This week’s stories are about tech, AI and sustainability, coming from Denmark and the USA

1-AI data centers drive rise in U.S. electricity prices

Electricity prices are climbing across the United States, driven in part by the surging energy demands of artificial intelligence data centers.

The average cost of 1 kilowatt-hour of electricity rose 6.5% over the past year, from 16.41 cents to 17.47 cents, U.S. Energy Information Administration data show. Some states saw much sharper increases: Maine’s rates jumped 36.3%, Connecticut’s rose 18.4%, and Utah’s climbed 15.2%.

I saw this story at Axios and analysts say the spike is linked to the rapid expansion of large-scale data centers used to train and operate AI models. The RAND Corporation estimates AI data centers could consume 327 gigawatts of power worldwide by 2030—roughly 30% of the current capacity of the U.S. grid, according to the story.

The influx of new facilities is already straining the power supply in regions such as northern Virginia’s “Data Center Alley.” A recent capacity auction in the mid-Atlantic region saw prices soar, with about 60% of the increase attributed to data centers. That $9.3 billion cost is expected to be passed on to consumers, the story noted.

Electricity costs are also being pushed higher by the expense of rapidly expanding transmission infrastructure. Grid connection requests at the end of 2023 were more than double the existing U.S. grid capacity, the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory underlined.

Critics say the costs of these projects are being shifted to residents, effectively forcing consumers to subsidize corporate AI growth, the story claimed.

2-WhatsApp removes 6.8 million accounts linked to scam centers

WhatsApp removed 6.8 million accounts worldwide in the first half of the year for ties to criminal scam centers, parent company Meta announced.

I read this story at ABC News and the removals are part of broader efforts to combat online fraud, as Meta put it. The company also announced new WhatsApp tools to help users identify scams, including a safety notice revealed when an unknown contact adds them to a group and test alerts prompting users to pause before responding to suspicious messages.

Meta described criminal scam centers as some of the most prolific sources of online fraud, often run by organized crime groups using forced labor. These operations frequently target multiple platforms to evade detection, the company emphasized. (By the way I have a story here about Meta has been fined in Turkey)

Scam campaigns may begin through text messages or dating apps and then shift to social media and payment platforms, according to story. Recent attempts targeted Meta’s own apps, as well as TikTok, Telegram and AI-generated messages from ChatGPT, offering payments for fake likes, promoting pyramid schemes or soliciting cryptocurrency investments.

Meta said it disrupted one such campaign tied to a scam center in Cambodia in partnership with OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT, the story noted.

WhatsApp removes 6.8 million accounts linked to scam centers

3-Danske Bank drops more than 1,700 fossil fuel companies from investments

Danske Bank removed more than 1,700 fossil fuel-related companies from its investment portfolio, citing their lack of preparation for climate change.

I saw this story at Bloomberg and Denmark’s largest bank, which aims for net-zero emissions by 2050, said its investment and pension fund managers have exited the companies while increasing holdings in firms with credible transition plans. The overall exposure of its portfolios remains largely unchanged, the bank noted.

“We will continue to invest in companies working in the fossil fuel sector to reflect the global economy and global energy supply,” Thomas Otbo, chief investment officer at Danske Bank Asset Management, said in a statement.

The cuts affect only a small portion of investments because fossil fuel holdings already made up a limited share of Danske’s portfolios, according to the story. The bank began tightening investment criteria last year to prioritize companies with credible transition strategies. Some funds are exempt from the exclusions to accommodate different customer preferences, the stoy noted.

Companies on the exclusion list include ConocoPhillips, Exxon Mobil, Chevron, Equinor and Repsol.

The move comes amid a broader pullback from collective climate commitments in Europe’s financial sector. UBS Group recently withdrew from the Net-Zero Banking Alliance, following similar steps by Barclays and HSBC. UBS said it remains committed to sustainability but is favoring internal policies over international frameworks, per the story.

Danske Bank drops more than 1,700 fossil fuel companies from investments