Thanks for your reporting. The data center boom is the latest assault on any form of sustainability. Furthermore, the selection of desert environments as the sites for these data centers reveals a complete ignorance of the ecological realities in these locations. For example, Phoenix may soon lose a significant portion of the Colorado river water that is currently allocated to the city because the amount of water available from the Colorado river is steadily decreasing due to climate change.
Great analysis. Another piece worth mentioning is the energy use of semiconductor fabs like Intel and TSMC. They are significant users of energy and also operate 24-7. Not on the same scale as data centers (and there are fewer of them), but a contributor to the challenges facing APS and the state as a whole.
We need to tax data storage. That's a way to address this. No corporation is allowing employees to keep emails older than six months, yet everyday people have accounts with 100,000 old emails dating to the beginning of the internet. When Google offers a consumer $1.49/month for more storage space, the tax on that should be $5/month. Then maybe people will delete some of their old useless videos and photos.
“demand for power has made decarbonization (EVERYWHERE) more difficult”. - Fixed it.
The point of decarbonization is to make life itself difficult, that and artificial scarcity for short term profits, which is why Getty family backs it. It’s working all too well.
“Tech companies and data center developers continue to push ahead, despite the opposition. Google, Microsoft, Meta, and Apple are all expanding their data center operations in Phoenix.”
Thanks for your reporting. The data center boom is the latest assault on any form of sustainability. Furthermore, the selection of desert environments as the sites for these data centers reveals a complete ignorance of the ecological realities in these locations. For example, Phoenix may soon lose a significant portion of the Colorado river water that is currently allocated to the city because the amount of water available from the Colorado river is steadily decreasing due to climate change.
Good point on the Colorado river federal decision. I hadn't thought of that connection.
Great analysis. Another piece worth mentioning is the energy use of semiconductor fabs like Intel and TSMC. They are significant users of energy and also operate 24-7. Not on the same scale as data centers (and there are fewer of them), but a contributor to the challenges facing APS and the state as a whole.
Thanks! Ya those fabs are definitely big consumers.
Nighttime analysis is a brilliant way to highlight these trends and disaggregate the usage
Thanks Jeremy!
We need to tax data storage. That's a way to address this. No corporation is allowing employees to keep emails older than six months, yet everyday people have accounts with 100,000 old emails dating to the beginning of the internet. When Google offers a consumer $1.49/month for more storage space, the tax on that should be $5/month. Then maybe people will delete some of their old useless videos and photos.
I do have a lot of old emails and duplicate photos cluttering up the cloud..
Water demand will grow alongside it. Meanwhile Saudi Arabia is taking the lead in low-cost data-center compute provision, using solar power. They want to be the Saudi Arabia of compute capacity, like they are the Saudi Arabia of oil. https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2025/12/17/saudi-arabia-wants-to-host-the-worlds-cheapest-data-centres?giftId=NWQzNjVhNjItNDJmYi00M2IyLWIwNmMtNzU1ZWIyYjljM2Nk&utm_campaign=gifted_article
Hadn't seen that story. Will check it out!
“demand for power has made decarbonization (EVERYWHERE) more difficult”. - Fixed it.
The point of decarbonization is to make life itself difficult, that and artificial scarcity for short term profits, which is why Getty family backs it. It’s working all too well.
We have a glut of hydrocarbons especially propane in USA, the solution is available, the problem is political.
Summary phrase:
“Tech companies and data center developers continue to push ahead, despite the opposition. Google, Microsoft, Meta, and Apple are all expanding their data center operations in Phoenix.”
😡😡😡