Amazon backs power plant that may become top source of US climate pollution
Amazon’s artificial intelligence ambitions will soon be partly fueled by a natural gas-burning power plant in Texas that “could become the largest single source of climate pollution in the United States,” The New York Times reported. These gas-burning plants are increasingly lumped into data center projects. They produce harmful pollutants, which can accelerate climate change impacts and harm public health—contributing to conditions like asthma, heart disease, lung cancer, and strokes. Some comm
Amazon is backing a natural gas power plant in Texas that could become the largest single source of climate pollution in the United States, according to reporting cited in this article. The power plant would generate electricity specifically for Amazon's data center operations rather than connecting to the public grid, a strategy increasingly adopted by major tech companies to avoid delays in launching AI infrastructure. This conflicts with Amazon's public commitment to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2040, as the plant is permitted to release 33 million tons of carbon dioxide annually. The move reflects how rapid demand for AI services is driving tech companies to prioritize speed over environmental considerations, with the Trump administration actively supporting such projects by rolling back environmental protections and fast-tracking approvals.
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Google Unveils TPU 8i Max and TPU 8tx: A Dual-Chip TPU and a Confidential TPU
Google has added two new systems to its eighth-generation TPU lineup. TPU 8i Max targets massive context windows and rack density. TPU 8tx targets secure, confidential inference. Google TPU 8i Max is a dual-chip package built from 2 TPU 8i chips. Both arrive alongside TPU 8t and TPU 8i, announced in April. TL;DR Size: TPU 8i Max = 2 TPU 8i chips in 1 package. TPU 8tx = TPU 8t silicon plus 5th Gen AMD EPYC hosts. Runs on: Google Cloud TPU systems. Performance: 8i Max doubles TPU 8
Also reported by Data Center Knowledge
IBM Announces IBM Quantum Nighthawk r3: A New Processor to Support 10k Quantum Operations on 520 Programmable Qubits
IBM has announced IBM Quantum Nighthawk r3, its next superconducting quantum processor. It is designed to run 10,000 quantum operations accurately across 520 programmable qubits. In 2027, IBM plans to link 2 r3 chips into a single 1,040-qubit system. For developers, the announcement is speed. The current Nighthawk r2 already runs workloads up to 19x faster than IBM’s earlier processors. TL;DR Size: Nighthawk r3: 520 programmable qubits, 2,034 physical qubits, 10 l-couplers. Nightha
Why the data center you dread might never even be built
The data center boom is running into serious real-world obstacles, from widespread local opposition and permitting delays to a scramble for electricity. Before those challenges even come into play, though, there’s a more basic problem: A lot of the projects being announced may never get built in the first place. With billions of dollars in AI infrastructure […]
How backlash and red tape continue to slow data centers post-Blue Wave
The data center boom is running into serious real-world obstacles, from widespread local opposition and permitting delays to a scramble for electricity. Before those challenges even come into play, though, there’s a more basic problem: A lot of the projects being announced may never get built in the first place. With billions of dollars in AI infrastructure […]
AMD Launches Epyc SP7, Helion as AI Rack Demand Rises
AMD has begun shipping sixth-gen Epyc servers and is rolling out Helion AI racks, signaling a bigger push into enterprise and agentic AI infrastructure.
Google broadens its AI hardware portfolio with two new specialized chips
Google's new tensor processing units (TPUs) broaden its chip portfolio to more use cases: confidential model training and more memory capacity.