Trending Now - Gas-powered Data Centers: Emissions Rivalling Small Countries

WHO:

Techmeme - The data center projects are linked to OpenAI, Meta, Microsoft, and xAI.

WHAT:

Techmeme - New gas projects associated with 11 US data center campuses could emit over 129 million tons of greenhouse gases annually.

Wired - The potential emissions from these data centers exceed those of some small countries.

WHERE:

Techmeme - The data center campuses are located in the United States.

WHEN:

Techmeme - The review of air permit documents was conducted in 2026.

WHY:

Wired - The use of natural gas in data centers is a contributing factor to the high levels of greenhouse gas emissions.

HOW:

Techmeme - The emissions are calculated based on air permit documents for the gas projects linked to the data centers.

(UPDATED April 22, 2026 15:24 UTC)

A recent review of air permit documents has revealed that new gas projects associated with eleven data center campuses in the United States could emit over 129 million tons of greenhouse gases annually. These potential emissions are significant enough to surpass those of some small countries, raising concerns about the environmental impact of using natural gas in data centers linked to major companies like OpenAI, Meta, Microsoft, and xAI. The findings highlight the urgent need to address the greenhouse gas emissions stemming from these data center projects.