Tech Giants Defend Data Center Expansion Amid Climate Concerns

At this week's climate meetings in New York, executives from Microsoft Corp. and Alphabet Inc.'s Google pushed back against criticism of their rapid data center expansion.

Melanie Nakagawa, Microsoft's chief sustainability officer, said that the concerns being raised by communities are 'really important', particularly with regards to electricity costs for new facilities.

Nakagawa added that discussions about what communities should expect when it comes to electricity have been ongoing. Google and Microsoft are working on steps to shield consumers from these costs, as well as supporting their workforce and reducing water usage in data centers.