating explosion occurred at a gas processing plant in Ras Laffan Industrial City, Qatar, on Sunday night. • Qatari authorities and the Indian Embassy in Doha confirmed that 13 people were killed in the incident, including 12 Indian nationals. • The tragedy highlights the high-risk nature of industrial gas processing and the vulnerability of migrant workers in the region.

• The article explores the potential development of space-based data centers to support the growing computational demands of artificial intelligence. • These satellite-based facilities aim to leverage the unique environment of space to overcome terrestrial limitations in power and cooling. • This shift could accelerate global technological development by decentralizing data processing and reducing reliance on ground-based infrastructure.

• Gi21 Capital founder Damir Špoljarič is launching a pan-European institutional fund to build one of the continent's largest AI-ready data centre platforms. • The project aims to develop a network with approximately 720MW of total IT capacity distributed across multiple sites throughout Europe. • This initiative addresses the critical need for specialized infrastructure to support the growing computational demands of artificial intelligence within the region.

• EU Energy Commissioner Kadri Simson (Jorgensen) has urged Big Tech companies to align AI data centers with climate goals by supporting clean power and recycling waste heat. • The directive comes ahead of the June 3 unveiling of the European Technological Sovereignty Package, which features a Cloud and AI Development Act. • This legislative package aims to triple the European Union's data center capacity within the next five to seven years.

• A survey of 200 senior leaders across Western and Central Europe reveals that nearly all organizations feel significant pressure to scale AI to improve customer experience (CX). • Despite this push for adoption, only 38% of these organizations have established a clear approach to AI governance. • This gap between rapid implementation and oversight creates critical risks regarding regulatory compliance, customer trust, and the management of multilingual CX.

• SoftBank Group Corp. announced plans to invest up to €75 billion to develop 5 GW of AI data centre capacity in France. • The initiative was unveiled at the Choose France summit, with an initial phase allocating €45 billion to the Hauts-de-France region by 2031. • This massive investment aims to address the surging global demand for high-performance computing infrastructure required to power artificial intelligence.

• SoftBank Group plans to invest up to $87 billion (€75 billion) in France to develop 5 gigawatts of AI data center capacity. • The project's first phase involves a $45 billion investment to establish 3.1 gigawatts of capacity by 2031. • This initiative, driven by diplomacy between SoftBank's founder and President Macron, aims to position France as a leading European hub for AI infrastructure.

• SoftBank has announced plans to invest up to €75 billion to develop artificial intelligence data centers across France. • The first of these facilities are expected to become operational within the next five years. • This massive investment underscores the growing global competition to build the physical infrastructure necessary to support advanced AI processing.

• SoftBank Group has committed up to €75 billion to develop 5 GW of AI data center capacity in France, though only €45 billion of that investment is currently firm. • The project is distinguished by its massive scale and a strategic partnership with Schneider Electric to integrate data center capacity with onshore manufacturing. • This move expands SoftBank's global AI footprint, complementing its involvement in the $500 billion Stargate initiative with OpenAI and Oracle in the United States.

• SoftBank plans to invest up to 75 billion euros in French artificial intelligence infrastructure, marking the Japanese conglomerate's largest AI investment in Europe. • The initiative will focus on delivering data centers in Dunkirk, Bosquel, and Bouchain, with plans to develop further sites across France. • This strategic move aims to strengthen France's position as a primary European hub for next-generation digital infrastructure.

• SoftBank founder Masayoshi Son announced plans to invest €75 billion ($87.5 billion) to develop artificial intelligence infrastructure in France. • The investment will focus on building AI data centers and enhancing the country's technological capabilities to support advanced computing. • This move signals a massive strategic shift for SoftBank as it pivots toward AI-driven growth and strengthens its presence in the European market.

• SoftBank is investing €75 billion to develop 5 gigawatts of AI data centers in France, marking Masayoshi Son's largest investment bet in Europe. • The project's first phase will allocate €45 billion to deliver 3.1 GW of capacity in northern France by 2031. • The deal follows personal courtship by President Emmanuel Macron, whose commitment to the initiative reportedly impressed Son.

Refugee charities say the numbers revealed in Freedom of Information data are ‘shocking’Lone children were held at UK-run detention centres in France on nearly 300 occasions last year, according to documents released under the Freedom of Information Act.Data obtained by the Guardian shows they are part of about 900 instances when unaccompanied minors have been detained at British short-term facilities near Calais and Dunkirk over the last four years. Continue reading...

Growing fleet of datacentres last year used 22% of the country’s electricityEnergy demand by datacentres in Ireland has added hundreds of euros to household electricity bills in a pattern that could be replicated across Europe, according to a new report.The centres have “drained” €715m (£620m) from the Irish economy and increased household bills by a cumulative average of €360 between 2015 and 2023, said the report commissioned by Friends of the Earth Ireland and Beyond Fossil Fuels. Continue reading...

• India's AI data center market is projected to unlock a $23 billion investment opportunity, with GPU deployments and capacity expected to triple by 2030. • The broader AI market is forecast to grow from $13 billion in 2025 to $131 billion by 2032, representing a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 39%. • This surge is driven by increasing enterprise adoption and strategic investments in domestic capabilities, such as the development of indigenous large language models (LLMs).

• A new report released Wednesday indicates that rising AI adoption could create a $23 billion investment opportunity in India's data center sector. • The growth is expected to be driven by the deployment of 650,000 to 700,000 GPUs across the country's data centers over the next five years. • This surge in infrastructure is critical for supporting the increasing computational demands of artificial intelligence and expanding overall data center capacity.

• India's data center market is projected to experience massive growth, reaching an estimated value of nearly $46 billion by 2033. • The surge is primarily driven by the rapid adoption of cloud services and the increasing demand for AI-optimized infrastructure to handle complex workloads. • This shift represents a critical infrastructure race, as the market moves toward specialized facilities capable of supporting large-scale digital development.

Definition of green facilities made in 2022, before release of ChatGPT, says Action to Protect Rural ScotlandA Scottish government policy designed to encourage datacentres to build in Scotland could lead to a massive volume of carbon emissions being ignored, according to an analysis by a Scottish charity.“Green datacentres” are at the heart of Scotland’s ambitions to develop economically. Enshrined in national policy, they are part of a larger, UK-wide effort to attract big AI investment to Scotland. Continue reading...

• Gas turbine manufacturers are aggressively positioning themselves to power Europe's rapidly growing AI data center infrastructure using fossil fuels. • At the Datacloud Energy Europe conference in Brussels, industry leaders discussed strategies to integrate gas-powered energy to meet the massive electricity demands of AI. • Research from Global Energy Monitor highlights that companies like Mitsubishi Power Aero are already major turbine providers for the AI boom in the U.S., signaling a potential shift toward gas in Europe.

Industry body says energy consumption driven by AI up 15% globally in two years as it warns of societal backlashDatacentres are consuming 6% of electricity in the UK and US, with the growing strain of AI on energy supplies prompting community resistance, according to research.The proportion of electricity used by vast warehouses stacked with microchips to power AI and the internet has risen 15% worldwide in the past two years as annual global investment in datacentres approaches $1tn (£740bn) – nearly 1% of the global economy, according to the International Data Center Association (IDCA). Continue reading...

Emissions understated by factor of five in Essex plans for tech giant, while Greystoke’s Lincolnshire plans show similar errorDevelopers working for Google have significantly misstated how much carbon two proposed AI datacentres will contribute to the UK’s total emissions in planning documents reviewed by the Guardian.The tech company wants to build two huge datacentres – one 52-hectare (130 acre) project in Thurrock and another at an airfield in North Weald, both in Essex. To do so, developers are required to submit planning documents calculating how much carbon these projects will emit as a proportion of the UK’s total carbon footprint. Continue reading...

Pledge ahead of local elections dismissed as ‘not a serious policy’ and ‘profoundly un-British’Coming just days before millions go to the polls, Zia Yusuf’s announcement that a Reform government would ‘prioritise’ the citing of migrant detention centres in areas with Green MPs or councils was certainly eye-catching.“That means areas like right here in Brighton,” Reform’s shadow home secretary said with barely concealed relish in a video in which he paced the beachfront at the constituency which elected Britain’s first Green MP. Continue reading...