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pjarandia.bsky.social
Pablo Jiménez Arandia
@pjarandia.bsky.social
390 followers 310 following 86 posts
Investigative reporter. Journalist. Freelance. Technology, society & power Pulitzer Center's AI Accountability fellow https://pablojimenezarandia.com/ [email protected] Based in Barcelona, Spain
pablojimenezarandia.com
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pjarandia.bsky.social
Pablo Jiménez Arandia @pjarandia.bsky.social · Jan 28
I am one of the many new faces who moved here recently.

So here is a thread with some of the work I’ve been doing in the last few years 🧵
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pjarandia.bsky.social
Pablo Jiménez Arandia @pjarandia.bsky.social · 7d
Thanks for sharing it, Charles. Happy that you found it insightful!
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Reposted by Pablo Jiménez Arandia
charleswlogan.bsky.social
Charles Logan @charleswlogan.bsky.social · 7d
I appreciated this methodology post from @pjarandia.bsky.social describing how he and his co-authors investigate AI's infrastructure.

I think there're lessons for educators interested in doing the same w/ students, including focusing on the local, getting out in the field, and building alliances.
How We Investigated the Backyard of AI in Spain, Chile, and Mexico
Leer en español. In October 2024, I came across a video in which Eric Schmidt, former CEO of Google, spoke bluntly about the environmental costs of artificial intelligence (AI). Schmidt, one of...
pulitzercenter.org
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Reposted by Pablo Jiménez Arandia
pulitzercenter.org
Pulitzer Center @pulitzercenter.org · 20d
While Mexico tries to become a data center hub, its electric grid isn't powerful enough to keep up with the energy demand.

In Queretaro, Microsoft has to use gas generators for at least one data center.

Story by @pjarandia.bsky.social and @dandiba.bsky.social for @restofworld.org. bit.ly/425DjAu
Countries Are Struggling To Meet the Rising Energy Demands of Data Centers
México’s lagging energy grid is forcing companies, including Microsoft, to use generators. Countries are scrambling to meet rising energy demands in the midst of an AI boom. Unable to plug into México...
pulitzercenter.org
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Reposted by Pablo Jiménez Arandia
civio.es
Civio @civio.es · 23d
🚨 Histórico: El Supremo obliga al Gobierno a entregar el código fuente de BOSCO, el programa que decide quién accede al bono social eléctrico.

Una victoria tras 7 años de litigio.

civio.es/novedades/20...
Civio abre camino en la transparencia algorítmica: el Supremo condena al Gobierno a entregar el código fuente de BOSCO
La sentencia, que crea jurisprudencia, considera que el uso de aplicaciones en la toma de decisiones públicas debe ir acompañada de transparencia que permita su fiscalización. Rechaza que la…
civio.es
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pjarandia.bsky.social
Pablo Jiménez Arandia @pjarandia.bsky.social · 23d
Similar examples have been revealed in recent months in other places around the globe. In the piece we explain the severe implications of this way of thinking and acting.

This story is part of an investigation done with the keen support of the @pulitzercenter.org

restofworld.org/2025/ai-ener...
Countries are struggling to meet the rising energy demands of data centers
Mexico's lagging energy grid is forcing companies, including Microsoft, to use generators.
restofworld.org
pjarandia.bsky.social
Pablo Jiménez Arandia @pjarandia.bsky.social · 23d
The case we uncover in this story with @restofworld.org is a good example of how Big Tech companies think and operate in many countries, specially in the Global South. Instead of waiting to get a connection to the grid, Microsoft decided to install a brand new fossil-fueled energy source on site.
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pjarandia.bsky.social
Pablo Jiménez Arandia @pjarandia.bsky.social · 23d
The reason? The national energy grid was not ready yet to do so, at least in an initial stage, Microsoft claimed. In many countries energy grids are already unable to supply the unprecedented energy demand posed by new tech infraestructure.
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pjarandia.bsky.social
Pablo Jiménez Arandia @pjarandia.bsky.social · 23d
While reporting on the data center expansion in Mexico with @dandiba.bsky.social we found some docs in which Microsoft said they would be using gas generators to fully power on of its new centers in the region of Querétaro.

@restofworld.org
@pulitzercenter.org

restofworld.org/2025/ai-ener...
Countries are struggling to meet the rising energy demands of data centers
Mexico's lagging energy grid is forcing companies, including Microsoft, to use generators.
restofworld.org
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Reposted by Pablo Jiménez Arandia
pflis.bsky.social
Patricia Fernández de Lis @pflis.bsky.social · Aug 9
ESPECIAL | El patio trasero de la IA.
Los gigantes de internet extraen recursos básicos y acaparan terrenos para sus centros de datos en México, Chile y España. Este es un recorrido por los impactos de esos proyectos. "Más nos valdría que nos pusieran un centro de salud”
elpais.com/tecnologia/2...
El patio trasero de la IA. Un mapa de la fiebre del oro del siglo XXI
Los gigantes de internet extraen recursos básicos y acaparan terrenos para la construcción de sus nuevos centros de datos en México, Chile y España. Este es un recorrido por los impactos de varios pro...
elpais.com
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Reposted by Pablo Jiménez Arandia
pulitzercenter.org
Pulitzer Center @pulitzercenter.org · Aug 25
AI requires enormous data centers and significant amounts of energy and water to operate.

AI Fellow @pjarandia.bsky.social, @dandiba.bsky.social, and Muriel Alarcón reveal how Amazon, Google, & Microsoft are building these centers in drought-prone regions of Chile, Mexico, and Spain. bit.ly/4lADqe3
Site where Google's project for a new data center will be located in the Cerrillos district of Santiago, Chile, on April 11, 2025. Image courtesy of EL PAÍS. Tania Rodríguez, one of the spokespersons for the Mosacat collective, poses in front of the lot owned by Google in the municipality of Cerrillos, Santiago, Chile. Image by Sofia Yanjari. Chile, 2025.
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Reposted by Pablo Jiménez Arandia
pulitzercenter.org
Pulitzer Center @pulitzercenter.org · Aug 21
Amazon, Google, and Microsoft's data centers are consuming water in drought-ridden areas and seizing land in Chile, Mexico, and Spain.

AI Fellow @pjarandia.bsky.social, @dandiba.bsky.social, and Muriel Alarcón, reveal –for @elpaiscyt.bsky.social– how these centers are built. bit.ly/4lADqe3
The Backyard of AI
A Map of the 21st Century Gold Rush An investigation by El País and the Pulitzer Centre reveals how internet giants are extracting basic resources and grabbing land to build their new data centers in....
pulitzercenter.org
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pjarandia.bsky.social
Pablo Jiménez Arandia @pjarandia.bsky.social · Aug 18
@dandiba.bsky.social and Muriel Alarcón were my reporting partners for this project. And the work behind it would not have been possible without the keen support of AI's accountabilty network of the @pulitzercenter.org.

You can read the full story in English here: english.elpais.com/technology/2...
AI’s backyard: A map of the 21st-century gold rush
Internet giants are extracting basic resources and grabbing land to build their new data centers in Mexico, Chile, and Spain. This is a look at the impacts of several projects by Microsoft, Amazon, an...
english.elpais.com
pjarandia.bsky.social
Pablo Jiménez Arandia @pjarandia.bsky.social · Aug 18
As the debate over AI’s environmental costs grows louder, this investigation maps what is behind Big Tech's obsession to increase their computing capacities. And how local communities -and society as a whole- are and will be paying the bill if guardrails are not put in place.
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pjarandia.bsky.social
Pablo Jiménez Arandia @pjarandia.bsky.social · Aug 18
They are also seizing large tracts of land to build their centers and the power grids that feed them. All under a veil of secrecy that, at times, includes the use of shell companies and, in almost all cases, the complicity and collusion of local authorities.
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pjarandia.bsky.social
Pablo Jiménez Arandia @pjarandia.bsky.social · Aug 18
In record time, they have become priority destinations for US internet giants to build their new massive server farms.

We've found evidence on how Microsoft, Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Google are extacting basic resources such as water in areas facing severe droughts.
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pjarandia.bsky.social
Pablo Jiménez Arandia @pjarandia.bsky.social · Aug 18
During 10 months we've looked into the proliferation of new-generation data centers in three different locations. The regions of Querétaro (Mexico), Santiago (Chile) and Aragón (Spain) are very far from each other but share a common thread.
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pjarandia.bsky.social
Pablo Jiménez Arandia @pjarandia.bsky.social · Aug 18
An English version of our investigation alongside @pulitzercenter.org on the local impacts of Big Tech's AI infrastructure was just published by @elpais.com

english.elpais.com/technology/2...
AI’s backyard: A map of the 21st-century gold rush
Internet giants are extracting basic resources and grabbing land to build their new data centers in Mexico, Chile, and Spain. This is a look at the impacts of several projects by Microsoft, Amazon, an...
english.elpais.com
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Reposted by Pablo Jiménez Arandia
pulitzercenter.org
Pulitzer Center @pulitzercenter.org · Aug 15
Amazon, Google y Microsoft han establecido sus centros de datos en el estado mexicano de Querétaro.

Estos centros extraen agua de acuíferos clave que sustentan la agricultura y las comunidades locales.

Por @pjarandia.bsky.social y @dandiba.bsky.social para @elpais.com. bit.ly/4oCBgx8
El patio trasero de la IA
Un mapa de la fiebre del oro del siglo XXI Una investigación de El País y el Centro Pulitzer revela cómo los gigantes de internet extraen recursos básicos y acaparan terrenos para la construcción de.....
pulitzercenter.org
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Reposted by Pablo Jiménez Arandia
pulitzercenter.org
Pulitzer Center @pulitzercenter.org · Aug 14
Los centros de datos de #Amazon, #Google y #Microsoft están acaparando tierras y consumiendo agua en zonas áridas de Chile, México y España.

AI Fellow @pjarandia.bsky.social, @dandiba.bsky.social y Muriel Alarcón revelan, para @elpaiscyt.bsky.social, cómo se construyen estos centros. bit.ly/4oCBgx8
El patio trasero de la IA
Un mapa de la fiebre del oro del siglo XXI Una investigación de El País y el Centro Pulitzer revela cómo los gigantes de internet extraen recursos básicos y acaparan terrenos para la construcción de.....
pulitzercenter.org
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Reposted by Pablo Jiménez Arandia
elpaiscyt.bsky.social
EL PAÍS Ciencia y Tecnología @elpaiscyt.bsky.social · Aug 9
Los gigantes de internet están extrayendo recursos básicos y acaparando terrenos para la construcción de sus nuevos centros de datos en México, Chile y España. Este es un recorrido por los impactos de varios proyectos de Microsoft, Amazon y Google.
elpais.com/tecnologia/2...
El patio trasero de la IA. Un mapa de la fiebre del oro del siglo XXI
Los gigantes de internet extraen recursos básicos y acaparan terrenos para la construcción de sus nuevos centros de datos en México, Chile y España. Este es un recorrido por los impactos de varios pro...
elpais.com
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pjarandia.bsky.social
Pablo Jiménez Arandia @pjarandia.bsky.social · Aug 12
Thanks Cori for sharing it! ✊
Reposted by Pablo Jiménez Arandia
coricrider.com
Cori Crider @coricrider.com · Aug 12
Pausing my summer social media break to share this excellent new investigation into Big AI's environmental footprint - across Chile, Mexico, and Spain - by @pjarandia.bsky.social. Check it out (español): elpais.com/tecnologia/2...
El patio trasero de la IA. Un mapa de la fiebre del oro del siglo XXI
Los gigantes de internet extraen recursos básicos y acaparan terrenos para la construcción de sus nuevos centros de datos en México, Chile y España. Este es un recorrido por los impactos de varios pro...
elpais.com
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pjarandia.bsky.social
Pablo Jiménez Arandia @pjarandia.bsky.social · Aug 11
Gracias a todo el equipo de la Red de Rendición de cuentas de la IA del @pulitzercenter.org por estar ahí y por apostar por proyectos como este.

En este link se publicarán esta y otras historias fruto de esta investigación: pulitzercenter.org/projects/ais...
AI’s Thirsty Supply Chain
Current debates around artificial intelligence often overlook the environmental and human impacts of the AI supply chain. The boom of generative AI has launched tech giants into a race to increase...
pulitzercenter.org
pjarandia.bsky.social
Pablo Jiménez Arandia @pjarandia.bsky.social · Aug 11
Todo bajo un halo de opacidad que a veces incluye el uso de empresas pantalla y, casi siempre, la complicidad y connivencia de las autoridades locales.
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pjarandia.bsky.social
Pablo Jiménez Arandia @pjarandia.bsky.social · Aug 11
En este trabajo documentamos cómo empresas como Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft y Google extraen recursos básicos como el agua en zonas en grave sequía. Y acaparan grandes extensiones de terreno para edificar sus centros y las redes eléctricas que los alimentan.
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