tech
January 13, 2026
Microsoft scrambles to quell fury around its new AI data centers
Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.
TL;DR
- Microsoft has introduced a five-point plan called "Community-First AI Infrastructure" to address community concerns about data centers.
- The plan includes paying more to prevent data center energy demands from raising electricity bills for other customers.
- It also focuses on minimizing water use, training workers, creating jobs, and contributing to local tax bases.
- Tech companies are facing increased opposition to data center projects due to the high energy demands of AI products.
- Microsoft promises more transparency about data center locations and energy usage, a key demand from residents and lawmakers.
- Other tech companies like Meta and Amazon have also reiterated commitments to address environmental and economic impacts of their data centers.
- A Heatmap Pro analysis shows at least 25 data center projects in the US have been canceled due to local backlash.
Continue reading
the original article