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11 US Data Centers Could Outpollute Morocco, WIRED Finds
The projects are being built to bypass grid delays and could out-emit entire countries, with 11 campuses reviewed linked to more than 129 million tons a year.
- The NAACP filed suit against xAI last week, alleging the company illegally operated gas turbines at its Memphis and Southaven campuses as residents in the low-income Black community rallied to protest air pollution.
- Tech developers are increasingly building "behind-the-meter" gas projects to bypass lengthy grid delays, a trend Michael Thomas of Cleanview warns is causing a "crazy acceleration of emissions" potentially exceeding 129 million tons of greenhouse gases annually.
- Despite community opposition, regulators granted permits for xAI's Colossus campuses; turbines on each campus could generate more than 6.4 million tons of CO2 equivalents annually, equivalent to powering 1.5 million homes.
- About 35 states offer tax breaks to attract data centers, though critics argue these incentives fail to deliver promised jobs and economic benefits while residents fear electricity bills increase by a factor of two.
- Data center expansion puts severe strain on renewable energy efforts across the United States, as electricity demand is projected to reach 10 to 15 percent of nationwide totals within two years, prolonging the use of fossil fuel plants slated for closure.
9 Articles
9 Articles
Greenhouse gases from data center boom could outpace entire nations
New gas projects linked to just 11 data center campuses around the US have the potential to create more greenhouse gases than the country of Morocco emitted in 2024. Emissions estimates from air permit documents examined by WIRED show that these natural gas projects—which are being built to power data centers to serve some of the US’s most powerful AI companies, including OpenAI, Meta, Microsoft, and xAI—have the potential to emit more than 129 …
New Gas-Powered Data Centers Could Emit More Greenhouse Gases Than Entire Nations
A WIRED review of permits for data center projects using natural gas and linked to OpenAI, Meta, Microsoft, and xAI shows they could emit more than 129 million tons of greenhouse gases per year.
Why are communities pushing back against data centers?
Data centers, which house computer systems that help train AI models, are blanketing the country, a boom fueled by surging interest in AI and state tax breaks. More than 4,000 are already in operation, mostly in Virginia, Texas, and California, and 3,000 more are being planned or under construction.
Why are communities pushing back against data centers? — Harvard Gazette
A data center in Ashburn, Virginia. Ted Shaffrey/AP file Work & Economy Why are communities pushing back against data centers? Tech, data policy expert says concerns legitimate over rising power rates, water use, environmental issues amid mushrooming growth Liz Mineo Harvard Staff Writer April 9, 2026 8 min read Data centers, which house computer systems that help train AI models, are blank…
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