The West’s data centers suck (water and power)
Bitcoin miners in Alaska are chasing a new kind of gold rush — powered by methane and fed by megawatts. A proposed data center on the North Slope promises to convert stranded gas into electricity to fuel crypto mining, with ambitions to scale up to a power load rivaling the state’s largest coal plant. But as data centers multiply across the West, critics are asking hard questions about energy use, water consumption, and climate costs. The digital boom is real — but is it sustainable, or just cleverly rebranded combustion? Jonathan Thompson with High Country News breaks down the bytes and pieces.
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