Ars Technica: Senators want US energy information agency to monitor data center electricity usage. “Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren and Republican Senator Josh Hawley are urging the US’s central energy information agency to provide better information on how much electricity data centers actually use.”

https://rbfirehose.com/2026/04/01/ars-technica-senators-want-us-energy-information-agency-to-monitor-data-center-electricity-usage/

Ed Zitron: The AI Industry Is Lying To You. “Here’s what’s actually happening: data center deals are being funded by eager private credit gargoyles that don’t know shit about fuck. These deals are announced, usually by overly-eager reporters that don’t bother to check whether the previous data centers ever got built, as massive ‘multi-gigawatt deals,’ and then nobody follows up to check […]

https://rbfirehose.com/2026/03/24/ed-zitron-the-ai-industry-is-lying-to-you/

University of Cambridge: New computer chip material inspired by the human brain could slash AI energy use . “Researchers have developed a new kind of nanoelectronic device that could dramatically cut the energy consumed by artificial intelligence hardware by mimicking the human brain. The researchers, led by the University of Cambridge, developed a form of hafnium oxide that acts as a highly […]

https://rbfirehose.com/2026/03/23/university-of-cambridge-new-computer-chip-material-inspired-by-the-human-brain-could-slash-ai-energy-use/

CalMatters: Nevada utility to Lake Tahoe: Find electricity elsewhere. “Lake Tahoe’s longtime power supplier, NV Energy, will cut off the region next year. It has said data centers are driving ‘unprecedented’ demand.”

https://rbfirehose.com/2026/03/23/nevada-utility-to-lake-tahoe-find-electricity-elsewhere-calmatters/

Source New Mexico: Report says national push for AI data centers leading to outsized energy, water consumption. “The report finds that one hyperscale data center can use as much energy as 2 million U.S. households and warns that by 2028, data centers across the nation could collectively use as much water as 18.5 million households.”

https://rbfirehose.com/2026/03/10/source-new-mexico-report-says-national-push-for-ai-data-centers-leading-to-outsized-energy-water-consumption/

The Register: 50 GW of datacenter demand queues up for UK grid access . “About 140 datacenters are in the queue to be connected to Britain’s power grid, and their combined energy requirements are estimated to be more than the current peak electricity use for the entire country.”

https://rbfirehose.com/2026/03/05/the-register-50-gw-of-datacenter-demand-queues-up-for-uk-grid-access/

🔋 Ah, nothing screams "cutting-edge tech" like a tool that lets you compare the energy usage of your fridge to your toaster—because heaven forbid you waste those precious watts on making breakfast. 🤓 And remember, it's always the fault of the Scandinavians for using too much geothermal heat or something. 😂
https://hannahritchie.github.io/energy-use-comparisons/ #cuttingedgetechnology #energyusage #sustainability #techhumor #geothermalenergy #HackerNews #ngated

The Register: Oak Ridge spawns institute to curb AI datacenter power surge. “The US federal research center in Tennessee is launching the Next Generation Data Centers Institute (NGDCI) in support of national energy and AI priorities, though any lessons learned will likely apply globally as well.”

https://rbfirehose.com/2026/03/04/the-register-oak-ridge-spawns-institute-to-curb-ai-datacenter-power-surge/

Reuters: Louisiana utility regulator denies request for probe of Meta data center deal, law group says. “Earthjustice ‌filed a motion last month with the Louisiana Public Service Commission asking it to probe project financing, which the group said could ultimately shift project costs unfairly onto ‌utility ​customers. The motion centered on ⁠Meta’s proposed data center ⁠project in […]

https://rbfirehose.com/2026/02/26/reuters-louisiana-utility-regulator-denies-request-for-probe-of-meta-data-center-deal-law-group-says/

University of Michigan: AI energy use: New tools show which model consumes the most power, and why. “AI users and developers can now measure the amount of electricity various AI models consume to complete tasks with open-source software and an online leaderboard developed at the University of Michigan.”

https://rbfirehose.com/2026/02/24/ai-energy-use-new-tools-show-which-model-consumes-the-most-power-and-why-university-of-michigan/