How data centres became one of America’s hottest political issues
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- Data centres that support the United States’ artificial-intelligence boom have become increasingly unpopular, facing opposition from counties and states.
- Officials are moving to impose tighter regulations or ban the facilities, citing concerns including their effect on electricity prices.
- A House committee advanced the Ratepayer Protection Act in July, a measure designed to limit data centres’ impact on power costs.
A spectre is haunting America’s politics: the data centre. The computer-filled warehouses powering the country’s artificial-intelligence boom have become less popular than almost any other form of infrastructure, including nuclear-power plants.
That growing hostility is now reshaping the midterm elections. Counties and states are rushing to wrap data centres in red tape, while some are seeking to ban them altogether.
The facilities have also become a target in the debate over electricity prices. In July, the Ratepayer Protection Act, designed to limit their impact on power bills, sailed through the committee stage in the House of Representatives.
About this summary
Originally published by Der Standard. Summarized and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.
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