Latest from AIforE
Updates, research notes, and press from the AI for Ecology team.
Microsoft AI Projects Power Hungrier AI Future Changes Clean Energy Goals
Bloomberg reports Microsoft may rework its 2030 clean-energy commitment as AI data center growth outpaces its power strategy — a live example of why AI needs sustainability benchmarks.
Poll: Most Americans Are Worried About AI's Environmental Toll
A new AP-NORC/EPIC poll finds 53% of Americans are highly concerned about AI's environmental impact, up from 41% last year, with most now backing limits on new data centers.
AI Dominates Climate Week In NYC
At UN Climate Week, AI's climate promise collided with its rising energy costs. Investment in AI-adjacent climate tech surged 55% even as data-center emissions climbed, making climate change worse — a gap open benchmarks could help close.
Rune Raises $40M - They Place AI Compute on Solar Farms
Rune raised $40M to bolt modular AI compute directly onto solar farms, skipping years-long grid queues. It's the right-sizing model AIforE wants to see scale.
Google's $4.3 Billion Deal for Nuclear Energy Powered AI Data Centers
Google and Constellation Energy struck a 20-year deal bringing 890 MW of new nuclear capacity to the grid, part of a $4.3B plant upgrade — alongside a separate deal to run grid operations on Google's own AI.
Big Investors Are Frustrated With AI's Climate Footprint
A Morningstar survey of 500+ asset owners managing $20T finds AI-driven energy demand and reliance on carbon offsets are becoming top climate-risk concerns for investors.
Norway Power Pilot of Offshore Wind to meet Demand Of AI
Exascale Labs and EnergyBank signed an MOU to co-locate modular AI data centers with floating offshore wind and battery storage off Norway, starting at 800kW.
AI's Energy Appetite Is Top Issue at NYC Climate Week
World leaders gathered in New York this week as UN climate officials warned AI's energy demand risks driving up fossil fuel use, while industry pointed to efficiency gains. The debate underscores why verifiable standards matter.
Amazon.ia: Using AI with Satellites to help Rainforest
Planet's new Amazon.ia platform pairs satellite imagery and AI with ground data to track biodiversity and forest health across the Amazon in near real time.
New AI Network Yeilds Biodiversity Health for Amazon
A 24-institution coalition backed by the Bezos Earth Fund launched an AI system fusing satellites, camera traps, and bioacoustics to monitor Amazon biodiversity in near real time.
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Pauses Emergency Data-Center Power Plan
Regulators accepted PJM's plan to cover a 6.8-gigawatt shortfall driven by AI data centers — then delayed it five months over who pays if things go wrong.
AI's Water Usage Is Growing - Measuring it is top priority
New reporting confirms AI data centers' water use is growing, but so are the tools to measure and cut it. Here's why standardized water metrics matter.
Senate Bill Proposes Data Centers Pay Their Grid Costs
A bipartisan Senate bill would make large AI data centers pay their full share of grid upgrade costs — and let states go further still.
Google plugs into Georgia's Vogtle and Hatch Reactors for AI Buildout
Google aiming to add nuclear capacity to power AI from Georgia's Vogtle and Hatch plants to power its AI data centers, in a deal that still needs state approval.
The Thermodynamic Realities of Space-Based AI Data Centers Space Compute Energy Consumption Hardware Architecture
An empirical analysis evaluating space-based AI data centers. We compare continuous solar collection efficiency against vacuum thermal dissipation bottlenecks, launch embodied carbon, and edge inference latency.