Amy Harder

Electricity demand is becoming the clearest measure of the AI industry's extraordinary expansion — and a test of how long that pace can last.Why it matters: The industry's pursuit of ever-larger mo...

After years of touting ambitious climate goals, big tech companies are now facing new scrutiny over what they disclose about AI's environmental footprint.Why it matters: The AI boom is turning a ha...

Microsoft's latest environmental report shows the growing tension between its race to build AI infrastructure and its long-standing climate commitments.Why it matters: The report mirrors recent dis...

ASPEN, Colo. — Colorado's Democratic governor, Jared Polis, defended data centers, touted oil and gas rules and bemoaned climate change in a recent interview in this mountain town.Why it matters: C...

Google's electricity, water use and greenhouse gas emissions all climbed to record levels last year as the company raced to build more AI infrastructure.Why it matters: Google has invested more agg...

Water is fast becoming one of the defining fights around the AI buildout.Why it matters: After spending much of the past year defending data centers' electricity demands, major tech companies drivi...

A top Nvidia executive says water concerns surrounding data centers could be largely addressed by the company's next generation of AI infrastructure.Why it matters: It's a bold claim with high stak...

PHOENIX — This desert region has become a bellwether for the nation's data center growth as the tech sector grapples with rising temperatures and scarce resources.Why it matters: Arizona is an extr...

The AI-driven power boom is forcing a once-in-a-generation decision about how America's electricity system should grow. The big picture: For decades, utilities planned around predictable increases ...

Amazon says its data centers use water more efficiently than the industry average and is urging others to improve as scrutiny of data centers intensifies.Why it matters: Water use has emerged as on...

Facing mounting scrutiny over data center water consumption, Google on Wednesday released a set of guidelines it says should become the industry standard.Why it matters: Communities across the U.S....

The AI boom is pushing companies across the economy — from tech giants to automakers — deep into the energy business.Why it matters: The scramble for electricity has become the gold rush beneath th...

Microsoft, Google, Amazon and Meta are teaming up with a nonprofit investor to accelerate new technologies using data centers as test cases.Why it matters: The initiative, led by Elemental Impact, ...

Fusion energy — tapping the power of the stars — is on the cusp of getting new federal rules.Why it matters: Regulators increasingly view fusion as fundamentally safer than nuclear fission, helping...

Data: Clean Energy Buyers Association; Chart: Amy Harder/AxiosCorporations are poised to buy more clean energy this year than ever before, driven by the AI boom and a rush to secure expiring tax cr...

Energy — whether it be oil for cars or power for data centers — is suddenly the world's biggest constraint.Why it matters: Energy is becoming the singular driver of both global stability and econom...

A fully closed Strait of Hormuz was long seen as unthinkable — and unmanageable if it happened — based on past modeling and interviews with energy experts.Why it matters: That conventional wisdom u...

NTT Data, a major data center operator, is buying carbon removal credits from startup Climeworks to help meet its climate goals, the companies exclusively shared with Axios on Thursday.Why it matte...

The carbon removal industry is reframing its pitch to win support in the Trump era, by focusing on energy dominance over climate change.Why it matters: Billions of dollars have already flowed into ...

Data: U.S. Energy Information Administration; Chart: Amy Harder/AxiosChina has stashed away far more oil than any other country, according to U.S. government data released this week.Why it matters:...

The world's largest data center project — backed by Trump allies and bearing his name — is stalled by delays and logistical hurdles that could stop it before it even starts.The latest sign of troub...