And it’s causing some interesting realignments and potential for bipartisan coalitions because it’s not a simple left or right issue. Why is this an issue that unites communities regardless of their political leanings? What is important here is not just the scale of an individual data center, but also the number of data centers that are being developed at rapid pace across the country, which is fueling a massive expansion in energy and water demand. But even that is way below the current standard of the data centers that are being built today.
Critics, however, are more worried about how they will affect the communities where they are being built. Texas moved first, as state lawmakers try to protect residents in the data-center hotspot from another deadly blackout, like the winter storm in 2021 when dozens died. Anthony Pipa, senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, said tools such as a citizen-driven map help people better understand what is happening in their communities. A data center is a warehouse-like building filled with computers that store and process massive amounts of digital information, supporting services such as cloud storage, streaming, and artificial intelligence.
Trump continues to embrace artificial intelligence as a top economic and national security priority, although he seemed to acknowledge the backlash last month by posting on social media that data centers “must ‘pay their own way.’” Concerns have dovetailed with broader questions about the cost of living, as well as fears about the powerful influence of tech companies and the impact of artificial intelligence. The price of powering data centers has become deeply intertwined with concerns over the cost of living, a dominant issue in the upcoming midterm elections that will determine control of Congress and governors’ offices. A recent Pew Research survey found that Americans are wary of AI data centers due to environmental and energy concerns, while still expressing cautious optimism about potential job creation. Looking ahead, projects scheduled for 2027 exceed 25 GW, but less than 10 GW is currently being built. The main constraints are difficulty sourcing key electrical equipment and securing enough power to operate new facilities.
Sanders, Ocasio-Cortez push bill to impose AI data center moratorium
The 700,000 sq.ft facility will be constructed in Beaver Dam, a small city north of Madison and Milwaukee. The companies said additional sites in the US are expected to follow and the project will create 800 permanent jobs and 2,000 construction roles. I worry that people are a little blind to the public animosity.”
How is Kentucky’s government incentivizing data center development?
The White House said Thursday the pledge has been signed by 23 governors and at least 187 companies, including 55 utilities and 27 data center developers. It’s not clear that data centers generating their own electricity will be sufficient to overcome the rising demand for electricity, but that did not deter Trump from saying that utility bills — a major concern for voters — will be lower. “You have to convince your community,” Trump said. In Asia-Pacific data center news, a report from Cushman & Wakefield described how Japan, Malaysia, and Thailand are poised to lead data center growth in the region. Elsewhere, new research indicates that Southern European coastal cities, including https://gleecus.com/blogs/ai-assistants-idea-to-implementation/ Marseille, Barcelona, Genoa, and Crete, are reshaping Europe’s data center landscape. The technology company seeks to build its network beyond markets in the U.S., Canada, and Saudi Arabia.
Energy race stokes concerns
It envisions an 81-satellite cluster that it plans to build in partnership with the satellite-imagery company Planet. The company demonstrated the ability to run a version of Google’s Gemini AI from space, and it plans to launch a second spacecraft in October. “I actually think that the cost of deploying AI in space will drop below the cost of terrestrial AI much sooner than most people expect,” he said. Musk announced that his space-launch company, SpaceX, which had recently merged with his artificial intelligence company, xAI, would put data centers into orbit around the Earth.
Data centers may not be the employment equivalent of 1950s-style assembly plants—and their promoters frequently exaggerate the possibilities—but new research shows that they do bring good jobs at attractive wages. Let’s start with the claim that data centers do not create good jobs. Elsewhere, Hurricane Electric has established a new point of presence at Open Access Data Centres’ DUR1 facility in Durban, expanding connectivity in one of Africa’s largest commercial hubs. Across West Africa, Digital Realty has activated a new internet exchange point of presence for the Internet Exchange Point of Nigeria (IXPN) at its Lekki facility in Lagos.
Do tax revenues and other community benefits outweigh the downsides of data center expansion? Once the data center is up and running, it requires very few people, often just 20 to 50 staff members, because it’s not an office for software developers, product managers, or marketing experts. Data center developers claim they bring jobs to local communities. Residents are increasingly pushing back against plans to build data centers in or near their communities. But public opposition is mounting over the large water and electricity demands and other strains that data centers, often the size of warehouses, place on communities, according to a recent poll by the Pew Research Center.
Get the best experience and stay connected to your community with our Spectrum News app. “It is disappointing, but perhaps not surprising, that the same tech companies signing the Ratepayer Protection Pledge are simultaneously opposing efforts at the state level to force them to deliver on their promises,” Freedman said. Already, dozens of state https://zagreb-energyweek.info/learning-the-secrets-of-8 legislatures or utility commissions have moved to put in place requirements that data centers pay the cost of their electricity, including new power plants or transmission system upgrades. In May, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, signed a law that he said would prevent utilities from passing along energy costs from data centers to residential and small-business customers.
Some states move to ban data centers
- Data Center Watch also reported that voters in Cascade Locks, Oregon, recalled two port authority officials who supported a Roadhouse Digital data Center.
- The report marks a significant evolution in JLL’s market intelligence, implementing several enhancements including the expansion of hyperscale coverage and the addition of more than 40 frontier markets.
- What policy recommendations are needed to address the expansion of data centers?
- The facilities, which by the state’s count will receive billions of dollars worth of tax breaks, still pay billions of dollars more in state and local taxes.
- WASHINGTON (AP) — Two high-profile progressive lawmakers introduced a bill Wednesday that would pause new data centers in the United States until national safeguards are in place to protect workers and consumers and ensure the technologies don’t harm the environment.
HUMAIN plans to collaborate with xAI on the new data center outside Riyadh, utilizing Nvidia’s hardware and systems. XAI, Elon Musk’s AI startup, announced plans for a 500 MW data center in Saudi Arabia. The UAE AI industry is poised to receive an injection of $15 billion over the next four years from Microsoft, with the investment intended to support the country’s AI and cloud infrastructure. As Abu Dhabi aims to become the world’s first AI-native government, Oracle announced a major expansion in the region with the deployment of its first OCI supercluster, powered by over 4,000 Nvidia Blackwell GPUs.
Lawmakers in 27 states are considering legislation that would require “large load” customers like data centers to bear the cost of new energy infrastructure needed to support them, according to an April report from MultiState. Many states have enacted or introduced legislation that doesn’t halt the construction of new data centers, but imposes regulations in hopes of protecting nearby communities from rising utility costs and mitigating adverse environmental impacts. Supporters say the facilities are necessary for the industry to grow, provide high-paying jobs and boost local economies. Some municipalities have responded to these concerns by passing moratoriums that keep data centers out of their community.
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Data centers generally don’t employ large numbers of people, compared to traditional labor-heavy manufacturing hubs. The large, energy-intensive developments have drawn pushback from communities concerned about impacts to the environment, health and local quality of life. But several large projects are in various stages of development as of mid-2026, including sites moving forward with construction. While data centers have existed for decades, the massive, energy-intensive versions known as hyperscale data centers have only proliferated in recent years amid a growing appetite for artificial intelligence. Data centers have come to Kentucky, along with a slew of concerns and considerations that tend to follow these computing powerhouses. It’s fairly run-of-the-mill, as these facilities go, but it still consumes around 13 megawatts of power at any given moment (that’s 130 times more than the International Space Station).