AI makes promises; the facts demand evidence

Other news

2. DataVita replaces its promise of direct renewable power with grid supply

SCOTLAND · ENERGY · REPORTED ON 7 NOVEMBER

DataVita’s project in Lanarkshire, near Glasgow, was announced with more than 1 GW of renewable infrastructure and direct private connections. Its current website says the centres will be fully supplied by the grid, leaving a direct connection to nearby renewables as a future possibility. The difference concerns the physical supply being promised, rather than simply the choice of words. [3][4]

According to The Guardian, DataVita points to a renewable PPA, a power purchase agreement, and denies misrepresenting its plans. Such a contract and a direct line from a renewable installation are different commitments. The public documentation allows the descriptions to be compared, although it does not establish exactly when the change was decided. [3][5]

The UK government’s announcement on 29 January cited £8.2 billion in private investment and more than 3,400 projected jobs, using figures attributed to DataVita. These include construction and operation: they are not all permanent positions already created. In August, the government also announced a £202 million National Wealth Fund guarantee, within a £300 million financing package. A guarantee supports financing; it does not amount to paying out a £202 million grant. [6][7]

For Spain and Norway, the useful question is who obtains grid capacity and on what terms. Reviewing a project means asking separately about the available connection, the generation timetable and supply contracts. The word “green” does not establish which infrastructure will be ready when the servers start running.

3. China prohibits SoftBank’s acquisition of ABB’s Chinese robotics business

ACQUISITIONS · INVESTMENT SECURITY · STATEMENT ON 6 NOVEMBER

SoftBank confirmed that on 4 November it received notice from China’s foreign investment security review body prohibiting the acquisition of ABB’s robotics business in China. The global purchase, agreed in October 2025, was valued at approximately $5.4 billion. That price covers the whole transaction, rather than only the Chinese business. [8][9]

One possible route forward is to separate the Chinese operations, according to Bloomberg, cited in a Reuters report on 7 November reproduced by MarketScreener. This is an option under consideration, not a completed agreement. SoftBank does confirm discussions with ABB about how to proceed. For those assessing technology acquisitions, the case shows that approvals also determine what can actually be bought: a global transaction may have to change shape to move forward. [8][10]

4. Environmental organisations use AI and cut processing tasks to contain its impact

CONSERVATION · PRACTICES REPORTED BY REUTERS ON 7 NOVEMBER

All fifteen organisations interviewed by Reuters said they used AI and were concerned about data centres’ environmental impact. In Kenya, Save the Elephants describes analysing aerial images in hours, compared with an earlier exercise involving around 200,000 images that took nine people nine months. The Jane Goodall Institute estimates that digitising chimpanzee notes in Tanzania will fall from 13–15 years to about two. Conservation International uses satellite data to alert community patrols to possible fires in Cambodia. [11]

There are also decisions about what to stop processing. The World Resources Institute limits generated images and videos and stores answers to avoid repeating identical queries. The Nature Conservancy processes images of fishing catches on board, reducing the videos it sends to data centres. These are results and practices described by the organisations to Reuters, not an audit of their overall environmental balance. [11]

For an organisation buying AI, the lesson is concrete: identify the task that warrants the computation, reuse results and choose where processing happens. These decisions can become part of the working procedure, with a named person responsible and an output that can be reviewed. Buying more capacity does not replace that choice.

5. Brief · Neighbours add pressure to US data centres

TechCrunch/Equity examines local opposition to these facilities after the elections. [12] The contrast with Scotland is clear: infrastructure needs acceptance as well as financing. The business lesson is to address permits, electricity and community participation from the outset; the journalistic analysis does not announce a national ban.