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Recent news

• Sep 25, 2026

  Google’s Grid-Interactive AI Data Centers: From Backup to Grid Partner

  Google outlined its AI data center scaling and grid-integration strategy during a keynote by Tom Garvens, vice president of advanced technology innovation, at Data Center World Power 2026 in Houston (Sept. 21-23). This is a conference presentation and commentary, not a first-time product or project launch.

  • Garvens said Google is reviewing and redesigning its AI data center ecosystem from chip to utility, including liquid cooling, LVDC, 54 VDC rack-level battery backup, and a gradual move toward 800 VDC distribution.
  • He said Google is using BESS, demand-response agreements, workload shifting, closed-loop cooling, and site selection for remote locations with ample land and power; he also noted Google processes more than 3 quadrillion AI tokens per month and that compute demand rose sevenfold from May 2025 to May 2026.
• Sep 22, 2026

  Evan Swarztrauber: The Hidden Supply-Chain Risk Inside America’s AI Data Centers

  This article is an opinion/commentary piece arguing that the FCC should add optical transceivers to its covered list as a national security measure.

  • The author says the FCC is reportedly considering a ban on new Chinese-produced optical transceivers, and argues the move would effectively block foreign-made transceivers from U.S. sale and import without an exemption.
  • It cites earlier incidents, including Iranian drone strikes on Amazon Web Services data centers in the United Arab Emirates and damage to a facility in Bahrain, and references U.S. manufacturing expansion by Applied Optoelectronics, Coherent, and Lumentum; it also mentions a $5 billion rip-and-replace program for telecom equipment.
• Sep 22, 2026

  Lenovo expands virtualization portfolio for AI

  Lenovo has announced new enterprise infrastructure systems, deployment services, and pre-validated configurations aimed at modernizing virtualized environments and preparing data centers for AI workloads.

  • The company introduced ThinkAgile VX850 V4, expanded Lenovo Express Solutions, and added three deployment service levels: Standard Deploy, Premier Deploy, and Premier Deploy Plus.
  • Premier Deploy Plus includes extended post-deployment assistance and a one-year infrastructure health assessment; Lenovo also expanded its Top Choice Express program with validated configurations including Microsoft Hyper-V Ready Solutions, Windows Server, Red Hat OpenShift Virtualization Solutions, Microsoft Azure Local with Lenovo ThinkAgile MX V4, ThinkSystem with Nutanix Compute Cluster, and SUSE Virtualization on Lenovo ThinkSystem V4.
• Sep 22, 2026

  Stored in Hyderabad, answered elsewhere? What Microsoft’s ‘data residency’ promise covers for AI

  Microsoft has announced updated AI and cloud capability framing for its India South Central region, saying eligible sensitive workloads can run there “as supported services become available” and describing the region as a strategic hub for Asia and the Global South.

  • Microsoft said the India South Central region was made generally available on August 6, 2026, and on September 21, 2026 it was designated a “strategic hub” at the AI Infrastructure Summit in New Delhi.
  • The company said the region is now “AI-enabled” and that Microsoft Foundry will become available in the coming months; it also named Azure Key Vault, Customer Lockbox, and Azure confidential computing as services that will arrive as supported services become available.
  • The article says customers include Adani Group, Bajaj Finserv, HDFC Bank, and PB Pay; it also notes Microsoft’s documentation distinguishes Global, Data Zone, and Standard (regional) model-processing modes, and that Global Standard is the lowest-priced option.
• Sep 21, 2026

  Capex to Consume Nearly All Hyperscaler Operating Cash Flow in 2026

  A technology equity analyst said at the AI Infra Summit in Santa Clara that the four largest hyperscalers are expected to spend $1.8 trillion on capital investments through 2028.

  • The analyst said this is about $600 billion more than the companies’ underlying businesses generate in cash over the same period.
  • The hyperscalers were identified as Alphabet, Amazon, Meta and Microsoft, with single sites drawing 300 megawatts to more than a gigawatt; the article is commentary/reporting from an event, not a company announcement.
• Sep 21, 2026

  The startups fixing Europe’s AI power problem

  The article argues that Europe’s AI energy challenge is increasingly a software and coordination problem, and highlights companies building across grid, facility, compute, and model-efficiency layers. It is a commentary and analysis piece, not a first-time company announcement.

  • The piece identifies a small group of European companies that can improve AI energy efficiency across four layers: grid, facility, compute, and software; it argues the most valuable position is at the seams where grid, facility, and compute decisions are made together.
  • It cites specific examples and funding: Sympower and GridBeyond have each raised more than €70 million; etalytics raised an €8 million extension in 2025 to bring its Series A to €16 million; Gradyent raised €28 million in a 2025 Series B; FlexAI launched with a €28.5 million Seed round; Multiverse Computing raised €189 million in 2025 and later announced a Series C of up to €500 million in July 2026.
• Sep 21, 2026

  Grid Constraints Steer Dutch Data Centers Beyond Amsterdam

  The article analyzes how Amsterdam’s data center market is growing while power, land, and policy constraints shift new capacity toward regional Dutch hubs.

  • Amsterdam remained Europe’s fourth-largest data center market in Q1 2026, with inventory up 11% year over year to 64.3 MW and vacancy at 9.4%; JLL said Amsterdam delivered 16.3 MW in H1 2026 while Paris added 72.5 MW.
  • The article highlights structural constraints including grid congestion, planning restrictions, and the June 2025 halt on new large data centers in Amsterdam; it also notes AMS-IX reached 35.66 exabytes of traffic in 2025 and 902 connected parties, and that the Netherlands is seeking at least two new open intercontinental cables.
• Sep 21, 2026

  Datacentres: are we frogs in a digital pot?

  East Anglia Bylines has published an opinion article arguing that AI is worsening datacentre energy and resource use, while the broader growth of cloud computing predates AI.

  • The piece explains that cloud services run on datacentre hardware, and says repatriating systems is costly; one project reportedly saved over 60% by bringing systems back in house, but it took three years.
  • It cites AWS as generating well over half of Amazon’s operating income in 2024, notes AWS’s 28% share of the worldwide cloud infrastructure market, and says server prices are up by a third or more year-on-year as AI demand lifts costs.
• Sep 17, 2026

  The amount of e-waste caused by AI is underestimated: we can’t only include the servers

  Basel Action Network has published a report arguing that AI data center equipment replacement is generating far more e-waste than enterprise calculations typically capture.

  • BAN says prior AI e-waste estimates focused mainly on servers and accelerators, which it says are only 13% of a data center’s electromechanical infrastructure; it estimates about 70,000 metric tonnes per GW across five equipment categories including networking, power distribution, storage/backup, and cooling.
  • The report projects 196–211 million metric tonnes of global e-waste per year by 2050, with 31Mt–46Mt attributed to AI waste alone; analysts quoted in the article say some assumptions, especially the 2.5-year accelerator retirement cycle and long-term growth forecasts, may be overstated.
• Sep 17, 2026

  Where’s the environment in Michigan election? ‘The vocabulary and framing has changed’

  Planet Detroit is reporting on how Michigan candidates are framing environmental issues in the 2026 election, with data centers, energy affordability, and clean energy law at the center of the debate.

  • Democrats Jocelyn Benson and Will Lawrence are linking clean energy, corporate accountability, and data center regulation to jobs, local control, and utility costs; Lawrence released a Michigan First AI Plan calling for a pause on data center and advanced AI development and a national AI Compact.
  • Republicans John James and Jim Runestad are arguing that Michigan’s clean energy policies raise prices; James says he would repeal Michigan’s clean energy law, while the article notes a Michigan Public Service Commission meeting on Oct. 1, 2026 and the Nov. 3 election as key upcoming decision points.
• Sep 9, 2026

  Cisco bundles fixes for multiple vulnerabilities, some critical, into one patch

  Cisco has announced software updates to fix more than seven IOS XR Linux-based router vulnerabilities, including two critical issues rated 9.8 severity.

  • Cisco said its engineering team found multiple internally-discovered vulnerabilities affecting all IOS XR releases, including IOS XR7, with no known workarounds and no known active exploitation.
  • The two critical CVEs, CVE-2026-20274 and CVE-2026-20279, involve lifetime resource control issues; Cisco said customers should use show version, apply SMUs or upgrade to fixed releases, and future fixed releases will be 26.2.2 and 26.3.1.
• Sep 9, 2026

  Mistral AI Raises €3 Billion at €21 Billion Valuation to Keep Europe in the AI Race

  Mistral AI has announced a €3 billion equity round at a post-money valuation of more than €21 billion. - The round is led by Samsung Electronics, with Scaleup Europe Fund (EQT) and PSG Equity as co-leads; new investors include Advent, BlackRock-managed funds, and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg.

  • The company says the financing will expand frontier research, fund more infrastructure including its own data centers, and support larger and faster models; Microsoft reportedly did not participate despite a prior infrastructure agreement in Europe.
  • The article also says the round makes Mistral the largest equity round ever completed by a privately held European technology company and that its valuation has nearly doubled from about €12 billion in a year.
• Sep 8, 2026

  DOE Closes $1.9-Billion Loan to Restart Duane Arnold Nuclear Plant

  The U.S. Department of Energy has announced that it closed a loan of up to $1.9 billion to NextEra Energy to support restarting the Duane Arnold Energy Center in Iowa.

  • The 615-MW plant in Palo, Linn County shut down in August 2020 after a derecho wind event and is targeted to resume commercial operation in Q1 2029, pending U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission approval.
  • The restart is tied in part to rising electricity demand from data centers; NextEra also has a 25-year power purchase agreement with Google and has agreed to acquire CIPCO and Corn Belt Power Cooperative’s combined 30% interest in the plant.
• Sep 8, 2026

  Microsoft inks long-term PPA for Washington solar project

  Microsoft has become the long-term offtaker for electricity and environmental attributes from Cypress Creek Energy’s Ostrea Solar project in Washington, which has reached commercial operation.

  • The Ostrea Solar project in Yakima County, Washington adds 104 MWdc / 80 MWac and is owned and operated by Cypress Creek for up to 40 years; the terms of Microsoft’s agreement were not disclosed.
  • Cypress Creek said the project reflects approximately $180 million in private investment, will generate an estimated $13.3 million in state and local tax revenues, and helped conserve about 275 acres of shrubsteppe habitat; Microsoft’s involvement comes as it expands its AI/data center footprint and reported higher emissions in 2025.