Americans are increasingly concerned about AI and data centers, and the impact of computing on climate change. A September poll by the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research at the University of Chicago found that 53% are extremely or very concerned about the environmental impacts of AI—and that the majority of both Democrats and Republicans support policies including requiring data centers to use clean energy and pay for grid upgrades. We asked leading expert Andrew Chien to answer commonly asked questions about data centers. Chien is the William Eckhardt Distinguished Service Professor of Computer Science at UChicago. Before joining the University in 2011, he served for five years as the vice president of research at Intel Corporation. Since 2015, he and his research team have studied how to make computing more sustainable and grid-friendly. What is a data center? In the simplest terms, a data center is a room or building that’s full of computers. This can be a single room, a little building on the corner, or a few floors of a skyscraper, all the way up to huge, multi-acre complexes. What do data centers do? When people ask this, I explain by saying, “Data centers are where...

After almost three decades of running Australia's detention centres, private contractors keep falling short, adding to the plight of refugees.

The establishment of the Peace Council is, in fact, part of a systematic campaign aimed at undermining, circumventing, and opposing the international

This story was originally published by theGuardian and is reproduced here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration. More fire, more ash, more crime, more death. And a globally important ecosystem driven ever more rapidly towards a point of no return. That is the prospect for the Amazon rainforest for at least the next four years if Flávio Bolsonaro holds on to the lead he established this week in the first round of Brazil’s presidential election. This appears to be of far more concern to the outside world than to voters in Latin America’s biggest, richest, and most biodiverse nation. The far-right son of the former president and jailed coup-monger Jair Bolsonaro won 47 percent of the vote, putting him in pole position before the October 25 runoff with the incumbent, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who was backed by 44.2 percent. The result is an unnerving jolt to climate and nature campaigners. Taken out of context, this appears to be a vote against the forest. The current administration of Lula (as the veteran Brazilian president is best known) has reduced deforestation in the Amazon by almost 50 percent. But that success secured little noticeable electoral traction for either Lula...

Housing construction is at its strongest level since 2016, but it’s AI that is sucking up resources for builders

Oxfam Australia Media Release  Climate disasters cost small island states and the world’s poorest countries $16 billion last year. The number of people affected by climate disasters in Least Developed...

The NZ First leader aired his views but stopped short of announcing new policy.

Today marks three years since Israel began its genocide in Gaza. Three years in which Israel has faced no real punishment. On the eve of this anniversary, a court in Indonesia showed the world exac…

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Aftab Malik’s appointment was called a farce before he’d even begun. Two years on, he’s made his case.

The merger of two of Hollywood's biggest movie studios comes after months of legal disputes and concern over competition

The boss of the Norwegian state company says further investment in the UK could be at risk if Rosebank and Jackdaw are not approved.

ANTI-WAR campaigners have called for the further removal of US militarism from Britain after the country’s bombers were withdrawn from RAF Fairford.Downing Street insisted the site remains safe follow...

Demonstrators held signs reading: ‘Jane Doe deserves justice,’ ‘Alcohol is not consent,’ and ‘Hold them accountable’

Boss of OpenAI calls for a regulatory light touch because of the ‘good stuff’ the technology can deliver

The Israeli war machine and propaganda machine never sleep. Here is your daily accurate and concise summary of Palestine, Israel, and Palestine-adjacent news.

Since October 2023, no nation’s military has killed nearly as many journalists as Israel, a fact that often opens them up to considerable criticism.

After more than two hours of argument, it was unclear whether the justices would green-light Boulder, Colorado’s novel lawsuit against ExxonMobil and Suncor Energy.

Those who lived through the rightwing populist party’s most successful election say history could soon repeat itself – but this time ‘on steroids’

The Coalition want to cut already-underfunded social and health services, while staying silent on the corporations paying nothing

It is barring tens of millions from voting