The Data Center Boom Is More Toxic Than You Think
From Taylor Lorenz’s Power User by Taylor Lorenz
June 3, 2026 · 48 min
About this episode
The episode discusses the environmental impact and controversies surrounding AI data centers with guest Molly Taft.
Are AI data centers destroying the environment, driving up power bills, and consuming massive amounts of water, or is the backlash overblown? SUPPORT MY WORK: Buy a paid subscription to my newsletter at usermag.co Support my work on Patreon for bonus episodes, monthly Q&A livestreams, and more: http://patreon.com/taylorlorenz In this episode of Power User, I sit down with Wired senior climate and energy reporter Molly Taft to unpack the AI data center boom. We discuss how AI infrastructure actually works, why companies like OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Microsoft, and xAI are racing to build more data centers, and what the environmental consequences could be. We dive into the controversy around electricity demand, fossil fuel expansion, water use, local community opposition, AI infrastructure, data center moratoriums, and whether these facilities are genuinely necessary for the future of artificial intelligence. Topics covered: What AI data centers actually do Why ChatGPT and AI require so much compute The environmental impact of AI Energy consumption and power grids Natural gas, nuclear, and renewable energy Elon Musk's xAI Colossus project Water usage and cooling systems…
People in this episode
Host: Taylor Lorenz
Guest: Molly Taft
Topics covered
- AI data centers
- environmental impact
- energy consumption
- community backlash
- AI infrastructure
- water usage
- climate concerns
Keywords
- AI
- data centers
- environment
- energy
- water usage
- community opposition
- climate change
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Microsoft, xAI, Wired, Colossus
More episodes of Taylor Lorenz’s Power User
- The Anti-LGBTQ Internet Censorship Bill Is Back · June 12, 2026 · 33 min
- Exposing OpenAI's Secret Meme Army: A $125M Propaganda Network · June 10, 2026 · 21 min
- Are You On A Govt Watchlist? Cops Are Tracking Anyone Who Hates AI · June 5, 2026 · 18 min
- Visa Could Ruin the Internet · May 29, 2026 · 29 min
- Why AI Doom Content Is Everywhere · May 27, 2026 · 45 min
- Elon Musk’s Final Plan: A Dangerous Blueprint For World Domination · May 22, 2026 · 36 min
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Taylor Lorenz’s Power User podcast page.