Center Stage

“The building, a large warehouse, was surrounded by a thick fence and dotted at regular intervals with security cameras. I went through a turnstile, where I was greeted by a security guard wearing a bulletproof vest and a holstered Taser. After surrendering my phone, I took two lime-green earplugs from a dispenser and entered the facility.” The New Yorker’s Stephen Witt enters one of the buildings that is driving a massive part of the American economy. Inside the Data Centers That Train A.I. and Drain the Electrical Grid. “A data center, which can use as much electricity as Philadelphia, is the new American factory, creating the future and propping up the economy. How long can this last?” (And will this form of computing, like many before it, shrink in size. Will you eventually be able to fit a data center in your pocket? Or are you just happy to see me…)

+ You’ve gotta give Witt some credit for actually getting inside a couple data centers. Most people only see them from the outside, and often can’t even find out who’s running them. How NDAs keep AI data center details hidden from Americans. (Big tech demands you share everything about yourself but shares very little in return.)

+ How big is this business? Nvidia becomes first $5 trillion company in history.