Survival of critically ill neonates in the intensive care unit has improved over the past decades reflecting improvements in obstetric, delivery room and neonatal intensive care, however, morbidity remains significant. Acute kidney injury is a common occurrence in these neonates and despite improved understanding of the pathophysiology and management of acute kidney injury in full term and preterm infants, the mortality remains as high as 61%. Furthermore, there is growing evidence that despite recovery from the acute injury, these infants are at risk for developing hypertension and chronic kidney disease later in life. Emphasis on improving our capability to detect renal insult and injury early, before renal failure occurs, and identification of novel therapeutic agents to prevent and treat acute kidney injury may impact mortality and morbidity. This review focuses on our current knowledge of acute kidney injury in the newborn, approaches to investigating and managing this complication and what future trends in this field may bring.