Microsoft scrambles to quell fury around its new AI data centers

January 13, 2026 Justine Calma

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It looks like the wave of campaigns against data centers are getting under big tech companies' skin - and Microsoft is the latest giant to promise to address frustrations on the ground in communities around their data centers.

The company announced a five-point plan today that it calls "Community-First AI Infrastructure." That includes paying more to try to prevent data center energy demands from raising other customers' electricity bills, minimizing the company's water use, training workers and creating jobs, and contributing to the local tax base in locations it operates.

The issue has influenced local elections, with some communities …

Read the full story at The Verge.

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Microsoft scrambles to quell fury around its new AI data centers

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