A profile of an individual dubbed the 'Godfather of Data Centers' who is making offers that major tech companies find hard to refuse, highlighting his influence in the industry.

Moody's has issued an alert highlighting accounting limitations that could conceal tens of billions in leasing cost liabilities for Big Tech companies related to their data center operations.

A Wall Street Journal article profiles a prominent figure in the data center industry, dubbed the 'Godfather of Data Centers,' who is reportedly making irresistible offers to major tech companies.

A breakdown of the “Magnificent Seven” and AI hyperscalers raises concern for the stock market and the economy

India Pitches Sovereign AI As The Alternative To Big Tech Dependence  Forbes

Big Tech Is Buying Up America’s Land—and Home Builders Can’t Compete  The Wall Street Journal

The EU and the US have very different views about the critical topic of censorship. Donald Trump’s envoy, Sarah Rogers, has attacked the EU’s new big tech laws while Europe wrestles with its far-right content problem.

Big Tech Is Buying Up America’s Land—and Home Builders Can’t Compete  The Wall Street Journal

Big Tech Is Buying Up America’s Land—and Home Builders Can’t Compete  The Wall Street Journal

Google's AI boss Demis Hassabis said the memory market came down to "a few suppliers of a few key components." PONTUS LUNDAHL/TT NEWS AGENCY/AFP via Getty Images Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis said that the "whole supply chain" for memory chips is constrained. "You need a lot of chips to be able to experiment on new ideas," Hassabis told CNBC. Google produces its own TPUs, but Hassabis said that there were still "key components" that were supply-constrained. The memory shortage takes no prisoners. Even Google isn't immune. AI companies are duking it out for greater and greater quantities of memory chips. The problem? The industry is heavily supply-constrained. Costs have skyrocketed, products have been tied up, and some companies — especially those in consumer electronics — are increasing prices. On the AI front, Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis told CNBC that physical challenges were "constraining a lot of deployment." Google sees "so much more demand" for Gemini and its other models than it could serve, he said. "Also, it does constrain a little bit the research," Hassabis said. "You need a lot of chips to be able to experiment on new ideas at a big enough scale that you can actually see if they're going to work." Researchers want chips, whether they work at Google, Meta, OpenAI, or other Big Tech companies, and memory is a key component. Mark Zuckerberg said that AI researchers demanded two things beyond money: the fewest number of people reporting to them, and the most chips possible. Hassabis said that wherever there was a capacity constraint, there was a "choke point." "The whole supply chain is kind of strained," Hassabis said. "We're lucky, because we have our own TPUs, so we have our own chip designs." Google has long built TPUs — Tensor Processing Units — for internal use. The company also leases them to external customers through its cloud, which has also put Nvidia on edge. But even access to their own TPUs won't save Google from having to navigate the highly competitive memory market. "It still, in the end, actually comes down to a few suppliers of a few key components," Hassabis said. Three suppliers dominate memory chip production: Samsung, Micron, and SK Hynix. These companies are struggling to meet demand for chips from AI hyperscalers without dropping their longtime electronics customers. It doesn't help that AI companies mainly want a different type of memory chip than PC manufacturers do. Large language model producers want HBM (high-bandwidth memory) chips. Don't expect Google's spending on AI infrastructure and chips to go down anytime soon. On its fourth-quarter earnings call, the company projected capital expenditures of $175 billion to $185 billion for 2026. Read the original article on Business Insider

Big Tech Is Buying Up America’s Land—and Home Builders Can’t Compete  The Wall Street Journal

During Warren Buffett's final quarter as CEO, Berkshire Hathaway divested from two major technology stocks.

Big Tech Is Buying Up America’s Land—and Home Builders Can’t Compete  The Wall Street Journal

Big Tech Is Buying Up America’s Land—and Home Builders Can’t Compete  The Wall Street Journal

Major technology companies are increasingly purchasing land across America, making it difficult for traditional home builders to compete.

Big Tech Is Buying Up America’s Land—and Home Builders Can’t Compete  The Wall Street Journal

Big Tech Turns To Uranium As Data Center Power Demand Soars Big Tech is considering supporting new uranium mining projects as companies need additional reliable power capacity for their huge data center expansion, according to the top executive of Canadian uranium miner NexGen Energy.      “It's coming. You've seen it with automakers. These tech companies, they're under an obligation to ensure the hundreds of billions that they are investing in the data centres are going to be powered,” NexGen Energy’s CEO Leigh Curyer said at a Melbourne Mining Club luncheon on Wednesday, as carried by Reuters. As OilPrice reports, NexGen Energy, which is developing Canada’s largest uranium project, Rook I in Saskatchewan, has held early talks with technology companies over potential financing from data center developers, Curyer said.    The uranium developer has also discussed long-term uranium supply with data center firms. Yet, potential funding or supply deals will not involve any changes to the control of NexGen Energy, the chief executive told Reuters.   Global electricity demand increased by 3% annually in 2025, following growth of 4.4% in 2024, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said in its recent Electricity 2026 report. Between 2026 and 2030, the annual average growth rate would be 3.6%, driven by higher consumption from industry, electric vehicles (EVs), air conditioning, and data centers, according to the agency. Artificial intelligence, data centers, and advanced manufacturing support the return to growth in power demand in advanced economies, the IEA said. U.S. electricity demand rose by 2.1% in 2025 and is expected to grow by nearly 2% annually through 2030. The rapid expansion of data centers will drive half of the increase, the agency noted.  The U.S. is backing nuclear power generation to help meet rising electricity demand. Nuclear energy will be one of the winners of the U.S. AI and data center boom, as Microsoft and other hyperscalers have been looking to purchase zero-carbon electricity to power up their data centers, which are consuming growing amounts of electricity.      Tyler Durden Wed, 02/18/2026 - 11:45

AI Boom Creates Blind Spot in Big Tech Accounting - Tech News Briefing - WSJ Podcasts  The Wall Street Journal

AI Boom Creates Blind Spot in Big Tech Accounting - Tech News Briefing - WSJ Podcasts  The Wall Street Journal

AI Boom Creates Blind Spot in Big Tech Accounting - Tech News Briefing - WSJ Podcasts  The Wall Street Journal

Europe squares up to Big Tech, risking ire of Washington  Reuters

AI Boom Creates Blind Spot in Big Tech Accounting - Tech News Briefing - WSJ Podcasts  The Wall Street Journal

AI Boom Creates Blind Spot in Big Tech Accounting - Tech News Briefing - WSJ Podcasts  The Wall Street Journal

AI Boom Creates Blind Spot in Big Tech Accounting - Tech News Briefing - WSJ Podcasts  The Wall Street Journal

Sylendran Arunagiri Sylendran Arunagiri Sylendran Arunagiri wanted to work at Nvidia, his "dream company." He said the US job market felt far more challenging than what he'd experienced in India. After being rejected for an internship, he reflected on what went wrong — and made a plan. As Sylendran Arunagiri considered moving from India to the US to pursue a master's degree, some friends and mentors advised him to delay his move. They warned that the US tech job market had become too challenging. Arunagiri's goal was to move to the US in late 2023, begin a master's program in product management at Carnegie Mellon University, and land a Big Tech internship for the summer of 2024. He hoped this would be a stepping stone toward landing an AI-related role, ideally at Nvidia, his "dream company" because of its central role in the AI technologies he'd long wanted to work on. However, there were several things working against him. For one, the US tech hiring landscape was already creating headaches for job seekers. Openings had plummeted from highs reached a year earlier, and industry layoffs were increasing competition for available roles. Additionally, Arunagiri had grown accustomed to the job market in India, where he earned a bachelor's degree and an MBA from top institutions that he said relied on structured campus placement programs to funnel many students directly into jobs. But from what he'd heard, the US was very different. Job fairs were often more like networking events than recruiting opportunities. "You're completely on your own," said the 30-year-old, who now lives in San Jose. Arunagiri is among the many job seekers who have struggled to navigate a US hiring landscape that's become more challenging in recent years. Amid economic uncertainty, the early effects of generative AI adoption, and a broader push to streamline operations, US businesses are now hiring at one of the slowest rates since 2013. window.addEventListener("message",function(a){if(void 0!==a.data["datawrapper-height"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll("iframe");for(var t in a.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var r,i=0;r=e[i];i++)if(r.contentWindow===a.source){var d=a.data["datawrapper-height"][t]+"px";r.style.height=d}}}); Still, some people have managed to break through in a challenging market. Arunagiri shared how he pursued his goal of working at Nvidia — a company he described as his dream employer — and offered his top advice for other job seekers. Striking out on Nvidia Many of the tech companies Arunagiri was targeting had conducted summer internship interviews the previous fall, so he began applying before moving to the US. After sending out many applications, he landed an interview with Nvidia in November 2023. Arunagiri said the interview process went so well that he stopped applying to other internships. But after moving to the US and completing his final interview in February, he learned that he wouldn't be getting the role — which left him scrambling to find another internship. "I had to start from scratch, but by then many of the applications had dried out," he said Arunagiri was able to land an AI product manager internship based in India at the tech company Informatica. However, that summer, he found it difficult to stop thinking about what went wrong during his interview process with Nvidia — and began setting his sights on eventually landing a full-time role with the company. Business Insider is speaking with workers who've found themselves at a corporate crossroads — whether due to a layoff, resignation, job search, or shifting workplace expectations. Share your story by filling out this form, contacting this reporter via email at jzinkula@businessinsider.com, or via Signal at jzinkula.29. A second chance at Nvidia Upon reflection, Arunagiri suspected that his final Nvidia interview may have doomed him. He said he was lower energy than usual because he was feeling sick that day, and that he'd been hesitant to postpone it out of fear that the opportunity would be filled in the meantime. In hindsight, he said that decision was likely a mistake. "I came off as a dull candidate, but I'm usually energetic and conversational," he said. "I should have probably postponed it to a day that I was feeling better." Arunagiri decided to reach out to an HR professional from Nvidia to get insight into where he fell short, and they agreed to jump on a call with him. While they didn't provide specific insights into his candidacy, he said they recommended he try to connect with people at Nvidia in current roles, including hiring managers and interns, to get insight into the kinds of projects they were working on and how he could better align his profile. He eventually connected with about five Nvidia interns, who he said provided valuable insights. Those conversations helped shape the personal AI-related projects he began pursuing and sharing on LinkedIn in hopes of standing out. After the summer, Arunagiri dove back into the job search, eager to land a role before he graduated in December 2024. He knew that if he didn't land a job within 90 days after graduation, his F-1 visa restrictions would force him to return to India. In September 2024, he submitted a cold application for a technical product marketing role in agentic AI at Nvidia —a role he described as his "dream AI role" at his dream company. He was asked to interview starting in October, and around the same time, he was also invited to interview for a more junior product management role at Microsoft. Advice for other job seekers In December, with his graduation looming later that month, Arunagiri received offers from Nvidia and Microsoft within days of each other. Given that Nvidia was his dream employer, the role checked a lot of his boxes, and the pay was higher than Microsoft's, he said the decision was fairly easy — and he accepted Nvidia's offer. He said that so far, working at Nvidia has been "everything that I've dreamed of." Arunagiri believes that his LinkedIn presence helped him stand out. During the interview process, he said, the hiring manager told him that he'd reviewed his LinkedIn profile and noticed the projects he'd been working on, including small experiments with new generative AI tools and models he'd shared publicly. He has a few pieces of advice for job seekers. First, he said, time management is key, particularly because applying for jobs and connecting with people can be time-consuming. Second, he said, never compare your job search journey to anyone else's, since a variety of factors can influence how it plays out. Rather than quietly applying and networking, he recommends sharing tangible projects publicly — such as posting about AI tools you've explored and linking to projects on LinkedIn or a personal website — so hiring managers can see your work. "You need to find something that sets you apart from others," he said. Read the original article on Business Insider

Major technology stocks have experienced significant losses in valuation as investor fears grow regarding the substantial costs associated with AI development and deployment.

As Governor Gavin Newsom's term concludes, California's ultra-wealthy are significantly increasing their political contributions, leveraging their influence to fight regulation and sustain the tech boom.

Big Tech to invest about $650 billion in AI in 2026, Bridgewater says  The Star

The Investing Club holds its "Morning Meeting" every weekday at 10:20 a.m. ET.

Bridgewater Associates forecasts that major technology companies will collectively invest approximately $650 billion in artificial intelligence by the year 2026.

A prominent figure in the data center industry, dubbed the 'Godfather of Data Centers,' is reportedly making irresistible offers to major tech companies.

Investor Michael Burry has raised concerns about the substantial $660 billion AI infrastructure spending by major tech companies like Amazon, Google, Meta, and Microsoft, warning of cash burn and aggressive depreciation.

Tech giants, including Meta and Alphabet, are spending lavishly on splashy billboard ads, courting on-the-fence politicians and bulking up their ranks of lobbyists.

Former engineers from major tech companies are leveraging artificial intelligence to help businesses navigate the complexities and uncertainties of Trump's trade policies.

Big Tech Is Buying Up America’s Land—and Home Builders Can’t Compete  The Wall Street Journal

Big Tech companies are increasingly buying up land, making it difficult for home builders to compete and driving up property costs.

US stocks are slipping due to ongoing AI fears and rising oil prices, with Wall Street's AI anxiety-induced software selloff receiving a reality check. Investors are also advised to look at overseas stock markets before buying software and big tech dips.

Baroness Kidron, an online safety campaigner, has criticized Prime Minister Starmer for being 'late to the party' in regulating social media, accusing him of 'appeasing' big tech firms.

Google executives meet with officials at a Google data center in Midlothian, Texas. Fortune via Reuters Connect Northern Virginia is home to the world's largest data center market. That could soon change, as Big Tech ramps up data center construction across the US. West Texas, Tennessee, Wisconsin, and Ohio are emerging as key markets. The old saying "Everything is bigger in Texas" now applies to data centers. The Lone Star State is on track to unseat Virginia as the world's largest data center market by 2030, new research from Jones Lang LaSalle shows. The shift indicates how drastically the data center development boom has reshaped the US's digital infrastructure map and the landscape as a whole. Amazon, Microsoft, Google, and Meta plan to spend more than $600 billion on AI infrastructure expansion in 2026 — a number so dizzyingly high that Wall Street is on high alert for signs of an AI bubble. More than half of all data center construction in the US now happens outside the industry's traditional hubs, according to JLL's North America Data Center Report — Year-End 2025. Tennessee, Ohio, Wisconsin, and Texas are now considered the top emerging markets for data centers. Texas alone has 6.5 gigawatts of data center capacity under construction. That amount of power is roughly equivalent to more than three Hoover Dams or over 17,000 Tesla Model 3s when using the US Department of Energy's standard, and it accounts for about one-fifth of the 35 gigawatts of data center capacity the US added to its pipeline. That 35 gigawatts is roughly equivalent to the annual electricity consumption of the UK or Italy, and adding it would nearly double the existing data center capacity in the US, according to JLL. Part of Texas's appeal is its sprawl. The state houses some of the most ambitious data center projects in the country. Oracle and OpenAI's flagship Stargate data center is in Abilene, Google is planning a $40 billion expansion in West Texas, and Meta is building a massive new site in El Paso, just to name a few. Texas also has abundant energy resources, which is good news for data center developers. The AI boom has driven electricity demand to new heights and strained the nation's power grid. In Texas, several data centers — including Stargate — are being built alongside on-site power plants. Northern Virginia has been the data center industry's central hub for more than 15 years, going back to the early days of cloud computing. That has changed rapidly as Big Tech spreads out across the country in search of available power, cheap land, and the best tax incentive packages for the coming wave of AI data centers. Have a tip? Contact this reporter via email at ethomas@businessinsider.com or on Signal at 929-524-6964. Read the original article on Business Insider

Big Tech Is Buying Up America’s Land—and Home Builders Can’t Compete  The Wall Street Journal

Big Tech Is Buying Up America’s Land—and Home Builders Can’t Compete  The Wall Street Journal

Big Tech Is Buying Up America’s Land—and Home Builders Can’t Compete  The Wall Street Journal

Big Tech Is Buying Up America’s Land—and Home Builders Can’t Compete  The Wall Street Journal

Major tech companies are increasingly buying up land across America, creating significant competition for traditional home builders.

AI Boom Creates Blind Spot in Big Tech Accounting - Tech News Briefing - WSJ Podcasts  The Wall Street Journal

AI Boom Creates Blind Spot in Big Tech Accounting - Tech News Briefing - WSJ Podcasts  The Wall Street Journal

AI Boom Creates Blind Spot in Big Tech Accounting - Tech News Briefing - WSJ Podcasts  The Wall Street Journal

The rapid growth of AI is creating a blind spot in the accounting practices of major technology companies, as discussed in a WSJ podcast.

An Amazon intern has reportedly tripled her big tech paycheck by building a side hustle that generates $302,000, outearning her day job.

Consulting firms are actively building and deploying thousands of AI agents, but industry insiders are still debating how these agents generate tangible value and what their true worth is.

The hit podcaster, author and former GP says a failure to regulate big tech is ‘failing a generation of children’. He explains why he quit the NHS and why he wants a ban on screen-based homework

These articles offer investment guidance on artificial intelligence stocks, specifically evaluating whether investors should consider alternatives to Palantir for current purchases.

A California trial has commenced against Meta and YouTube, with plaintiffs alleging the tech giants engineered their platforms to be addictive, particularly for children.

Progressive organizers in Texas celebrate a surprising win against far-right Republicans, while in California, billionaires and big tech companies are heavily investing in elections to protect their interests and fight regulation.

A forthcoming trial will investigate whether major technology companies like Meta and YouTube intentionally designed their products to be addictive. This raises questions about the ethical responsibilities of Big Tech.

The ‘Godfather of Data Centers’ Making Offers Big Tech Can’t Refuse - WSJ  The Wall Street Journal

A figure dubbed the 'Godfather of Data Centers' is reportedly making compelling offers to major tech companies, as detailed by The Wall Street Journal.

A Wall Street Journal article profiles the individual known as the 'Godfather of Data Centers' and his significant influence on big tech companies.

The ‘Godfather of Data Centers’ Making Offers Big Tech Can’t Refuse - WSJ  The Wall Street Journal

$1b data centre given planning tick in just 75 days as state gets cosy with big tech  SMH.com.au

A tech professional, Brian Jenney, shares his salary negotiation strategies that allowed him to achieve an income exceeding $250,000 annually, despite not working for a major tech company.

The National Parent Teacher Association (PTA) has severed ties with Meta, citing ongoing child-safety trials and concerns raised by advocacy groups like ParentsSOS regarding Big Tech partnerships.

Major tech companies are increasing their investments in AI, which is affecting stock buyback programs and creating a looming memory crunch for hardware manufacturers, though Apple remains a bullish exception.

Baroness Kidron tells the BBC the PM has being "late to the party" in regulating social media.

AI demand is boosting unexpected Japanese companies — including a toilet maker and a seasoning giant. Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images A toilet maker and seasoning giant are Japan's unlikely winners in the AI boom. Toto, famous for its bidets, has drawn investor attention because it makes key components for memory chips. Food giant Ajinimoto produces an insulating material used in advanced semiconductor packaging. The AI boom isn't just lifting chipmakers and Big Tech. In Japan, it's flushing gains into a toilet manufacturer and a seasoning giant. As demand for AI chips surges, investors are piling into companies that sit inside the semiconductor supply chain — even if they're better known for bathrooms and soup stock. Toilet maker Toto, famous for its high-tech bidets and heated seats, has drawn investor attention. The company makes electrostatic chucks, which are critical components used in the production of NAND memory chips. Memory prices have climbed sharply in recent months, driven by AI-related demand. Last week, UK-based activist fund Palliser Capital called Toto "the most undervalued and overlooked AI memory beneficiary," according to reports by Bloomberg and the Financial Times. After news broke on Tuesday that Palliser Capital had taken a stake and was pushing Toto to promote its chip-parts business, the toilet maker's stock jumped more than 5%. Its shares are up more than 54% over the past year. It's not just Toto. Japanese food giant Ajinomoto, better known for its umami seasonings and soup bases, has become an unlikely AI infrastructure play. The company produces an insulating material used in advanced semiconductor packaging. Ajinomoto's latest financials point to strength beyond its core food business. For the nine months ended December, the company reported an 8.9% rise in net profit, while operating profit increased 5.6% year-on-year. The gains were partly driven by its "Healthcare and Others" segment which includes electronic materials used in semiconductors, the company said in a February earnings statement. After Ajinomoto posted its earnings on February 5, the company's stock rose 13%. Its shares are up more than 56% over the past year. Not all non-tech companies are benefiting equally from the AI boom. Daikin, best known globally for its air conditioners, supplies high-purity chemical materials used in semiconductor manufacturing. It recently trimmed its outlook, citing uncertainty over US tariffs as a drag on demand. The Japanese air conditioning maker reduced its operating profit forecast by about 5% to 413 billion Japanese yen, or $2.6 billion, for the fiscal year ending in March. "Operating profit was significantly affected by the decline in semiconductor demand, decreasing by 44.6% year over year to ¥18,102 million," the company said in its financial report in February. "Net sales of fluoropolymers fell year over year, despite focused Group efforts to capture strong new demand in the data center field, and was due to the stagnation in the construction markets of the United States and China and the significant overall impact of delays in the recovery of semiconductor demand," it added. The company said it plans to cushion the blow through price increases and cost reductions. Daikin's stock dropped as much as 8.4% in Tokyo following its financial results. Read the original article on Business Insider

A new report accuses major tech companies of 'greenwashing' their AI initiatives, claiming promises of planet-saving technology are unfulfilled.

A former Big Tech employee suggests that the individual contributor role is becoming obsolete due to AI, which is transforming software engineers into managers.

Big Tech Is Buying Up America’s Land—and Home Builders Can’t Compete  The Wall Street Journal

Big Tech Is Buying Up America’s Land—and Home Builders Can’t Compete  The Wall Street Journal

How Jet Engines Are Powering Data Centers  The Wall Street Journal

Two months after warning about "elements of irrationality" in the AI investment boom, Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai switched gears at the India AI Impact Summit 2026, defending Big Tech's massive spending spree. With Google Cloud's backlog doubling to $240 billion and Gemini surpassing 750 million users, Pichai compared AI infrastructure investment to railroads and highways—expensive bets that ultimately unlocked enormous economic value.

"The festival converges urgent reports from the world’s geopolitical boiling points with critical inquiries into AI disruption, Big Tech, oligarchs, and the battle for freedom of expression."

AI Boom Creates Blind Spot in Big Tech Accounting - Tech News Briefing - WSJ Podcasts  The Wall Street Journal

AI Boom Creates Blind Spot in Big Tech Accounting - Tech News Briefing - WSJ Podcasts  The Wall Street Journal

AI Boom Creates Blind Spot in Big Tech Accounting - Tech News Briefing - WSJ Podcasts  The Wall Street Journal

AI Boom Creates Blind Spot in Big Tech Accounting - Tech News Briefing - WSJ Podcasts  The Wall Street Journal

CEVA has outlined an ambitious revenue growth target of 8%-12% for 2026, driven by its expanding leadership in AI and connectivity technologies.

While AI has driven significant stock market gains, it is now impacting equities sector by sector, with JPMorgan identifying specific stocks that are insulated from these effects.

Intel is highlighted as a top AI stock, while big tech companies are projected to invest significantly in artificial intelligence by 2026, signaling a robust future for the sector.

Big tech stocks are losing billions as fears over AI spending hit valuations, leading to concerns about an AI bubble and the creation of new derivatives.

The departure of Gail Slater suggests a shift in US antitrust policy within the Trump administration, with pro-business Republicans gaining influence over populist factions in the justice department.

A recent market talk roundup provides insights into the latest developments and financial movements within the technology, media, and telecommunications industries.