Thermal drone footage shows a Microsoft AI datacenter powering its operations with illegal generators

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/aug/27/new-jersey-vineland-datacenter-permits

291 points · 20 comments · view on lemmy.world

20 Comments

Catoblepas@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 59 pts · 5d (4 replies)

Soon it will be a felony to release footage of data centers, just like it is with factory farms in the US.

TheHonorableT@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 14 pts · 5d (1 reply)

Wait that's a thing?

Edit: I looked it up. It's called AG-GAG, and it's unfortunately a thing.

Catoblepas@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 1 pts · 5d

Yup, shit sucks.

LodeMike@lemmy.today · 1 pts · 5d (1 reply)

Not without a constitutional amendment

quick_snail@feddit.nl · 4 pts · 5d

Unfortunately, no. It already is.

Threatening the profits of corporations like factory farms is considered an act of terrorism and a threat to national security.

Gork@sopuli.xyz · 40 pts · 5d (3 replies)

Time for them to get a small nominal fine and a slap on the wrist!

/s

nightwatch_admin@lemmy.world · 19 pts · 5d (2 replies)

You mean they should get more subsidies for all the jobs they bring in!

quick_snail@feddit.nl · 4 pts · 5d (1 reply)

All 3 security guards and 1 overworked server janitor.

nightwatch_admin@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 4d

And all from outside, possibly even from “affordable wages” countries. Gotta keep those shareholders happy!

DarrinBrunner@lemmy.world · 23 pts · 5d (1 reply)

Laws only matter when they're enforced.

Lucidlethargy@sh.itjust.works · 2 pts · 4d

Unfortunately, the people are going to need to enforce all laws in the near future.

They are driving everyone to violence... And I hate every moment of it.

CompactFlax@discuss.tchncs.de · 17 pts · 5d (1 reply)

The amount of marketing material 2013-2020 (and ongoing probably) talking about how mega scale datacentres were so much greener than collocation or non cloud was significant.

“We‘ll host your shit with a PUE of 1.05 and it’ll be all solar and hydro”

Reality is gas and coal and PUE 2

quick_snail@feddit.nl · 3 pts · 5d

There's no reason we can't force them to meet this.

Don't allow them to break ground on the datacenter until after they build renewable power plants that can produce 200% the daily energy requirements of the data center.

We can make data centers not just green, but beneficial to the grid.

FreddiesLantern@leminal.space · 7 pts · 4d

This from the same people who bribe the pedochief? What a surprise.

Babalugats@feddit.uk · 5 pts · 5d

They need those generators to protect the children. They should lobby to make them legal, as they're for the greater good and bigger/more data centres.

Sineljora@sh.itjust.works · 3 pts · 5d (2 replies)

Remember this and how they still support genocide when D-day and Fable come out.

Spezi@feddit.org · 1 pts · 5d (1 reply)

Jokes on you, I’ll be in Silo 36 by then.

73rdnemesio@infosec.pub · 1 pts · 5d

You get to be in a silo? Lucky!

nosuchanon@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 4d

We told them they have to bring their own power. How is this a surprise? I mean M$lop wants to reopen 3 mile island nuclear station just to power its AI. Thats not a disaster waiting to happen.

quick_snail@feddit.nl · 2 pts · 5d

Yeah, we need to ban these data centers.

They try to do that shit in Europe, and they'll be fined out of existence