The AI boom may be having a side effect: a surge in Big Tech buying carbon credits to offset emissions generated by its energy-hungry buildout. Amazon, Google, Meta, and Microsoft have ramped up purchases of permanent carbon credits since the launch of ChatGPT sparked the AI race in 2022, according to data compiled for CNBC…
A fuel nozzle is inserted into a combustion engine at a petrol pump at a filling station during a refueling process. Picture Alliance | Picture Alliance | Getty Images Countries around the world have scrambled to cope with the fallout of the energy shock from the Iran war, imposing measures from fuel export bans, loosening…
Advocacy groups and community members protest laws surrounding data centers while outside the Texas Capitol in Austin Monday, Feb. 23, 2026. Austin American-statesman/hearst Newspapers | Hearst Newspapers | Getty Images The companies racing to build the massive infrastructure needed for the artificial intelligence boom are facing growing backlash over electricity costs, as households and policymakers question…
As tensions in the Middle East continue to boil, the ripple effects are being felt across global oil markets. Disruptions around the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most vital oil transit routes, have thrown supply chains into uncertainty, prompting governments and refiners worldwide to rush in search of alternatives. The International Energy Agency…
Travelers wait in line at a Transportation Security Administration (TSA) checkpoint at William P. Hobby Airport in Houston, Texas, US, on Monday, March 9, 2026. Mark Felix | Bloomberg | Getty Images The surge in fuel prices since the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran nearly two weeks ago is already driving up airfare. Consumers’ appetite…
Commercial vessels are pictured offshore in Dubai on March 11, 2026. AFP | Getty Images Three more foreign ships were struck in the Persian Gulf overnight, authorities said, as attacks intensify on vessels sailing through or near the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz. The latest incidents come after three separate vessels sustained damage in Gulf…
The International Energy Agency on Wednesday agreed to release 400 million barrels of oil to address the supply disruption triggered by the Iran war, the largest such action in the organization’s history. The IEA did not set out a timeline for when the stocks would hit the market. It said that the reserves would be…
Naval units from Iran and Russia carry out to simulation of rescue a hijacked vessel during the joint naval drills held at the Port of Bandar Abbas near the Strait of Hormuz in Hormozgan, Iran on February 19, 2026. Anadolu | Anadolu | Getty Images Three vessels off Iran’s coast have been struck by projectiles,…
A CGI image of what the complete microgrid-connected AVK and Pure DC facility will look like in Dublin, Ireland. (Photo: Pure Data Centres Group) (Photo: Pure Data Centres Group) Just outside Ireland’s capital, Dublin, a data center has become the first in Europe to turn to an independent, so-called “islanded,” microgrid to keep its servers…
SK Hynix Inc. 12-layer HBM3E memory chips, front, and a LPDDR5X CAMM2 memory module arranged at the company’s office in Seongnam, South Korea, on Tuesday, April 22, 2025. SeongJoon Cho | Bloomberg | Getty Images A prolonged conflict in the Middle East could impact the semiconductor industry’s access to key materials while rising costs could…