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The backlash about data centers might really just be about electricity
Confirmed
In Short: The backlash against data centers is spreading across the US, with local governments moving to pause developments or tighten regulations.
Senator Bernie Sanders called for a national moratorium on data center construction, citing concerns about Big Tech's impact on humanity's future.
This year, voters considered 47 ballot measures on data centers, with most aiming to restrict their construction.
According to polling from Gallup, 70 percent of Americans oppose local construction of AI data centers, with 75 percent of Democrats and 63 percent of Republicans in agreement.
Data centers consume significant amounts of electricity, with almost every watt leaving as heat, requiring thousands of fans to prevent overheating.
The political climate is shifting, with some Republicans supporting data center development but insisting on local control.
The gusher of investment in data centers, likely topping $700 billion this year, has made memory chips, computer processors, and other equipment more expensive.
Redbud Consulting tracked data center initiatives on the ballot and reported that out of 44 measures across 10 states seeking to restrict data centers, 38 passed so far.
What this adds
The backlash against data centers may conflict with the incoming majority's promise of expanded government benefits, which they claim will be financed by new tax revenue from data centers.
The industry's failure to communicate the benefits of data centers has contributed to the widespread opposition.
The political climate surrounding data centers is complex, with both parties having mixed views on the issue.
What's confirmed
- Senator Bernie Sanders called for a national moratorium on data center construction, citing concerns about Big Tech's impact on humanity's future.
- This year, voters considered 47 ballot measures on data centers, with most aiming to restrict their construction.
- According to polling from Gallup, 70 percent of Americans oppose local construction of AI data centers, with 75 percent of Democrats and 63 percent of Republicans in agreement.
- Data centers consume significant amounts of electricity, with almost every watt leaving as heat, requiring thousands of fans to prevent overheating.
- The political climate is shifting, with some Republicans supporting data center development but insisting on local control.
- The gusher of investment in data centers, likely topping $700 billion this year, has made memory chips, computer processors, and other equipment more expensive.
- Redbud Consulting tracked data center initiatives on the ballot and reported that out of 44 measures across 10 states seeking to restrict data centers, 38 passed so far.
What's still developing
- But it may have been even worse for data centers, which were almost universally rejected in dozens of ballot measures across the country.
- But such restrictions may run headlong into another side of the agenda of the incoming majority, which claims a gusher of new tax revenue from data centers will finance their promises of vastly expanded government benefits.
- The political backlash against data centers is spreading across the United States, with local governments moving to pause developments or tighten regulations just days after voters delivered a rebuke to the industry in the midterm elections.
- It’s also where the backlash now sweeping the country arguably first began taking shape.
- At the Republican National Convention in Dallas this week, several Republican state party chairs told Newsweek they support developing data centers, but the process must include local control.
- We’re seeing a big debate over AI safety and a potential slowdown, as Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei recently published a plan to “pace the frontier,” while Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has publicly echoed President Donald Trump’s claims that the AI backlash is a hoax and regulation is unnecessary.
- The CEO of America’s largest school choice advocacy organization is warning Democrats that abolishing existing universal school choice programs could trigger a major voter backlash in the 2028 elections.
- Following bipartisan backlash, President Donald Trump announced the Pentagon will not livestream the execution of Fort Hood shooter Nidal Malik Hasan.
- “This bill does not impose a federal mandate,” Evans said in July.
- Giant data centers face a growing backlash around Minnesota.
- The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) has published this report on an annual basis since 2010, and has published monthly historical data and forecasts on energy-related CO 2 emissions since August 2009.