Data center news coverage increased 115% since last year, and data centers were mentioned 350K times on social. These sustained increases are driven by major news moments that bring new angles into the spotlight. In January, Trump’s Stargate announcement led to a political slant in the conversation. Additional bumps followed in July when Nvidia’s chip leadership intersected with new tariffs on China, surfacing geopolitical debates, and in August when Google’s $9B data center investment brought community impact back into the conversation. Data centers now sit at the center of political, technological, and social debates, meaning brands must be well-versed on the changing landscape to adapt their message to the moment.

Media coverage in the last year has evolved from the race to build data centers quickly to examining the infrastructure required to sustain AI’s rapid growth. Tech stories emphasized how AI’s ultimate success hinges on the ability of data centers and high-speed connectivity to scale. Energy reporters highlighted mounting pressure on the grid and on data centers to ensure power supply and reliability isn’t impacted by surging load growth. Together, these trends reveal that AI is pushing the limits of digital and energy infrastructure. The consensus is that we need to find a sustainable and efficient way to scale data center infrastructure to fully harness everything AI has to offer.

Over the past year, social media conversations about data centers have centered on the massive growth in AI demand, with companies like Meta and Microsoft investing billions in new facilities. This boom is driving innovations such as liquid cooling to reduce energy use, but it’s also raising concerns about water, land, and rare earth minerals that are needed to support a data center. Nvidia has emerged as the key player powering these AI systems, while rivals race to catch up. At the same time, tariffs and global competition are shaping where and how data centers get built.

Grid connection is the challenge everyone can agree on, but that’s only half the problem (49% to be exact). Scarcity abounds, with pressure to build quickly stressing all critical inputs, from land to power, networks, water, and labor. Bandwidth demand is nearing “choke point” levels, with warnings that fiber/network capacity could hinder growth. As data centers emerge in communities, municipal and neighborhood groups are raising concerns about water scarcity, transparency, and equity. Labor pains are also increasing, with specialized trade shortages and controversy over announced job numbers vs. actual long-term employment.

Every energy solution is making a data center play. Renewables are in the conversation but with concerns about continuous power and policy support. Energy companies and utilities seem to be turning to natural gas to meet energy demand and ensure 24/7 data center power. While gas consistently takes the lead in this conversation, the notable movers are batteries and nuclear. Batteries have made the biggest gains in SOV as a fast-to-deploy, flexible solution, while nuclear has seen the largest drop over the past year, as initial hype petered out without significant examples.

Tech media, driven by optimistic investors, is seeing a steady decline in negative sentiment, whereas the overall story and energy story continuously fluctuate between 10%-20% negative. This volatility makes for a tricky communications landscape, where brands have to navigate pushback and skepticism, as reporters tackle the issues raised by the public and across industries. Companies that embrace broader interests and engage authentically with stakeholders (local communities, policymakers, regulators, partners, etc.) beyond just their customers and investors will win credibility and foster trust.