"Like droves of other companies tied to the fracked gas industry, Halliburton is pivoting toward servicing the data center boom with new loads of methane-emitting, gas-fired power generation to feed the artificial intelligence (AI) bubble being stoked by Silicon Valley billionaires and allied corporate elites. Halliburton is merely one of many fossil fuel companies that are striking deals to power the insatiable electricity needs of data centers. More specifically, the natural gas industry - frackers, gasfield services, pipeline companies, power suppliers - are positioning themselves as bold saviors ready to step in and meet AI's bottomless energy demands."
"In doing this, fracked gas companies are fully backed by the Trump administration, with its ideological dedication to fossil fuels and its cozy relationship with billionaire oil and gas donors. For its part, Big Tech is going along, largely sidelining its purported commitments to renewable energy."
"As the global climate emergency intensifies, none of this bodes well. Despite being sold as a " clean " fossil fuel, fracked gas emits loads of methane, one of the most potent greenhouse gases, and local communities - often rural, low-income, and predominantly Black - bear the brunt of the combined nexus of data center behemoths and fossil fuel power generation being constructed in their backyards."
Fracked gas companies and related service firms are shifting to supply gas-fired power for rapidly growing data center electricity demand driven by AI. Major fossil fuel firms are striking deals to provide on-site and nearby gas generation to feed data centers. The Trump administration’s pro-fossil-fuel stance and ties to industry donors support this alignment, while many large technology firms de-prioritize renewable commitments. Fracked gas produces substantial methane emissions, exacerbating the climate emergency. The increased fossil fuel infrastructure disproportionately impacts nearby rural, low-income, and predominantly Black communities through pollution and industrial disruption.
Read at Truthout
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