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AI News & Artificial Intelligence | TechCrunch
- US data centers could consume more natural gas than Germany and Japan combined by 2035
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AI News & Artificial Intelligence | TechCrunch
- Massachusetts hits data centers with new clean power rules
Massachusetts hits data centers with new clean power rules
Crusoe reportedly raises $3B at a $30B valuation
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AI News & Artificial Intelligence | TechCrunch
- Nvidia’s $3.5B MediaTek bet reveals its plan for tackling Big Tech’s AI chip buildout
Nvidia’s $3.5B MediaTek bet reveals its plan for tackling Big Tech’s AI chip buildout
Inside Meta’s push to put robots to work in data centers
Meta is testing robots that can plug in cables, reset servers, and handle other tasks inside its data centers, according to several current and former workers familiar with the projects. The ongoing effort, which has not been previously reported, may eventually allow Meta to operate its rapidly expanding data center footprint with fewer humans, keeping labor costs in check as its spending on AI infrastructure soars.
Meta is using robots and related hardware from several different vendors, including Watney Robotics, Kinova, and ABB, according to the same workers, who asked to remain anonymous because they weren’t authorized to speak to the media. Kinova and ABB declined to comment. Watney didn’t respond to requests for comment.
In one experiment, Meta is evaluating whether a Kinova Gen3 robotic arm could be used for power cycling or cutting off electricity to servers. The company is also testing a different robot to swap networking cables. One Meta data center worker estimates that if it’s successful, the bot could replace up to 80 percent of some people’s workloads. “We thought those of us performing the physical tasks were safe for a while, but not anymore,” says the worker. “It’s coming for us all, unfortunately.”


© Getty Images
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AI News & Artificial Intelligence | TechCrunch
- Nvidia partners with data center developer Cloverleaf
Nvidia partners with data center developer Cloverleaf
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AI News & Artificial Intelligence | TechCrunch
- Starcloud raises $250 million for orbital data centers as launch options dry up
Starcloud raises $250 million for orbital data centers as launch options dry up
OK, can we actually cool data centers with our pee?
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AI News & Artificial Intelligence | TechCrunch
- Meet the startup helping Wall Street put a price on AI compute
Meet the startup helping Wall Street put a price on AI compute
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AI News & Artificial Intelligence | TechCrunch
- TerraPower’s nuclear reactor has a secret weapon for powering AI data centers
TerraPower’s nuclear reactor has a secret weapon for powering AI data centers
Energy IPOs surge as investors hunt for ways to play AI boom
Energy companies are raising money at IPO at their fastest pace this century, taking advantage of investors’ hunt for new ways to bet on the boom in power-intensive AI data centers.
Initial public offerings for energy firms raised $12.6 billion in the first half of this year, according to data firm Dealogic. That marks the highest half-year level since the peak of the dotcom bubble in late 1999 and the highest first-half figure on record. It is well above 2025’s full-year total of $4.3 billion.
The surge in fundraising comes as access to the vast amounts of energy needed to run data centers emerges as a bottleneck in a multi-trillion-dollar AI investment boom.


© Michael Nagle/Bloomberg