The slow sucking sound of AI; Financial Times, August 19, 2026

SOUMAYA KEYNES, Financial Times; The slow sucking sound of AI

"When AI has solved cancer and climate change, no one will be sniping about whether too much money and electricity were poured into the industry."

Coming to some of Pennsylvania’s most picturesque places: data centers; Spotlight PA, August 5, 2026

Emilie Lounsberry, Spotlight PA ; Coming to some of Pennsylvania’s most picturesque places: data centers

"Data centers are being proposed near some of Pennsylvania’s most treasured natural spaces. They are planned on land next to state parks and nature preserves and near lakes, streams and rivers that are considered of “exceptional value”—a gold-star designation given by the state to only the purest waterways and wetlands. About 80 percent of the exceptional value water bodies in the state are in the Poconos.

Some of the proposed data-center sites are also near popular tourist areas: Just outside the historic town of Jim Thorpe, known for weekend getaways, whitewater rafting and a scenic railway tourist train. Behind a big resort and water park. Down the road from a ski resort. Next to a scenic vista that was once a gathering place for Native American tribal leaders.

“They have been targeting some of our most beautiful places,” said Ginny Marcille-Kerslake, an organizer with the Pennsylvania team of Food & Water Watch, an environmental advocacy group.

Developers have been on the hunt for large parcels of land that are near adequate power supplies or in places that would allow them to build their own power source—as well as near water, which is needed to cool the vast computer systems. They are finding all of that in the Poconos.

The data centers will help facilitate the expansion of artificial intelligence. Proponents say the centers will bring construction jobs and increase tax revenue. But there are costs too: the vast quantities of power and water needed and the potential impacts on the environment and nearby residents. That’s especially true in ecologically valuable areas like the Poconos."

Move Fast, but Obey the Rules: China’s Vision for Dominating A.I.; The New York Times, February 2, 2026

Meaghan Tobin and Xinyun Wu , The New York Times; Move Fast, but Obey the Rules: China’s Vision for Dominating A.I.

"Mr. Xi’s remarks highlight a tension shaping China’s tech industry. China’s leadership has decided that A.I. will drive the country’s economic growth in the next decade. At the same time, it cannot allow the new technology to disrupt the stability of Chinese society and the Communist Party’s hold over it.

The result is that the government is pushing Chinese A.I. companies to do two things at once: move fast so China can outpace international rivals and be at the forefront of the technological shift, while complying with an increasingly complex set of rules."

How to Give Rural America Broadband? Look to the Early 1900s; New York Times, 8/7/16

Cecilia Kang, New York Times; How to Give Rural America Broadband? Look to the Early 1900s:

"“The technology is a little different but how we get broadband to homes is actually very similar to electric,” he said.

Since broadband service has started, signs of economic vitality have appeared in the region."