Invisible data centers and unpredictable chips: Is the UK’s AI bubble on the verge of bursting?

This CSS code defines a custom font family called “Guardian Headline Full” with multiple font weights and styles. It includes light, regular, medium, and semibold weights, each in both normal and italic versions. For each style, the code specifies three different font file formats (woff2, woff, and ttf) hosted on the Guardian’s servers, ensuring broad browser compatibility.@font-face {
font-family: Guardian Headline Full;
src: url(https://assets.guim.co.uk/static/frontend/fonts/guardian-headline/noalts-not-hinted/GHGuardianHeadline-Bold.woff2) format(“woff2”),
url(https://assets.guim.co.uk/static/frontend/fonts/guardian-headline/noalts-not-hinted/GHGuardianHeadline-Bold.woff) format(“woff”),
url(https://assets.guim.co.uk/static/frontend/fonts/guardian-headline/noalts-not-hinted/GHGuardianHeadline-Bold.ttf) format(“truetype”);
font-weight: 700;
font-style: normal;
}

@font-face {
font-family: Guardian Titlepiece;
src: url(https://assets.guim.co.uk/static/frontend/fonts/guardian-titlepiece/noalts-not-hinted/GTGuardianTitlepiece-Bold.woff2) format(“woff2”),
url(https://assets.guim.co.uk/static/frontend/fonts/guardian-titlepiece/noalts-not-hinted/GTGuardianTitlepiece-Bold.woff) format(“woff”),
url(https://assets.guim.co.uk/static/frontend/fonts/guardian-titlepiece/noalts-not-hinted/GTGuardianTitlepiece-Bold.ttf) format(“truetype”);
font-weight: 700;
font-style: normal;
}

@font-face {
font-family: Guardian Headline Full;
src: url(https://assets.guim.co.uk/static/frontend/fonts/guardian-headline/noalts-not-hinted/GHGuardianHeadline-RegularItalic.woff2) format(“woff2”),
url(https://assets.guim.co.uk/static/frontend/fonts/guardian-headline/noalts-not-hinted/GHGuardianHeadline-RegularItalic.woff) format(“woff”),
url(https://assets.guim.co.uk/static/frontend/fonts/guardian-headline/noalts-not-hinted/GHGuardianHeadline-RegularItalic.ttf) format(“truetype”);
font-weight: 400;
font-style: italic;
}The font “Guardian Headline Full” is defined with multiple styles and weights. The regular italic style uses font-weight 400 and includes files in woff2, woff, and truetype formats. The medium style (font-weight 500, normal) and medium italic (font-weight 500, italic) are also provided. Similarly, semibold (font-weight 600, normal) and semibold italic (font-weight 600, italic) are available. Bold (font-weight 700, normal) and bold italic (font-weight 700, italic) are included, along with black (font-weight 900, normal) and black italic (font-weight 900, italic) styles. Each style references font files from the same directory on the assets.guim.co.uk domain.The provided text appears to be a mix of CSS font definitions and responsive grid layout rules for a website, likely The Guardian. Here is a fluent, natural English rewrite that simplifies the technical phrasing while preserving the meaning:

This code defines custom fonts and the layout for article content. It specifies two fonts: “Guardian Headline” in a heavy italic style and “Guardian Titlepiece” in bold.

The layout uses a grid system that changes based on screen size. On the smallest screens, everything stacks in a single column. As the screen gets wider, the layout adjusts. On medium screens, the main content gets extra padding. On larger screens, a two-column layout is introduced with a main content area and a right sidebar. On the widest screens, a more complex four-column layout is used, which includes a left border and positions elements like the title and headline in separate columns.

The code also includes specific rules for styling captions on immersive images at different screen sizes.For interactive grid figures with immersive captions, padding is set to 4 pixels at the top and 0 elsewhere. In various content areas like article, comment, and feature bodies, elements named “lines” and “meta” within interactive grids are positioned in the grid from row 2 to 5 and column 1 to 2. The “lines” elements have a height that adjusts to their content and a top margin of 5 pixels, while “meta” elements have an 18-pixel top margin.

On larger screens (81.25em and above), interactive grids in these content areas use a five-column layout with specific widths: 219px, 1px, 620px, 80px, and 300px.

For iOS and Android devices, article headers have special styling: the standfirst text uses specific font families with a medium weight, section kickers display as blocks with capitalized first letters, keylines have adjusted top padding, and byline authors use a bold serif font. Images within articles have auto height, and paragraphs following atomic elements have no top margin.

Additionally, custom font faces are defined for “Guardian Headline Full” in light and light italic weights, sourced from specific URLs in woff2, woff, and truetype formats.The provided text appears to be a series of CSS font-face rules for a font family named “Guardian Headline Full.” These rules define different font weights and styles (like regular, italic, medium, bold, etc.) and specify the web addresses (URLs) where the actual font files can be found in various formats (WOFF2, WOFF, TTF).@font-face {
font-family: ‘Guardian Headline Full’;
src: url(‘https://assets.guim.co.uk/static/frontend/fonts/guardian-headline/noalts-not-hinted/GHGuardianHeadline-Black.woff2’) format(‘woff2’),
url(‘https://assets.guim.co.uk/static/frontend/fonts/guardian-headline/noalts-not-hinted/GHGuardianHeadline-Black.woff’) format(‘woff’),
url(‘https://assets.guim.co.uk/static/frontend/fonts/guardian-headline/noalts-not-hinted/GHGuardianHeadline-Black.ttf’) format(‘truetype’);
font-weight: 900;
font-style: normal;
}

@font-face {
font-family: ‘Guardian Headline Full’;
src: url(‘https://assets.guim.co.uk/static/frontend/fonts/guardian-headline/noalts-not-hinted/GHGuardianHeadline-BlackItalic.woff2’) format(‘woff2’),
url(‘https://assets.guim.co.uk/static/frontend/fonts/guardian-headline/noalts-not-hinted/GHGuardianHeadline-BlackItalic.woff’) format(‘woff’),
url(‘https://assets.guim.co.uk/static/frontend/fonts/guardian-headline/noalts-not-hinted/GHGuardianHeadline-BlackItalic.ttf’) format(‘truetype’);
font-weight: 900;
font-style: italic;
}

@font-face {
font-family: ‘Guardian Titlepiece’;
src: url(‘https://assets.guim.co.uk/static/frontend/fonts/guardian-titlepiece/noalts-not-hinted/GTGuardianTitlepiece-Bold.woff2’) format(‘woff2’),
url(‘https://assets.guim.co.uk/static/frontend/fonts/guardian-titlepiece/noalts-not-hinted/GTGuardianTitlepiece-Bold.woff’) format(‘woff’),
url(‘https://assets.guim.co.uk/static/frontend/fonts/guardian-titlepiece/noalts-not-hinted/GTGuardianTitlepiece-Bold.ttf’) format(‘truetype’);
font-weight: 700;
font-style: normal;
}

@media (min-width: 71.25em) {
.content__main-column–interactive {
margin-left: 160px;
}
}

@media (min-width: 81.25em) {
.content__main-column–interactive {
margin-left: 240px;
}
}

.content__main-column–interactive .element-atom {
max-width: 620px;
}

@media (max-width: 46.24em) {
.content__main-column–interactive .element-atom {
max-width: 100%;
}
}

.content__main-column–interactive .element-showcase {
margin-left: 0;
}

@media (min-width: 46.25em) {
.content__main-column–interactive .element-showcase {
max-width: 620px;
}
}

@media (min-width: 71.25em) {
.content__main-column–interactive .element-showcase {
max-width: 860px;
}
}

.content__main-column–interactive .element-immersive {
max-width: 1100px;
}

@media (max-width: 46.24em) {
.content__main-column–interactive .element-immersive {
width: calc(100vw – var(–scrollbar-width, 0px));
position: relative;
left: 50%;
right: 50%;
margin-left: calc(-50vw + var(–half-scrollbar-width, 0px)) !important;
margin-right: calc(-50vw + var(–half-scrollbar-width, 0px)) !important;
}
}

@media (min-width: 46.25em) {
.content__main-column–interactive .element-immersive {
transform: translate(-20px);
width: calc(100% + 60px);
}
}

@media (max-width: 71.24em) {
.content__main-column–interactive .element-immersive {
margin-left: 0;
margin-right: 0;
}
}

@media (min-width: 71.25em) {
.content__main-column–interactive .element-immersive {
transform: translate(0);
width: auto;
}
}

@media (min-width: 81.25em) {
.content__main-column–interactive .element-immersive {
max-width: 1260px;
}
}

.content__main-column–interactive p,
.content__main-column–interactive ul {
max-width: 620px;
}

.content__main-column–interactive:before {
position: absolute;
top: 0;
height: calc(100% + 15px);
min-height: 100px;
content: “”;
}

@media (min-width: 71.25em) {
.content__main-column–interactive:before {
border-left: 1px solid #dcdcdc;
z-index: -1;
left: -10px;
}
}

@media (min-width: 81.25em) {
.content__main-column–interactive:before {
border-left: 1px solid #dcdcdc;
left: -11px;
}
}

.content__main-column–interactive .element-atom {
margin-top: 0;
margin-bottom: 0;
padding-bottom: 12px;
padding-top: 12px;
}

.content__main-column–interactive p + .element-atom {
padding-top: 0;
padding-bottom: 0;
margin-top: 12px;
margin-bottom: 12px;
}

.content__main-column–interactive .element-inline {
max-width: 620px;
}

@media (min-width: 61.25em) {
figure[data-spacefinder-role=”inline”].element {
max-width: 620px;
}
}

:root {
–dateline: #606060;
–headerBorder: #dcdcdc;
–captionText: #999;
–captionBackground: hsla(0, 0%, 7%, 0.72);
–feature: #c70000;
–new-pillar-colour: var(–primary-pillar, var(–feature));
}

.content__main-column–interactive .element.element-atom,
.element.element-atom {
padding: 0;
}

#article-body > div .element-atom:first-of-type + p:first-of-type,
#article-body > div .element-atom:first-of-type {The first paragraph after certain elements like an atom, sign-in gate, or horizontal rule gets a top padding of 14 pixels.

For the first letter of that first paragraph, the styling changes to use specific headline fonts with a bold weight, a large font size of 111px, and a line height of 92px. It floats to the left, is set to uppercase, and uses a custom color variable. It also has an 8-pixel margin on the right and aligns to the top of the text.

If a paragraph comes directly after a horizontal rule, its top padding is removed.

Elements with the attribute `data-gu-name=”pullquote”` are given a maximum width of 620 pixels.

For showcase elements within the main content or specific article containers, the figure caption is positioned statically, takes the full width, and is also limited to a maximum width of 620 pixels.

Immersive elements span the full viewport width, accounting for the scrollbar. On screens smaller than 71.24em, these immersive elements are constrained to a maximum width of 978 pixels, and their captions receive internal padding.@media (max-width: 71.24em) and (min-width: 30em) {
.element.element–immersive.element-immersive figcaption {
padding-inline: 20px;
}
}

@media (min-width: 46.25em) and (max-width: 61.24em) {
.element.element–immersive.element-immersive {
max-width: 738px;
}
}

@media (max-width: 46.24em) {
.element.element–immersive.element-immersive {
margin-left: -10px !important;
margin-right: 0 !important;
left: 0;
}
}

@media (max-width: 46.24em) and (min-width: 30em) {
.element.element–immersive.element-immersive {
margin-left: -20px !important;
}
.element.element–immersive.element-immersive figcaption {
padding-inline: 20px;
}
}

@media (min-width: 61.25em) {
.furniture-wrapper {
display: grid;
grid-column-gap: 20px;
grid-row-gap: 0px;
grid-template-columns: [title-start headline-start meta-start standfirst-start] repeat(5, 1fr) [title-end headline-end meta-end standfirst-end portrait-start] repeat(5, 1fr) [portrait-end];
grid-template-rows: [title-start portrait-start] .25fr [title-end headline-start] 1fr [headline-end standfirst-start] .75fr [standfirst-end meta-start] auto [meta-end portrait-end];
}
.furniture-wrapper #headline>div:first-child,
.furniture-wrapper [data-gu-name=headline]>div:first-child,
.furniture-wrapper .headline>div:first-child {
border-top: 1px solid var(–headerBorder);
}
.furniture-wrapper #meta,
.furniture-wrapper [data-gu-name=meta] {
position: relative;
padding-top: 2px;
margin-right: 0;
}
.furniture-wrapper .standfirst .content__standfirst,
.furniture-wrapper #standfirst .content__standfirst,
.furniture-wrapper [data-gu-name=standfirst] .content__standfirst {
margin-bottom: 4px;
}
.furniture-wrapper .standfirst ul li,
.furniture-wrapper #standfirst ul li,
.furniture-wrapper [data-gu-name=standfirst] ul li {
font-size: 20px;
}
.furniture-wrapper .standfirst li a,
.furniture-wrapper .standfirst a,
.furniture-wrapper #standfirst li a,
.furniture-wrapper #standfirst a,
.furniture-wrapper [data-gu-name=standfirst] li a,
.furniture-wrapper [data-gu-name=standfirst] a {
border-bottom: none;
background-image: none !important;
text-decoration: underline;
text-underline-offset: 6px;
text-decoration-color: var(–headerBorder, #dcdcdc);
}
.furniture-wrapper .standfirst li a:hover,
.furniture-wrapper .standfirst a:hover,
.furniture-wrapper #standfirst li a:hover,
.furniture-wrapper #standfirst a:hover,
.furniture-wrapper [data-gu-name=standfirst] li a:hover,
.furniture-wrapper [data-gu-name=standfirst] a:hover {
text-decoration-color: var(–new-pillar-colour);
}
.furniture-wrapper .standfirst p:first-of-type,
.furniture-wrapper #standfirst p:first-of-type,
.furniture-wrapper [data-gu-name=standfirst] p:first-of-type {
border-top: 1px solid var(–headerBorder);
padding-bottom: 0;
}
}

@media (min-width: 61.25em) and (min-width: 71.25em) {
.furniture-wrapper .standfirst p:first-of-type,
.furniture-wrapper #standfirst p:first-of-type,
.furniture-wrapper [data-gu-name=standfirst] p:first-of-type {
border-top: unset;
}
}

@media (min-width: 61.25em) {
.furniture-wrapper figure {
margin: 0 0 0 -10px;
}
.furniture-wrapper figure[data-spacefinder-role=inline].element {
max-width: 630px;
}
}

@media (min-width: 71.25em) {
.furniture-wrapper {
grid-template-columns: [title-start headline-start meta-start] repeat(2, 1fr) [meta-end standfirst-start] repeat(5, 1fr) [title-end headline-end standfirst-end portrait-start] repeat(7, 1fr) [portrait-end];
grid-template-rows: [title-start portrait-start] 80px [title-end headline-start] auto [headline-end standfirst-start meta-start] auto [standfirst-end meta-end portrait-end];
}
.furniture-wrapper #meta:before,
.furniture-wrapper [data-gu-name=meta]:before {
content: “”;
width: 540px;
position: absolute;
top: 0;
background-color: var(–headerBorder);
height: 1px;
}
.furniture-wrapper .standfirst p,
.furniture-wrapper #standfirst p,
.furniture-wrapper [data-gu-name=standfirst] p {
border-top: unset;
}
.furniture-wrapper .standfirst:before,
.furniture-wrapper #standfirst:before,
.furniture-wrapper [data-gu-name=standfirst]:before {
content: “”;
width: 1px;
background-color: var(–headerBorder);
height: 100%;
position: absolute;
top: 0;
left: .5px;
}
}

@media (min-width: 81.25em) {
.furniture-wrapper {
grid-template-columns: [title-start headline-start meta-start] repeat(3, 1fr) [meta-end standfirst-start];
}
}The grid layout uses five equal-width columns from the title to the standfirst, then eight equal-width columns from the portrait onward. Rows are defined with specific start and end points for the title, headline, standfirst, meta, and portrait sections.

For the meta section and its related elements, a width of 620px is set. The standfirst section has a slight left adjustment.

Labels within the article header or title have a small top padding. Headlines are bold, up to 620px wide, with a font size of 32px. On larger screens (over 71.25em), the headline max-width reduces to 540px and the font size increases to 50px.

On medium screens (over 46.25em), the right margin for lines is removed. On larger screens (over 61.25em), lines are hidden. The line color uses a custom CSS variable for the header border.

On medium screens, the meta section’s right margin is removed. Social and comment elements within the meta section use the same header border variable for their borders. Specific elements within the meta container are hidden.

The standfirst section has a negative left margin and relative positioning, with a small top padding on medium screens. Paragraphs inside are normal weight, 20px font size, with bottom padding.

The main media area is positioned relatively, placed in the ‘portrait’ grid area, with no top margin and a small bottom margin. Its inner divs take full width. On larger screens, the bottom margin is removed. On small screens (under 46.24em), it spans the full viewport width minus the scrollbar, with a negative left margin. On very small to medium screens (under 46.24em but over 30em), the left margin increases.

Captions are positioned absolutely at the bottom with specific padding and background color, using custom variables. The caption text color also uses a border variable. The first span inside a caption is hidden, while the second is displayed and limited to 90% width. On medium screens, caption padding increases. A hidden class sets captions to fully transparent.

A caption button is displayed absolutely, positioned near the bottom right, with a circular background and no border. Its icon is slightly scaled down. On medium screens, the button moves further right.

On very large screens, an interactive content column has an adjusted top position and increased height.The main column for interactive content has a maximum width of 620 pixels for h2 headings. For iOS and Android devices, the dark background color is set to #1a1a1a, with a feature color of #c70000 and a dark mode feature color of #ff5943. The new pillar color uses the primary pillar variable, defaulting to the feature color.

In dark mode, the new pillar color switches to the dark mode pillar variable, defaulting to the dark mode feature color.

On iOS and Android, the first letter of the first paragraph following specific elements in article containers is styled with the secondary pillar color, defaulting to black. The article header height is set to zero, and the furniture wrapper has padding of 4 pixels at the top, 10 pixels on the sides, and no padding at the bottom.

Within the furniture wrapper, content labels use a bold, specific font family, adopt the new pillar color, and are capitalized. Headlines are set to 32 pixels, bold, with 12 pixels of padding at the bottom, and a text color of #121212.For iOS and Android devices, the image elements within furniture wrappers across feature, standard, and comment article containers are styled with a relative position, a top margin of 14px, a left offset of -10px, and a width that fills the viewport minus the scrollbar. Their inner elements, images, and links have a transparent background and the same responsive width.

The standfirst sections in these containers have top and bottom padding with a right margin offset. The paragraphs inside use a specific set of serif fonts, and the links within them are also targeted for styling.For comment articles, links in the standfirst section should use the new pillar color, have an underline with a specific offset and color, and no background image or bottom border. On iOS and Android devices, when hovering over these links in feature, standard, or comment articles, the underline color should change to the new pillar color. Also, for these article types on iOS and Android, the meta section should have no margin, the author and byline text should use the new pillar color, and the miscellaneous meta info should have no padding.For iOS and Android devices, the following CSS rules apply across feature, standard, and comment article containers:

– SVG icons within the meta misc section use the new pillar color for their stroke.
– The caption button in showcase elements is displayed as a flex container, centered with 5px padding, and positioned 14px from the right with dimensions of 28px by 28px.
– The article body has a horizontal padding of 12px.
– Non-thumbnail, non-immersive image figures within the article body have no margin, a width calculated as the viewport width minus 24px and the scrollbar width, and an automatic height. Their captions have no padding.
– Immersive image figures span the full viewport width minus the scrollbar width.
– Quoted blockquotes in the prose section are styled with a `:before` pseudo-element.For quoted blockquotes in the article body on iOS and Android, the color before the quote uses the new pillar color.

On iOS and Android, links within the article body for feature, standard, and comment articles are styled with the primary pillar color. They have an underline with an offset of 6px, using the header border color for the underline. When hovered over, the underline color changes to the new pillar color.

In dark mode, the furniture wrapper background for these article types on iOS and Android changes to #1a1a1a. The content labels use the new pillar color. The main headline has no background, and its text color is set to the header border color. Paragraphs in the standfirst also use the header border color.

Links within the standfirst, as well as author bylines and author links in the meta section, are affected in dark mode.This appears to be CSS code for styling web articles on Android and iOS devices. The code sets colors for author bylines, icons, image captions, and blockquotes using custom color variables. It also applies a dark background to article content areas. The styling targets different article types (feature, standard, comment) across both mobile operating systems.This appears to be a CSS selector targeting the first letter of paragraphs in specific containers on iOS and Android devices. The selector applies to various article containers (feature, standard, comment) and looks for paragraphs following certain elements like `.element-atom`, `.sign-in-gate`, or `#sign-in-gate`.For Android and iOS devices, the first letter of paragraphs following specific elements in various article containers will be styled with a custom color variable.For comment articles on iOS and Android, the standfirst section has a top padding of 24 pixels and no top margin. The main heading (h2) in the article text is set to a font size of 24 pixels.

On iOS, the caption button for feature, standard, and comment articles has specific padding. On Android, the same button has slightly different padding.

When the user’s system is set to dark mode, the color scheme adjusts various text and icon colors to lighter shades and specific dark mode pillar colors.

If the page header includes a Guardian organization logo, the branding element is forced to display.

For iOS and Android, the labels and main headline (h1) in the header of feature, standard, and comment articles are set to a medium font weight (500). This also applies to the standfirst text paragraph.

The page uses a custom background color (#fff4f2) for a “weekend essay” theme, which is applied to the body and specific article sections. A decorative lines element is hidden.

On larger screens, the page header uses a specific grid layout.

The article title area has a fixed height. Within it, the labels container displays an animated book GIF in the bottom-right corner. On larger screens, this GIF is bigger. A horizontal divider line is also added at the bottom of this area, spanning the viewport width. On tablet-sized screens and above, this line’s width is fixed.For screens with a minimum width of 61.25em, the furniture wrapper hides the pseudo-elements after divs within content labels in the article header and title sections. When the viewport reaches at least 71.25em, the article header and title areas adjust to a height of 80px. This increases to 125px at 81.25em. At that same breakpoint, the headline, its data attribute counterpart, and headline class receive a negative top margin of -2px.

Within the furniture wrapper, the headline, its data-gu-name equivalent, and .headline class have inner divs with no bottom padding. The portrait main media headline wrapper inside these sections takes up full height, uses relative positioning, hides overflow, and adds 24px of bottom padding. The h1 and anchor tags inside this wrapper have no max-width restriction. On hover, these links and headings get a 2px thick underline with a 6px offset.

Text elements within the portrait main media headline wrapper—including h1, links, and byline spans—have a line height of 115%, a font weight of 500, and a font size of 36px. This font size increases to 50px for viewports of at least 71.25em.

The standfirst section, whether selected by class, ID, or data attribute, is positioned relatively with 4px top padding. This padding is removed at 61.25em and then set to 2px at 71.25em.

Inside the meta section’s content meta container, any gu-island element with the name “Branding” is set to display as a block. The main media section is also styled within the furniture wrapper..furniture-wrapper [data-gu-name=media] {
position: relative;
}

@media (min-width: 61.25em) {
.furniture-wrapper #main-media,
.furniture-wrapper [data-gu-name=media] {
grid-area: portrait;
}
}

.furniture-wrapper #main-media > div,
.furniture-wrapper [data-gu-name=media] > div {
position: relative;
}

.furniture-wrapper #main-media div + span,
.furniture-wrapper [data-gu-name=media] div + span {
display: block;
}

.furniture-wrapper #main-media figure,
.furniture-wrapper [data-gu-name=media] figure {
height: 100%;
margin-left: 10px;
}

.furniture-wrapper #main-media figure picture img,
.furniture-wrapper #main-media figure figcaption,
.furniture-wrapper [data-gu-name=media] figure picture img,
.furniture-wrapper [data-gu-name=media] figure figcaption {
width: calc(100vw – 40px – var(–scrollbar-width, 0px));
height: auto;
margin-left: 10px;
padding: 10px 0;
}

.furniture-wrapper #main-media figure figcaption,
.furniture-wrapper [data-gu-name=media] figure figcaption {
margin-bottom: 10px;
padding: 10px;
}

.furniture-wrapper #main-media figure:before,
.furniture-wrapper [data-gu-name=media] figure:before {
content: “”;
display: block;
width: calc(100vw – 20px – var(–scrollbar-width, 0px));
background-image: url(https://interactive.guim.co.uk/atoms/2025/04/2025-weekend-essay-test/assets/v/1764331689/frame.png);
background-size: contain;
background-position: center;
background-repeat: no-repeat;
position: absolute;
top: 0;
left: 10px;
height: inherit;
}

@media (min-width: 46.25em) {
.furniture-wrapper #main-media figure,
.furniture-wrapper [data-gu-name=media] figure {
margin-left: 0;
}

.furniture-wrapper #main-media figure picture img,
.furniture-wrapper [data-gu-name=media] figure picture img {
width: 670px;
height: auto;
margin-left: 5px;
padding: 15px 10px;
}

.furniture-wrapper #main-media figure:before,
.furniture-wrapper [data-gu-name=media] figure:before {
width: 700px;
left: -10px;
}

.furniture-wrapper #main-media figure figcaption,
.furniture-wrapper [data-gu-name=media] figure figcaption {
width: 650px;
margin-left: 15px;
margin-bottom: 15px;
padding: 15px 10px;
}
}

@media (min-width: 61.25em) {
.furniture-wrapper #main-media figure:before,
.furniture-wrapper [data-gu-name=media] figure:before {
width: 470px;
}

.furniture-wrapper #main-media figure picture img,
.furniture-wrapper [data-gu-name=media] figure picture img {
padding: 10px 0;
}

.furniture-wrapper #main-media figure figcaption,
.furniture-wrapper [data-gu-name=media] figure figcaption {
margin-bottom: 10px;
}
}

@media (min-width: 71.25em) {
.furniture-wrapper #main-media figure:before,
.furniture-wrapper [data-gu-name=media] figure:before {
width: 550px;
}

.furniture-wrapper #main-media figure picture img,
.furniture-wrapper [data-gu-name=media] figure picture img {
width: 520px;
margin-left: 5px;
padding: 10px 5px;
}

.furniture-wrapper #main-media figure figcaption,
.furniture-wrapper [data-gu-name=media] figure figcaption {
width: 510px;
margin-left: 10px;
margin-bottom: 10px;
}
}

@media (min-width: 81.25em) {
.furniture-wrapper #main-media figure:before,
.furniture-wrapper [data-gu-name=media] figure:before {
width: 630px;
}

.furniture-wrapper #main-media figure picture img,
.furniture-wrapper [data-gu-name=media] figure picture img {
width: 600px;
padding: 15px 0;
}

.furniture-wrapper #main-media figure figcaption,
.furniture-wrapper [data-gu-name=media] figure figcaption {
width: 600px;
margin-left: 5px;
margin-bottom: 15px;
}
}

.furniture-wrapper #main-media #caption-button,
.furniture-wrapper [data-gu-name=media] #caption-button {
right: 15px;
bottom: 20px;
}

@media (min-width: 46.25em) {
.furniture-wrapper #main-media #caption-button,
.furniture-wrapper [data-gu-name=media] #caption-button {
right: 45px;
bottom: 30px;
}
}

@media (min-width: 61.25em) {
.furniture-wrapper #main-media #caption-button,
.furniture-wrapper [data-gu-name=media] #caption-button {
right: 15px;
bottom: 20px;
}
}

@media (min-width: 71.25em) {
.furniture-wrapper #main-media #caption-button,
.furniture-wrapper [data-gu-name=media] #caption-button {
right: 20px;
}
}

@media (min-width: 81.25em) {
.furniture-wrap
}For the main media caption button, the furniture wrapper sets the bottom position to 30px. When there’s no media, a centered div displays a bold, underlined, 24px text in a specific color.

On larger screens, the interactive main column aligns to the left and removes a preceding element. Supporting content with blockquotes gets a light background. The first letter of the first paragraph is styled lightly, while specific paragraphs after certain elements feature a large, uppercase drop cap in a headline font.

Headings at level 2 are styled in a dark orange, with larger sizes on wider screens, and become bolder if they contain strong text. Figures with iframes also receive a light background.

For apps on iOS and Android, the byline includes a follow button with adjusted spacing and smaller text. Media elements within the main content are set to fit their content. In dark mode, the background colors for the article section and weekend essay are changed to a dark gray, and decorative lines after certain headers are removed.[data-app-os=android] .furniture-wrapper .article-header:after,
[data-app-os=android] .furniture-wrapper [data-gu-name=title] .content__labels:after {
background-image: url(https://interactive.guim.co.uk/atoms/2025/04/2025-weekend-essay-test/assets/v/1764331689/book-white.gif)
}

[data-rendering-target=apps] .furniture-wrapper .meta__byline gu-island[name=FollowWrapper] svg path,
[data-rendering-target=apps] .furniture-wrapper [data-component=meta-byline] gu-island[name=FollowWrapper] svg path,
[data-app-os=ios] .furniture-wrapper .meta__byline gu-island[name=FollowWrapper] svg path,
[data-app-os=ios] .furniture-wrapper [data-component=meta-byline] gu-island[name=FollowWrapper] svg path,
[data-app-os=android] .furniture-wrapper .meta__byline gu-island[name=FollowWrapper] svg path,
[data-app-os=android] .furniture-wrapper [data-component=meta-byline] gu-island[name=FollowWrapper] svg path {
fill: var(–byline-anchor, #ffffff) !important
}

[data-rendering-target=apps] .furniture-wrapper #main-media figure:before,
[data-rendering-target=apps] .furniture-wrapper [data-gu-name=media] figure:before,
[data-app-os=ios] .furniture-wrapper #main-media figure:before,
[data-app-os=ios] .furniture-wrapper [data-gu-name=media] figure:before,
[data-app-os=android] .furniture-wrapper #main-media figure:before,
[data-app-os=android] .furniture-wrapper [data-gu-name=media] figure:before {
background-image: url(https://interactive.guim.co.uk/atoms/2025/04/2025-weekend-essay-test/assets/v/1764331689/frame-white.png) !important
}

body.ios,
body.android {
background-color: #fff
}

body.ios #feature-article-container .furniture-wrapper .content__labels,
body.ios #standard-article-container .furniture-wrapper .content__labels,
body.ios #comment-article-container .furniture-wrapper .content__labels,
body.android #feature-article-container .furniture-wrapper .content__labels,
body.android #standard-article-container .furniture-wrapper .content__labels,
body.android #comment-article-container .furniture-wrapper .content__labels,
body.ios #feature-article-container .furniture-wrapper h1.headline,
body.ios #standard-article-container .furniture-wrapper h1.headline,
body.ios #comment-article-container .furniture-wrapper h1.headline,
body.android #feature-article-container .furniture-wrapper h1.headline,
body.android #standard-article-container .furniture-wrapper h1.headline,
body.android #comment-article-container .furniture-wrapper h1.headline {
font-weight: 500
}

@media (prefers-color-scheme: light) {
html:has(body.ios, body.android) {
background-color: var(–weekend-essay-bg, #fff4f2)
}
}

html:has(body.ios, body.android) body.ios,
html:has(body.ios, body.android) body.android {
–opinion-primary: #c74600;
–byline-anchor: var(–opinion-primary, #c74600);
–primary-pillar: var(–opinion-primary, #c74600)
}

@media (prefers-color-scheme: light) {
html:has(body.ios, body.android) body.ios,
html:has(body.ios, body.android) body.android {
background-color: var(–weekend-essay-bg, #fff4f2)
}
}

@media (prefers-color-scheme: dark) {
html:has(body.ios, body.android) body.ios,
html:has(body.ios, body.android) body.android {
–weekend-essay-bg: #1a1a1a;
–opinion-primary: #ff7f0f
}
html:has(body.ios, body.android) .garnett–pillar-opinion:not(.garnett–type-media).ios .article__body,
html:has(body.ios, body.android) .garnett–pillar-opinion:not(.garnett–type-media).ios .tags {
background-color: unset
}
}

body.ios #feature-article-container,
body.ios #standard-article-container,
body.ios #comment-article-container,
body.android #feature-article-container,
body.android #standard-article-container,
body.android #comment-article-container {
background-color: var(–weekend-essay-bg, #fff4f2)
}

@media (min-width: 61.25em) {
body.ios #feature-article-container .furniture-wrapper,
body.ios #standard-article-container .furniture-wrapper,
body.ios #comment-article-container .furniture-wrapper,
body.android #feature-article-container .furniture-wrapper,
body.android #standard-article-container .furniture-wrapper,
body.android #comment-article-container .furniture-wrapper {
grid-column-gap: 20px;
grid-row-gap: 0px;
grid-template-columns: [title-start headline-start meta-start standfirst-s
}
}The grid is set up with five equal-width columns, starting from the title and ending at the portrait. The rows are arranged so that the title and portrait begin together, followed by the headline, standfirst, and metadata, with the portrait ending last.

On iOS and Android devices, the title and GIF wrapper within the furniture container for feature, standard, and comment articles is displayed as a flexible row layout. It uses space-between alignment and is positioned relatively.

Within this wrapper, content labels have a font size of 17 pixels, a normal style, bold weight, and 115% line height. Links inside these labels are colored using a custom variable for the new pillar color (defaulting to #c74600) and have no text transformation.

The GIF container and its images are set to 70 pixels in both width and height. When the GIF container or its images have the class “book-gif-white,” the same dimensions apply.For Android devices, hide the white book GIFs in feature, standard, and comment article containers. In dark mode, hide the regular book GIFs and show the white ones instead for both iOS and Android. On iOS and Android, add a light gray line at the bottom of the title and GIF wrapper in these article containers. For larger screens, adjust the layout of the title and GIF wrapper in iOS feature and standard articles.The title and GIF wrapper for furniture sections is set to the grid area named “title” across various article containers on iOS and Android. For iOS devices, after this wrapper in feature, standard, and comment articles, the width is set to 50 viewport width units.

In dark mode, the background color after these wrappers changes to #606060 for the same article types on both iOS and Android.

On larger screens (61.25em and above), the portrait main media headline wrapper within furniture sections is assigned to the “headline” grid area for feature, standard, and comment articles on iOS and Android.

For headlines, bylines, and their links within furniture sections of feature, standard, and comment articles on iOS and Android, the font size is 36px with normal style, medium weight (500), and 115% line height.For feature, standard, and comment articles on iOS and Android devices, the byline text and links are set to a red color (#c70000) or a custom variable. In dark mode, this changes to a darker orange (#c74600). Avatars are hidden in these sections. Headlines have no bottom margin or padding. Bylines are displayed in italics.For iOS and Android devices, the author’s byline in feature, standard, and comment articles should be displayed in a normal font style, not italicized.

In these same article types, the main media container should have an automatic height, a 4:5 aspect ratio, and a transparent background. Any figure elements within this container should take up the full height and have no left margin.

Inside these figures, the inner containers should be positioned normally at the top-left, with a transparent background, no padding, and visible overflow. All images within these elements should have a width equal to the full viewport width minus 40 pixels, with 20 pixels of left margin and 25 pixels of top margin.The CSS code sets specific styles for images and captions within article containers on iOS and Android devices. Images get a 13px top margin, while captions are set to auto height with block display and a gray text color. For screens wider than 46.25em, figures expand to full width and have a left-aligned decorative element.For iOS and Android devices, the image width within article containers is set to the full viewport width minus 60 pixels, with a left margin of 30 pixels and a top margin of 40 pixels.

On larger screens (61.25em and above), the width adjusts to half the viewport width minus 40 pixels and the scrollbar width, with a reduced left margin of 18 pixels and a top margin of 10 pixels.

For even larger screens (71.25em and above), the positioning is fine-tuned with a top offset of -4 pixels.

On the largest screens (81.25em and above), the width becomes half the viewport width minus 90 pixels and the scrollbar width, with a left margin of 12 pixels, a top margin of -10 pixels, and a top padding of 21 pixels.

In dark mode, additional styling is applied.For iOS and Android devices, the first image in articles (feature, standard, or comment types) has specific styling. A white frame background is applied to these images.

On smaller screens, the first image spans almost the full viewport width, accounting for scrollbars, with no left margin and 10px of padding.

On wider screens (61.25em and above), the image width reduces to half the viewport, gains a small left margin, and has auto height with top padding.

On even larger screens (81.25em and above), the width adjusts further, and a negative top margin is applied.For the main media figure element that is the first image, set the height to 100% and the maximum width to 620px as important.

On iOS and Android devices, for feature, standard, and comment article containers within the furniture wrapper, before the main media figure element that is the first image, set the width to half the viewport width minus 20px and the scrollbar width, align it to the left, and set the height to 100%.

For viewports at least 81.25em wide, adjust the left position of this pseudo-element to -20px for the same conditions.

For viewports at least 46.25em wide, position the caption button 45px from the bottom within the main media section for the same article types on iOS and Android.

For viewports at least 61.25em wide, set the main media section to the portrait grid area, limit its maximum width to 620px as important, and allow the height to adjust automatically for the same conditions.

For figure elements within the furniture wrapper on iOS and Android across the article types, set the position to relative and remove the top margin.

For the inner figure element within these, set the position to absolute, place it 15px from the top and 20px from the left, set the width to the full viewport width minus 40px, and allow the height to adjust automatically.

For images inside this inner figure element, ensure they are included under the same conditions.Images within figure elements are set to cover their containers fully. On iOS and Android devices, caption buttons in article containers are positioned 24px from the right and 20px from the bottom.

For screens wider than 46.25em, the inner figure container adjusts to 680px wide with automatic height, positioned 10px from the top and left, while caption buttons move to 25px from the bottom.

On screens wider than 61.25em, the figure element itself becomes half the viewport width minus 20px and the scrollbar width.

Standfirst sections in these article containers have no top margin, with 8px top padding and 10px right padding, and their before pseudo-elements are hidden. Paragraphs, links, and list items within the standfirst inner container maintain consistent styling.For Android devices, links, list items, and paragraphs within the standfirst section of feature, standard, and comment articles will have a font size of 20px, normal style, medium weight, 115% line height, and no bottom padding.

On screens wider than 61.25em, the standfirst section for these article types on both iOS and Android will be placed in the grid area named “standfirst”.

The meta section for these articles on both iOS and Android will have no top padding. The published date within the meta section will be positioned relatively. A thin gray line will appear below the published date, extending the full viewport width on smaller screens. On screens wider than 61.25em, the meta section will be placed in the grid area named “meta” and displayed as a block, with the line below the published date shortening to 50% of the viewport width.

On screens wider than 81.25em, the miscellaneous meta information for these articles on both iOS and Android will be styled accordingly.For iOS and Android devices, the following styles apply:

– The left margin for `.meta .meta__misc` is removed.
– In dark mode, the background color after the published date in article containers is set to #606060.
– The `:before` pseudo-elements for `.meta` and `.keyline` are hidden.
– Rich link elements are hidden.
– The cutout container in comment headers is hidden with `!important`.
– The article body background uses a custom property, defaulting to #fff4f2, with a top margin of 6px.
– Horizontal rules (`hr`) are styled with a height of 1px, no border, specific margins, a background color of #dcdcdc, a width of 150px, and left-aligned.
– The first letter of the first paragraph (or the paragraph after an `hr`) is styled with a specific font, weight, size, line height, float, text transform, box model, margin, vertical alignment, and color using custom properties.
– Strong or bold text within `h2` headings is set to a font weight of 500.

These styles are applied across feature, standard, and comment article containers.When the operating system is set to dark mode, specific styling rules apply for iOS and Android devices. Horizontal lines in article and feature bodies appear in a gray color (#606060). The first letter after a horizontal line in paragraphs is colored using a custom variable (defaulting to orange, #ff5943). Links within paragraphs have no underline.

For the first paragraph following certain elements, the first letter is set to a medium font weight (500). In comment sections or specific body areas, the first letter after certain elements has a lighter font weight (300) and no top padding.

Headings (h2) are styled with a dark orange color (#8d2700), a 28px font size, normal style, light weight (300), normal line height, and margins of 28px top, 0 left/right, and 8px bottom. On Android, a container with the ID `cutout-container` is hidden.

In dark mode, additional rules apply: gradient backgrounds are added to certain wrappers, the first letter of non-initial paragraphs in comments is white, and h2 headings use a custom variable for color (defaulting to a lighter orange, #c74600).

When scripting is enabled, certain interactive content and header elements start as invisible (opacity: 0). Once a specific class (`interactive-loaded`) is added to the root element, these become fully visible (opacity: 1) with a smooth 0.3-second fade-in transition.

Stargate was poised to become the world’s largest AI investment: a $500 billion infrastructure project designed to “secure American leadership in AI.” Its primary backer, OpenAI—the creator of ChatGPT and no stranger to grand claims—promised “massive economic benefit for the entire world,” with facilities intended to help people “use AI to elevate humanity.”

Now, OpenAI seems to be pulling back from a key part of the venture: the expansion of a flagship data center planned for a large area in Abilene, Texas. This site had become a prominent symbol of the intense rush to invest in the chips and power plants needed to develop and operate AI. The withdrawal follows a breakdown in negotiations over both project financing and the timeline for the expansion.New data center capacity might come online. This may be fine for OpenAI, which can presumably find other data centers. It is less fine for OpenAI’s partner on the project, Oracle, which has already spent billions on hardware for the site. This is one of several cracks appearing in the capital side of the AI economy that are making investors nervous.

Both companies have said the development will not derail their AI plans. They said the same thing a month ago, when a different $100 billion deal between OpenAI and Nvidia—the world’s biggest maker of the chips that train AI models and handle billions of daily queries—fell apart.

The fate of such deals is becoming increasingly important for the global economy. Future data center leases agreed by the largest cloud computing companies, including Amazon, Oracle, and Microsoft, have risen nearly 340% in two years and now exceed $700 billion, according to Bloomberg. That’s a lot of money if the technology fails to deliver on its promise to significantly boost economic productivity. On Friday, more than three years after the launch of ChatGPT unleashed the AI hype, the UK reported zero GDP growth for January.

On Monday, the Guardian exposed another crack in the AI foundation. An investigation found that the UK’s flagship AI deals, many announced with great fanfare during Donald Trump’s state visit last September, are not as they were described in government and corporate press releases. Key projects are delayed or improbable, and crucial “investments” are actually vague agreements between mostly US tech companies—agreements that ministers are desperately spinning as an engine for economic growth.

If the cracks in this data center boom widen, the consequences could range from Britain lacking the AI infrastructure needed to keep up in the global economy, to the more serious risk that the entire AI bubble bursts in a replay of the 2001 dot-com crash, potentially destabilizing the world economy.

“There has been a lot of blind optimism around the buildout of AI infrastructure,” said Andy Lawrence, executive director of research at the Uptime Institute, which inspects and rates data centers. “While there is an incredible boom underway, with construction at a scale never seen before, it has also been apparent for quite a while that many projects would either not go ahead or would take much longer to build and begin operating than many claims suggested. Because of the high stakes and high rewards in AI, it has attracted speculators who promise investment but have little experience in the sector.”

Most emblematically, the Guardian’s investigation featured a site in Loughton, Essex, that the government said would host “the largest UK sovereign AI data center” by the end of 2026. The then-technology secretary, Peter Kyle, called it “a fresh start for our economy and for working people.” A year later, it was still being used as a scaffolding yard, with almost no chance of opening on schedule. After the Guardian’s investigation, Nscale confirmed it had bought the land for the data center—eight months after claiming it had done so in January 2025. It still does not have planning permission but said on Friday it plans to start construction before July and would switch on the data center between April and July 2027.

These shaky AI deals have emerged amid a tightening embrace between US tech corporations and senior politicians in the US and UK. Donald Trump’s top AI advisers include David Sacks and Sriram Krishnan, both with recent backgrounds as tech investors. In London, OpenAI hired former chancellor George Osborne; Anthropic and Microsoft employed former prime minister Rishi Sunak; and Peter Mandelson was an owner of a consultancy that lobbied for Palantir.The Tony Blair Institute has received funding from the foundation of Oracle’s billionaire owner, Larry Ellison. These influential figures have helped shape an AI policy where the UK has essentially agreed to serve as a testing ground for US-designed hardware, which is mostly rented out to US tech companies. The UK government claims it is building “sovereign AI infrastructure,” a term with a debated definition. It can mean hardware and data owned by the UK to maintain control over critical national infrastructure in an unstable world, or, as AI Minister Kanishka Narayan more flexibly defines it, “strategic leverage” to ensure the UK’s “ongoing access to critical inputs.”

In practice, this means relying on the US. As Nvidia’s CEO, Jensen Huang, stated during Trump’s state visit last September, “America must lead across the entire AI technology stack.” Former Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg was more blunt that week, calling the UK a “vassal state technologically.” Clegg recently became a board director at Nscale, the UK company involved in the Loughton AI deal, whose client is Microsoft—part of the very US tech hegemony he lamented six months ago.

On BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Nscale’s senior vice-president, Imran Shafi, was asked if its Essex data centre would be operational by “Q4 of 2026” as promised. He replied, “The time that it will be live will be the time we have approved with our customer.” Meanwhile, Minister Narayan defended the broader pace of progress, telling CityAM, “What we are saying is that we’re making concerted progress. We have live data centres in Lanarkshire already. We have spades in the ground in parts of the north-east.”

Narayan might consider the current meltdown in Texas as a cautionary tale. Billions were promised, construction began, and expensive equipment was purchased, but then OpenAI pulled out, leaving its partners scrambling to find another major AI company. Reports suggested OpenAI wanted a newer chip model, meaning the hardware Oracle bought could be outdated by the time construction finishes—akin to buying a batch of iPhones right before a much more powerful model launches. The rapid obsolescence of chips casts further doubt on the UK government’s claims of massive AI investment. These “investments” are often described in cash terms but consist largely of computer chips, which depreciate quickly—possibly faster than most tech companies predict.

This makes the timeline for data centres in Essex or AI hubs in Lanarkshire critical. By the time they are operational and additional electricity is secured, will advances in AI design make 2025 chips as obsolete as propeller planes in the jet age? If the deals involve future chips, will they even be available? Supply chains are already vulnerable; for instance, Iranian drone strikes have disrupted helium supplies from Qatar, which chip manufacturers need. What if China disrupts supplies from Taiwan?

“Data centres, especially the big high-density AI ones, are very complex engineering projects,” said an expert at the Uptime Institute. “Few go live in less than two years, and usually it takes much longer. It is not uncommon for some projects to be delayed for years or be indefinitely postponed.”

The final piece is the role of banks. Nscale’s chips, like those of other data centre companies, are leveraged. These operators have secured billions in loans based on their graphics processing units (GPUs). In Nscale’s case, this debt will finance its UK buildout, but when does it come due? If it cannot be repaid, what happens to Nscale?Who bears the risk—the AI companies or the financial institutions left trying to sell potentially obsolete chips?

A spokesperson for Nscale stated that the company “works with established financial partners and maintains disciplined governance over financing decisions. We take a conservative approach to our financing, aligned with long-term infrastructure projects.”

Alvin Nguyen, an analyst at Forrester, noted: “The lenders, the financial institutions, are taking on significantly more risk because these chips have a limited lifespan.”

The datacentre investment boom is one of the largest infrastructure gambles of our time. Whether the scaffolding yard in Loughton becomes a true AI factory may reveal much about who will ultimately succeed and who will not.

Frequently Asked Questions
FAQs Invisible Data Centers Unpredictable Chips the UKs AI Future

Beginner Definition Questions

1 What is an invisible data center
An invisible data center is a computing facility thats integrated into existing buildings or urban infrastructure instead of being a massive standalone complex The goal is to make them less noticeable more energyefficient and closer to where data is actually used

2 What are unpredictable chips in AI
These are new types of computer chips designed to work more like a human brain Their operations can be less perfectly precise than traditional chips but are faster and more energyefficient for specific AI tasks Their unpredictable nature refers to their novel design which is still being fully understood and standardized

3 What is the UK AI bubble people are talking about
It refers to the concern that the high valuations and intense hype around UKbased AI companies and investments might be overheated The worry is that if these companies dont deliver expected profits or breakthroughs quickly investment could dry up leading to a sharp downturna bursting of the bubble

Benefits Opportunities

4 Whats the advantage of invisible data centers
Their main benefits are reduced visual and environmental impact lower latency by being in cities and potentially using waste heat to warm local buildings They can also be deployed faster and more flexibly

5 Why develop unpredictable chips if current chips work
Current chips are incredibly powerhungry for AI Unpredictable chips promise to run advanced AI on a fraction of the energy which is critical for scaling AI sustainably and putting AI capabilities into smaller devices like phones or sensors

6 Is the UK actually a leader in AI
Yes in several key areas The UK has worldleading AI research institutions a strong startup ecosystem and was one of the first countries to propose a formal AI governance framework The question is whether it can turn this research and policy leadership into lasting commercial success

Common Problems Risks

7 What are the biggest risks with invisible data centers
Key challenges include managing heat and power in

Related Posts