Data Centers Are Now a Political Albatross

I’m writing today for The Big Picture about an issue that might actually unite a bitterly divided country: Nobody wants a data center in their backyard. Seven in 10 Americans oppose construction in their own area, and the anger crosses partisan lines. Republicans have lost primaries in Utah over data centers, Democrats have flipped utility commission seats in Georgia amid anger over rising utility bills, and voters from California to Wisconsin have imposed bans or restrictions at the ballot box.

This week, AI chip giant Nvidia guaranteed up to $105 billion in lease and power payments for a single new data center campus in Ohio on a site once used to enrich uranium during the Cold War. The announcement came after Ohio activists failed to gather enough signatures to put a proposed ban on large data centers before voters.

Even though data centers are hugely unpopular, Donald Trump has spent the summer as one of the industry’s loudest champions, midterms be damned. Interesting strategy.

Look for my piece later today if you’re a subscriber to The Big Picture. If you’re not, you can sign up for free or become a valued paid supporter of our work here:

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I’ll be back tomorrow with my regular edition of The Status Kuo.

Jay