Key developments
Google commits $15 billion to Missouri data centers
Alphabet's Google said it will invest $15 billion to build new hyperscale data center infrastructure in Montgomery County, centered in New Florence, Missouri. The company and state officials said the project should create thousands of construction jobs and hundreds of permanent jobs; Google also said it has already contracted more than 1 gigawatt of new generation in Missouri and is supporting another 500 megawatts through utility partnerships, including Ameren. Google added a $20 million Energy Impact Fund and said the site will rely primarily on advanced air-cooling to limit water use.
Why it matters
It is one of the largest announced U.S. data center investments and shows the scale of power commitments now required for hyperscale growth.
Sources & driving stories
YAHOO · Charles Kennedy
Yahoo coverageSpaceX spends $2.8 billion on gas turbines
SpaceX disclosed in a regulatory filing that more than $2.8 billion in recent spending went toward gas turbine purchases for xAI data centers. WIRED reported that xAI's Colossus 2 site in Southaven, Mississippi, added 19 portable turbines over two months, bringing the total to 46, while the Memphis and Southaven sites had enough servers as of March to draw roughly 1 gigawatt of power. The filing also said SpaceX had more than $14 billion in construction in progress.
Why it matters
It shows AI infrastructure is still leaning on temporary fossil-fuel power at very large scale, with permitting and emissions scrutiny likely to intensify.
Sources & driving stories
WIRED
WIRED coverageMillville bans data centers citywide
Millville, New Jersey, voted on May 19 to ban data centers within city limits, blocking a proposed 2.6 million-square-foot facility. Local opponents said the project could have drawn about 1.4 gigawatts of electricity and required billions of gallons of water annually for cooling. The vote followed months of organizing by the Climate Revolution Action Network and adds momentum to calls for a broader statewide moratorium.
Why it matters
It is a concrete municipal rejection of a large project and a sign that local backlash is turning into binding policy.
Sources & driving stories
NEWS 12 NEW JERSEY
News 12 New Jersey coverageCHERRY HILL COURIER-POST
Cherry Hill Courier-Post coverageWorth noting
WORTH NOTING
Yakama site linked to hyperscale campus
New reporting says a $3.3 billion energy project at Pushpum may be intended to power a 1GW+ data center, with Washington Ecology confirming purchase talks.
WORTH NOTING
Utah county pushes Stratos referendum
Box Elder County residents launched a referendum effort after a fast-moving approval process for a 40,000-acre hyperscale project backed by Kevin O'Leary.
Still unclear
OPEN QUESTION
Will more deals shift costs to developers?
Google's Missouri announcement and other recent projects suggest utilities and governments are pushing operators to cover power and infrastructure costs directly.
OPEN QUESTION
Can AI builders keep relying on temporary turbines?
SpaceX's $2.8 billion turbine spend shows how quickly interim fossil-fuel power is being scaled while permanent generation and permits lag.