The cost of GPUs goes far beyond AI data centers
Who’s afraid of the big, bad GPU?by Justine CalmaJul 21, 2026, 11:00 AM GMT+1LinkShareGiftHow you feel about AI’s energy use might change how you feel about computers entirely.This is Microsoft’s Fairwater data center in Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin. Built on the site of the failed Foxconn LCD project, it is currently the most powerful AI data center in the world.Here’s a single Nvidia B200 Blackwell AI GPU, the kind used in data centers like Microsoft’s. It is enormously power-hungry: Configured at max capacity, it can draw 1,200W of power.Fairwater sites are full of racks stacked two high, each containing 72 B200 GPUs.
- ▪Who’s afraid of the big, bad GPU?by Justine CalmaJul 21, 2026, 11:00 AM GMT+1LinkShareGiftHow you feel about AI’s energy use might change how you feel about computers entirely.This is Microsoft’s Fairwater data center in Mount Pleasant, Wis
- ▪Built on the site of the failed Foxconn LCD project, it is currently the most powerful AI data center in the world.Here’s a single Nvidia B200 Blackwell AI GPU, the kind used in data centers like Microsoft’s.
- ▪It is enormously power-hungry: Configured at max capacity, it can draw 1,200W of power.Fairwater sites are full of racks stacked two high, each containing 72 B200 GPUs.
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| Original publisher | The Verge |
| Canonical URL | https://www.theverge.com/cs/features/937356/ai-data-center-gpu-environmental-impact |
| Publication time | Fri, 24 Jul 2026 02:35:23 +0000 |
| Retrieval time | 2026-07-24T02:38:34.797Z |
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Who’s afraid of the big, bad GPU?by Justine CalmaJul 21, 2026, 11:00 AM GMT+1LinkShareGiftHow you feel about AI’s energy use might change how you feel about computers entirely.This is Microsoft’s Fairwater data center in Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin. Built on the site of the failed Foxconn LCD project, it is currently the most powerful AI data center in the world.Here’s a single Nvidia B200 Blackwell AI GPU, the kind used in data centers like Microsoft’s. It is enormously power-hungry: Configured at max capacity, it can draw 1,200W of power.Fairwater sites are full of racks stacked two high, each containing 72 B200 GPUs. Together, they form a giant supercomputer made up of thousands of chips. Add it all up, and data centers require an enormous amount of power.
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