Conservatives split from Silicon Valley allies as datacenter backlash grows
Summary
Many US communities and politicians, including conservatives and some aligned with President Trump, are opposing the construction of new datacenters. This opposition is growing due to concerns about high electricity use and wider worries about big tech companies’ power and influence.Key Facts
- Datacenters consume large amounts of electricity, causing concern among states like Texas and Florida.
- Both Texas and Florida governors, who generally support President Trump, have limited datacenters’ access to power.
- In Ohio, all candidates for governor support restrictions on new datacenters, including one from President Trump’s administration.
- New York’s governor has paused new large datacenter projects for a year.
- Critics say datacenters symbolize broader issues like environmental harm, rising utility bills, and big tech’s political and economic power.
- AI company leaders have focused on convincing politicians rather than the public, which has led to growing public resistance.
- Some commentators note a lack of effort from the tech industry to explain or engage with policymakers on datacenter issues.
- Venture capitalist Chamath Palihapitiya predicts the backlash against datacenters and the tech elite will continue to increase.
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