A series of moves by governments and companies underscored the growing centrality of data centers in national economies and corporate strategy, despite mounting opposition to the huge infrastructure projects across much of the West. Spain, which has been a hub for such sites thanks to its relatively plentiful renewable power, this week eased renewable power-procurement requirements for new data centers following an industry backlash.

Elsewhere, data center-related employees are among those ineligible for buyouts offered by Microsoft as part of the tech giant’s cost-cutting drive, while Anthropic indicated in its IPO filing that access to power for data centers was a major concern.