The Planet on, and off.
Australia will require large data centers powering artificial intelligence to generate as much power as they consume, and ensure that creative professionals retain control over work that may be used to train A.I. systems, as the government sets up guardrails over the rapidly growing industry. The announcements on Wednesday in Read more…
A Reddit post making the rounds this week claims the U.S. has experienced at least one major power outage every month of 2026 — but is it true? I dug into several outages, the extreme weather behind them, and what we can do to help keep the lights on. […] Read more…
Astronomers have detected erythrulose, a sugar found in raspberries and self-tanners, in a gas cloud near the center of the Milky Way. While not essential for life itself, the molecule can convert into a form thought to be important for life’s origins, adding evidence that key prebiotic ingredients may be Read more…
Microsoft released its 2026 Environmental Sustainability Report showing that last year it matched its entire electricity consumption with renewable energy. “The bad news is it also increased greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 25%” — mostly due to datacenter construction and a decision to stop purchasing some renewable energy certificates: In Read more…
America is facing what’s projected to become the largest labor shortage in its history. Economists warn that the worsening labor problem, due in part to a skills shortage and population shifts, will be vast and reach beyond tech. It “could hobble the American economy for years to come,” predicts the Read more…
Meta will build its first Canadian data center in Alberta, investing $9 billion in a 1-gigawatt facility that can scale to 1.8 gigawatts to support its AI infrastructure needs. The project will rely on new generation and grid infrastructure funded by Meta, including a long-term agreement tied to a new Read more…
Subsea cables. Ukrainian power stations. Russian oil refineries. Even airports, water-desalination plants and Amazon data centers. They’ve all become targets in wartime, and around the world now arguments “are already brewing between companies and governments over new regulations and potential costs.” In Germany, powerful associations representing private companies and municipal Read more…