Tag: dutch
These Angry Dutch Farmers Really Hate Microsoft Over Data Centers
The security guard lets go of Ruiter within a few seconds, and the councillor escapes with a red mark across his neck. Back in his car, Ruiter insists he’s fine. But his hands shake when he tries to change gears. He says the altercation — which he will later report to the police — shows the fog of secrecy that surrounds the Netherlands’ expanding data center business.
“We regret an interaction that took place outside our data center campus, apparently involving one of Microsoft’s subcontractors,” says Craig Cincotta, general manager at Microsoft, adding that the company would cooperate with the authorities.
The heated exchange between Ruiter and Microsoft’s security guard shows how contentious Big Tech’s data centers have become in rural parts of the Netherlands. As the Dutch government sets strict environmental targets to cut emissions, industries are being forced to compete for space on Dutch farmland — pitting big tech against the increasingly political population of Dutch farmers.
There are around 200 data centers in the Netherlands, most of them renting out server space to several different companies. But since 2015, the country has also witnessed the arrival of enormous “hyperscalers,” buildings that generally span at least 10,000 square feet and are set up to service a single (usually American) tech giant. Lured here by the convergence of European internet cables, temperate climates, and an abundance of green energy, Microsoft and Google have built hyperscalers; Meta has tried and failed.
Against the backdrop of an intensifying Dutch nitrogen crisis, building these hyperscalers is becoming more controversial. Nitrogen, produced by cars, agriculture, and heavy machinery used in construction, can be a dangerous pollutant, damaging ecosystems and endangering people’s health. The Netherlands produces four times more nitrogen than the average across the EU. The Dutch government has pledged to halve emissions by 2030, partly by persuading farmers to reduce their livestock herds or leave the industry altogether. Farmers have responded with protests, blockading roads with tractors and manure and dumping slurry outside the nature minister’s home.
Farmers object that Microsoft is building its data center before it’s even received government permits certifying that it won’t worsen the nitrogen problem, according to the article. In response the Farmer Citizen Movement has sprung up, and last month it became the joint-largest party in the Dutch Senate. One party leader tells Wired, “It is a waste of fertile soil to put the data centers boxes here.”
And Wired adds that opposition to datacenter development is also growing elsewhere in Europe.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
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Dutch hacker arrested for trying to sell the personal information of nearly every Austrian citizen
Dutch authorities arrested a hacker for obtaining and trying to sell the personal information of nearly every Austrian citizen in May 2020, according to Reuters. It includes almost nine million data sets, roughly lining up with Austria’s population.
The defendant, arrested in November in an Amsterdam apartment, was reportedly already known to international police. The 25-year-old defendant also offered “similar data sets” from Italy, the Netherlands and Colombia. Dutch police waited until now to announce the arrest to avoid hindering ongoing investigations.
Authorities say the hacker posted the information in an online forum. Police say the trove consists of “registration data,” essential info residents must provide to authorities. That includes their full name, address and date of birth — but not financial info, fortunately. Nevertheless, the police confirmed the material’s authenticity, adding that “since this data was freely available on the Internet, it must absolutely be assumed that these registration data are, in full or in part, irrevocably in the hands of criminals.”
Dutch Chip Equipment Maker ASML’s CEO Pushes Back Against US Export Rules On China
In response to U.S. claims that advanced chips owned by China pose a threat to national security due to military applications and the rise of artificial intelligence, Wennink said: “What constitutes national security is for Americans to determine. But it is common knowledge that chip technology for purely military applications is usually ten, fifteen years old. The technology used to make such chips can still be sold to China. Artificial intelligence requires the most advanced chips. They are made with EUV and are therefore not produced in China. But those chips are simply sold, also to the Chinese. American chip manufacturers have no problem with China as a customer.”
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Dublin-based Uniphar acquires Dutch pharma group for €75m
Uniphar’s CEO said the acquisition of BModesto Group will strengthen its product access offering ‘in Europe and beyond’.
Read more: Dublin-based Uniphar acquires Dutch pharma group for €75m
Super stylish and covetable houseware brand Great Jones has Dutch ovens on sale for 50% off
SAVE UP TO 50%: As of Nov. 8, Great Jones is offering up to 50% off their Dutch ovens, skillets, and other cookware essentials.
Quick links:
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Dutchess cast-iron Dutch oven – $110
$160(save $50) -
Cast-iron Family Set $225
$390(save $165) -
Family Style Set $375
$615(save $240)
There’s nothing like short cold days to make you want to cook a nice hearty meal. But why should cookware lack style? Much like how shiny new workout gear motivates us to head onto the gym, stylish pots and pans can also inspire us to get busy in the kitchen.
With that in mind, we thank the folks at Good Jones who are starting the Black Friday deals off early kindly offering 50% off selected items, including colorful and covetable Dutch ovens as well as skillets, sheet pans, trays, and more. But let’s talk about the Dutch ovens specifically and the new deal offering savings of up to $240. Move over Le Creuset, there’s another colorful cast-iron kitchen brand in town that will still leave you enough money for groceries.
The star offerings from Great Jones come in vibrant yellow, green, and blue. Where their Dutchess cast-iron Dutch oven would have previously cost $160, it now costs $110, saving you $50. For their cast-iron Family Set you only need to fork out $225 instead of the former $390 price tag. The real saver deal is for the Family Style Set, which offers a five-piece cookware essential package including their coveted cast-iron items, with savings of $120. The set, which previously cost $615, is now available for $375.
The good thing about the Family Style set is the versatility. For the discounted price, you’ll get the Dutchess oven, stainless steel Big Deal and Deep Cut pans with a small and big lid, as well as frying pans. So whether you want to make a large fall-inspired soup or a curry fit for the whole family, you’ll find some use for every size.
If that’s just too many pans for your kitchen then the standalone and duo sets also promise great savings. The Double Dutch will save you $80, giving you a 6.75-quart enameled cast-iron Dutch oven (it fits a whole roast chicken), with a 3.5-quart Dutch baby oven ideal for side dishes. And, get this, the Dutch Baby fits neatly inside the Dutchess, saving you storage space. You can choose whichever color suits your mood too, from the aptly named Broccolo or Bluberry, Mustard, Marinara, and more.
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