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Gradually, then suddenly. That was the theme of the night as slow burners sparked into life with clusters of goals across the board. In an early kick-off, there were four goals in ten minutes either side of half-time as Lille beat Sturm Graz 3-2, while a scoreless first half between Borussia Dortmund and Barcelona served up five goals after the break as a Ferran Torres double sealed the win for Hansi Flick’s side. Advertisement Feyenoord served up some special long-range goals in their 4-2 win over Sparta Prague and Stuttgart ended an eight-game run without a home win in Europe by scoring five goals against Young Boys — more than they managed in that winless run combined. Arsenal took a major step to automatic qualification with a 3-0 home win over Monaco and Tammy Abraham scored a late winner for Milan against Belgrade’s Crvena Zvezda, but there was more misery for Pep Guardiola... City lose again, facing play-off headache Guardiola has been scratching his head a lot lately . Another disappointing evening in Turin will have seen him dig those nails in even further. Not only did his Manchester City side meekly succumb to a 2-0 defeat to Juventus , it means they have just one win in their last ten games in all competitions and are in danger of failing to make the knockouts. Since being eliminated in the last 16 in his first season, City have reached at least the quarter-final stage in each of the last seven seasons. GO DEEPER The Briefing: Juventus 2 Man City 0 - Playoffs for Guardiola? Unlucky Ederson? De Bruyne lone bright spark They are five points off Lille, who occupy the eighth and final automatic qualifying spot. They face a pivotal clash with Paris Saint-Germain in January, who are also fighting for survival as they languish in 25th, outside the play-off spots. It is shaping up to be a do-or-die penultimate tie but, even if both make it through, they look most likely to do so via the play-off route as part of the cohort from ninth to 24th. Those teams must come through a two-legged play-off in February to make the last 16. It would be a headache for big elite clubs competing on multiple fronts as they have become used to fairly calm four-team group stages in which they have qualification sewn up with a game or two to spare. An additional two games would mean even more strain on Guardiola’s squad, who are already missing Rodri — a player who was vocal about the calendar being too much before he suffered an ACL injury. GO DEEPER Rodri is a symptom of a sport at breaking point - and we're all to blame It has been difficult to get a handle on the jeopardy of the new 32-team league format. The lists of fixtures looked more appealing at the start but in recent matchdays, it was difficult to know what constituted a good or bad result with so much football still to be played. With just two games to go, however, the table has taken some shape and nearly all teams are still fighting to qualify for the play-offs or qualify for the automatic places. It has certainly shaken things up. A good night for the USMNT It did not look like a day to work from home and set the Champions League alarm for American fans hoping to see their compatriots make a dent in Europe’s premier competition. PSV’s Malik Tillman is in the top tier for chance creation in the Champions League but he and Ricardo Pepi suffered a disappointing defeat to Brest on Tuesday. With Milan’s Christian Pulisic ruled out for the rest of the month with a calf injury and Monaco’s Folarin Balogun undergoing shoulder surgery, the flag was at half mast for the USMNT on matchday six. GO DEEPER USMNT milestone: Weston McKennie and Tim Weah combine for special Juventus strike But things changed when Gio Reyna was given a surprise start for Borussia Dortmund at home to Barcelona. The 22-year-old has been injured for the majority of the season, playing 63 minutes across all competitions, but he managed 73 minutes in the 3-2 defeat to Barcelona and will hope this is the start of a prolonged period of availability. Advertisement At Juventus, Weston McKennie and Timothy Weah both started on the bench but their nights coalesced in a massive 2-0 win over City. Weah was set free down the right flank on the counter-attack and, after seeing his first cross blocked, he showed composure to wait for McKennie to burst into the penalty area from deep. His cross was slightly behind the midfielder but McKennie showed great athleticism to acrobatically volley the ball home to seal the win for Juventus. Earlier this week in an interview with The Athletic, Pulisic had spoken about how he believed the crop of players in Europe had helped change the perception of USMNT players. “I think it’s in a better place now,” he said. “I hope I’ve had a say in that and other people look around and say, ‘This guy’s American and he is doing it at the highest level, so we need to respect some of these guys’. Look how many Americans in the last five to 10 years have come over to Europe. We have players in the Champions League and some of the highest leagues in the world. It is not our biggest driver of wanting to prove them wrong. It’s just something that is out there.” Tonight’s cameos will have helped push the boulder up the hill that little bit more. Lewis-Skelly & Duranville take their chance Lamine Yamal being just 17 has forced the football world to reconsider what qualifies as young, but two 18-year-olds made their first starts in the competition — and they both showed why it will be the first of many for both. Myles Lewis-Skelly came through the ranks at Arsenal as a midfielder but he has been remoulded by Mikel Arteta as a left-back who can invert into midfield. GO DEEPER The Briefing: Arsenal 3 Monaco 0 - Lewis-Skelly's starring role, Saka at the double, wasteful Jesus In the 35th minute against Monaco, he showed why he is perfect for that role as he was the catalyst for the opening goal in Arsenal’s 3-0 home win. Martin Odegaard played a square pass and Lewis-Skelly baited the defender towards him before showing sharp footwork to feign and step inside. He then slid the ball through to Gabriel Jesus , who teed up Bukayo Saka for a tap-in at the back post. For UK viewers: Bukayo Saka with an easy finish following a brilliant Gabriel Jesus pass 😮💨 Some incredible play from Myles Lewis-Skelly on his first Champions League start 👏 📺 @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/GJHS03AXiD — Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) December 11, 2024 For US viewers: Arsenal score their first goal from open play in 268 minutes 🚨 Myles Lewis-Skelly in the build up though 🔥 pic.twitter.com/vLGRwlCMNw — CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) December 11, 2024 The entire team ran to Lewis-Skelly — the youngest player to start for Arsenal in the Champions League since Alex-Oxlade Chamberlain in 2011 — as recognition of his part in the goal. “I just told him that this is his level and he should have no doubts,” said Saka after the game. Another 18-year-old who showed no sign of stage fright was Dortmund’s Julien Duranville. A left-footed winger who plays on the right, his direct dribbling caused Alejandro Balde problems in the first half. Having missed the majority of last season through a thigh injury, Duranville has not been able to showcase his talents since signing from Anderlecht in January 2023. He has only appeared in the Bundesliga twice this season, both off the bench, but in his 73 minutes against Barcelona, he displayed flashes of his incredible agility when running at full speed. It is 20-year-old England prospect Jamie Gittens who has been getting all the attention on the other wing so far this season. As is so often the case with the Dortmund pipeline, it may not be long before Duranville is the name hogging the headlines. GO DEEPER How Dortmund's 'golden boy' Jamie Gittens is becoming one of Europe's most destructive players Raphinha ’s remarkable turnaround Raphinha did not score in any of his first ten Champions League games for Barcelona. After netting against Dortmund, the Brazilian forward has nine in his last eight appearances in the competition. The last Barcelona player to score eight Champions League goals in a single year was... Lionel Messi in 2019. It underlines the remarkable turnaround in fortunes he has experienced since joining from Leeds in 2022. A player who showed glimpses of his talent but struggled to find a role within the system is fast becoming a numbers machine. He has more goal contributions than any other player in the competition after six games (six goals and two assists) and has joined a select group of five players with 25 goal involvements across Europe’s top five leagues and UEFA competitions this season. Raphinha’s 28 goals and assists have come in just 27 games and have included a hat-trick against Bayern Munich , a goal and an assist away to Real Madrid and another at Dortmund. Wednesday’s results What’s next? The fixtures for matchweek seven of the eight-round league phase take place in January (kick-offs 8pm BST/3pm ET unless stated). Tuesday, January 21 Wednesday, January 22 (Top photo: ISABELLA BONOTTO/AFP via Getty Images)
Meta to build $10 billion AI data center in Louisiana as Elon Musk expands his Tennessee AI facility NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The largest artificial intelligence data center ever built by Facebook’s parent company Meta is coming to northeast Louisiana, the company said Wednesday, bringing hopes that the $10 billion facility will transform an economically Jack Brook And Adrian Sainz, The Associated Press Dec 4, 2024 2:56 PM Dec 4, 2024 3:20 PM Share by Email Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Print Share via Text Message FILE - The Meta logo is seen at the Vivatech show in Paris, France, June 14, 2023. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus, File) NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The largest artificial intelligence data center ever built by Facebook’s parent company Meta is coming to northeast Louisiana, the company said Wednesday, bringing hopes that the $10 billion facility will transform an economically neglected corner of the state. Republican Gov. Jeff Landry called it “game-changing” for his state's expanding tech sector, yet some environmental groups have raised concerns over the amount of energy it would use — and whether it could lead to higher energy bills in the future. Meanwhile, Elon Musk's AI startup, xAI, is expanding its existing supercomputer project in Memphis, Tennessee, the city's chamber of commerce said Wednesday. The chamber also said that Nvidia, Dell, and Supermicro Computer will be “establishing operations in Memphis,” without offering further details. Louisiana is among a growing number of states seeking to lure big tech firms in need of energy-intensive data centers with tax credits and other incentives. The U.S. Commerce Department found that there aren’t enough data centers in the U.S. to meet the rising AI-fueled demand, which is projected to grow by 9% each year through 2030, citing industry reports. Meta anticipates its Louisiana data center will create 500 operational jobs and 5,000 temporary construction jobs, said Kevin Janda, director of data center strategy. At 4 million square feet (370,000 square meters), it will be the company's largest AI data center to date, he added. “We want to make sure we are having a positive impact on the local level,” Janda said. Congressional leaders and local representatives from across the political spectrum heralded the Meta facility as a boon for Richland parish, a rural part of Louisiana with a population of 20,000 historically reliant on agriculture. About one in four residents are considered to live in poverty and the parish has an employment rate below 50%, according to the U.S. census data. Meta plans to invest $200 million into road and water infrastructure improvements for the parish to offset its water usage. The facility is expected to be completed in 2030. Entergy, one of the nation's largest utilities providers, is fast-tracking plans to build three natural gas power plants in Louisiana capable of generating 2,262 megawatts for Meta's data center over a 15 year period — nearly one-tenth of Entergy's existing energy capacity across four states. The Louisiana Public Service Commission is weighing Entergy's proposal as some environmental groups have opposed locking the state into more fossil fuel-based energy infrastructure. Meta said it plans to help bring 1,500 megawatts of renewable energy onto the grid in the future. Louisiana residents may ultimately end up with rate increases to pay off the cost of operating these natural gas power plants when Meta's contract with Entergy expires, said Jessica Hendricks, state policy director for the Alliance for Affordable Energy, a Louisiana-based nonprofit advocating for energy consumers. “There’s no reason why residential customers in Louisiana need to pay for a power plant for energy that they’re not going to use," Hendricks said. "And we want to make sure that there’s safeguards in place.” Public service commissioner Foster Campbell, who represents northeast Louisiana, said he does not believe the data center will increase rates for Louisianians and views it as vital for his region. “It’s going in one of the most needed places in Louisiana and maybe one of the most needed places in the United States of America,” Foster said. “I’m for it 100%.” Environmental groups have also warned of the pollution generated from Musk's AI data center in Memphis. The Southern Environmental Law Center, among others, says the supercomputer could strain the power grid, prompting attention from the Environmental Protection Agency. Eighteen gas turbines currently running at xAI’s south Memphis facility are significant sources of ground-level ozone, better known as smog, the group said. Patrick Anderson, an attorney at the law center, said xAI has operated with “a stunning lack of transparency” in developing its South Memphis facility, which is located near predominantly Black neighborhoods that have long dealt with pollution and health risks from factories and other industrial sites. “Memphians deserve to know how xAI will affect them,” he said, “and should have a seat at the table when these decisions are being made.” _____ Sainz reported from Memphis, Tennessee. Associated Press writer Matt O’Brien in Providence, Rhode Island, contributed to this report. _____ Brook is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Follow Brook on the social platform X: @jack_brook96 Jack Brook And Adrian Sainz, The Associated Press See a typo/mistake? Have a story/tip? This has been shared 0 times 0 Shares Share by Email Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Print Share via Text Message Get your daily Victoria news briefing Email Sign Up More Science News Alberta minister wants to see $100B in data centre infrastructure in next five years Dec 4, 2024 3:47 PM Meta to build $10 billion AI data center in Louisiana as Elon Musk expands his Tennessee AI facility Dec 4, 2024 3:33 PM Trump nominates cryptocurrency advocate Paul Atkins as SEC chair Dec 4, 2024 2:21 PM