**Bumped by Request**
A few weeks ago, I was having a politics conversation with a tech insider. The issue of datacenters became a focus of the conversation. The first response from him was “this is the issue that might decide 2026 and will certainly decide 2028.”
The tech side of the issue is essentially: As 5G wifi was to mobile connectivity, so too are the datacenters the cornerstone of nationwide AI rollout. Eventually, all of the datacenters will interconnect and become part of a massive information system that houses all knowledge, a great digital brain. From that point, engagement with Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems will become like a public utility.
The datacenters themselves can be a hot button issue as their proximity to people creates friction. Battles against datacenters are taking place in rural and non-rural areas alike. With deep pockets and strong national security arguments involving the “AI race,” the technocrats are currently winning the argument. However, as with all special interest issues, the opportunity for political benefit now determines DC advocacy. WATCH:
What are your thoughts on this issue?
Is opposition to datacenters strong enough to tilt the outcome of the 2026 midterms? And do you believe 2028 will be determined with this issue at the forefront?
So basically we’re all in on Wokeness, LGBTQ, Antifa, child mutilation and all things the perverted Democrats stand for just so we don’t have to hear the hum data centers. They all went to the Massey MTG school of spite
I have news for you. You can pay them now or pay them later.
It isn’t a zero-sum game…nor one with a binary answer.
Voting for Democrats is a zero sum game.
Funny you bring this up..my son and his wife were visiting today and the subject of data centers came up. They, even with their tech-savvy gadgets, are a hard no on data centers. Hard no on AI also.
I am a hard no on data centers.
Whoever beats that drum the loudest on no to data centers, has a clear advantage in 2026 and 2028.
First water for cooling.
There are three ways to cool the data centers. The cheapest uses a lot of water. It works somewhat like a swamp cooler in the SouthWest areas. The most expensive is air conditioning which doesn’t use much water but consumes more power.
When the desire is to put one in a business park where the goal was a company employing 1,000 people…..the local area loses big time.
Independent dedicated power production should be a mandatory part of the site plan.
If it is a choice between production ie factories or a data center the factory is much better for a locality.
What does Besset say?
A major concern is AI data centers are heavily indebted……….if they can’t pay then it will effect everyone in the USA.
Besides the obvious PRC paid propaganda/astroturf campaign, there are three physical concerns which are real and which get regular people to also adopt the worry:
Water (usage, cleanliness)Energy (usage, impact on grid)NoiseI say if geothermal can do closed loop cooling and gaming computers closed loop cooling so can racks of GPUs. That’s quieter and doesn’t continually impact water tables.
The energy factor is real; so where’s the national push to build nuclear, bills to clear regulations, redirecting of fraudulent outlays to non-fraudulent grid upgrades? None from either party, which suggests they’re fine with everyone having expensive and poor quality water and expensive and poor-quality electricity. I should almost be thankful that Brandon et al are so fond of fraud lest there be thousands upon thousands of charging stations already attached to noisy generators devouring fuel from … somewhere.
Offshore and tidal power? In space and solar power? Maybe. Right in town getting tax breaks — why again? Well cui bono, which is probably answer enough.
As the illustration shows, Texas is one of the major battlegrounds with the largest number under construction or proposed.
If they would just be honest with the community, it would make a big difference, but they’re often opaque or just downright dishonest about the impact and expense to the community.
What they don’t like to talk about is using up groundwater supplies and the resulting higher prices for water and higher electricity rates because of increased demand.
I agree that they should have to build their own power plants whether that’s gas fired or small nuclear facilities. I also agree that as much as there are things to hate about AI we have to win this race.
There are no current data centers being built with traditional water cooling. Existing water cooled sites are moving to closed loop. In Texas, electricity allotment for data centers is controlled by ERCOT. Until a data center is allotted adequate power by ERCOT, no data center will begin construction. There are no increased demand charges since all power is accounted for. ERCOT is so slow allotting power that data center companies are now cooperating to pre-pay for the electric infrastructure.
The data centers would love to build their own power plants, but any sites near metro Texas cities are in “non-attainment” areas for air pollution and no power plants can be built, except nuclear. And nuclear is controlled by the feds.
For our area, the data centers will produce about $100 million in property tax revenue for the city and double that for the school district. In fast growing areas, there are few choices for growth – homes, commercial or data centers. Commercial follows homes. Homes mean increased population, increased traffic, increased infrastructure and increased need for schools. Data centers involve none of those negatives. Tax revenues come without the population side effects. Everybody wants the amenities of a 50,000 population without the hassell of a dealing with 50,000 people and the associated costs.
I believe you and I know that’s how it’s supposed to work. New centers are using closed loop. And yet… there was just a story about this a week ago (sorry, I didn’t bookmark it so I can’t give you the link) about a closed-loop cooling system at a data center in a rural area. Don’t think it was in Texas. Anyway, it used hundreds of thousands of gallons of water. They said it was construction use or just to get the system started. Then the later found out the center got “free” electricity for months because someone at the electric company forgot to start charging them. It was a clerical error and eventually they collected the money. But the point is that we are told ONE THING and then find out it’s often something else or becauase of human error or dishonesty there’s something else actually going on. In that example they eventually fixed the issues but that kind of slop gives the industry a bad name and community residents lose trust.
In my tiny Texas county we don’t want the traffic or growth. It’s not going to provide any meaningful number of jobs as the centers are pretty autonomous. We already here the hum at night from oil and gas rigs, but at some point those quite down. Data centers will constantly make noise and out in the middle of nowhere that sound travels long distances. I’m not old enough to need hearing aids yet but I have neighbors who don’t hear a thing because they take them out at night. : )
Texas couldn’t even supply electricity to it’s homes in times of stress – unless your home was in the elite areas – during adverse weather. You also might want to look into the reality of the tax situation…along with other false promises.
Free, free, free!
Icebox Energy’s End-to-End
Cooling Platform
Icebox Energy is a next-generation cooling platform built around a high-efficiency, purpose-built CO₂ heat pump. Designed to meet the demands of modern data centers — including AI, HPC, and ultra-dense workloads.
What?!? Useful CO2??? The Greenies are going to go crazy.
Treat them just like prisons. Build them out of the way and as unnoticeable as possible. There were and are communities that welcomed prisons for the jobs and opportunities. The same can be true for data centers.
The problem with that idea is they are being built right in the dead center of every business park in Suburban America. They are even using eminent domain in some instances.
The major issue is two fold. Energy consumption, and how we stop them from using them from controlling us.
As of now we can’t win either battle. But in my view if we don’t give PDJT full support for his entire term then we deserve the hell we are bringing upon ourselves.
Battling that stuff now or in 2 years is moot. This is our last chance for a champion to save the republic. Vote against it and IMO, you’re signing your own death warrant.
There is no problem with Mj’s idea. In fact, that sounds like a pretty good outcome.
The problem, as noted, is ‘they are being built right in the dead center of every business park in Suburban America. ‘
I believe the issue crosses the political spectrum.
The major issue surrounding Data Centers with be utility rate increases passed on to the consumer and water issues. Data Centers use a ton of water and can quickly impact water table and cause unnatural migration as a result of scarcity. It will be interesting times.
“Eventually, all of the datacenters will interconnect and become part of a massive information system that houses all knowledge, a great digital
brain.fence…. a cage from which none will escape without the full force of government pursuing the non-compliant relentlessly.”FIFY
But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words and seal the book, even to the time of the end. Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.”
Eventually Data Centers will be constructed on the Dark Side of the Moon 😎
The lunatic is on the moon.
One consideration is can we not innovate more to jump ahead of the need for data centers to operate the best AI in the world?
Consider the sunk cost of phone lines everywhere in USA plus cell towers vs the cost of a nation that only has cell towers. In this example it would have been the less developed nation that adopted technology later that is currently able to operate most efficiently with the lowest sunk cost.
And Space X is working on making cell towers as obsolete as landlines.
GREENLAND! Using pocket nuke local power generation and Mother Nature’s abundant heat transfer opportunities, the groundwater contamination issues could be isolated far away from agricultural and human needs….! 🙂
I read/try to read some book every day or nearly every day. I read any type from several on Apostle Paul and his travels to John D MacDonald to 6 Days of the Condor (book before the movie I recently found) to Thunder on the Mountain (1965, sermons of T Cecil Myers). I read non fiction. Nothing (or very few) published in the 2000s.
Recently finished a book on Crossnore school in NC mountains (Miracle in the Hills) founded by Dr Mary Martin Sloop.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_T._Martin_Sloop
Try and read something every day.
Some places do not have this issue, like Connecticut for example. No new Data Centers planned.
Regional issue, could have an affect in certain parts of the country but not all.
To the faithful followers of Sundance:
I am not sure where I fall in this particular discussion.
But be aware there have been multiple reports of late that much of the anti-datacenter commentary on the internet comes to us courtesy of the Chinese. They view development and control of AI to be a paramount concern for their nation, and seek to ensure we do not win this particular race.
Their disinformation goal is to delay implementation of datacenter construction in the U.S. long enough to allow them to achieve a substantial edge of us on this issue and eventually be the global master of AI.
This is a long way of saying: beware of negative reporting on this matter, as it may stem from those who do not have America’s best interests at heart.
Best to all of you as we head into June.
Propaganda from the AI industry.
The opposition to data centers is very organic.
Noting the few anecdotal reports herein, do you have any more “organic” reports? Are those reports themselves stemming from CCP propaganda planted as part of an Info Op? I’m not saying that everyone against them isn’t capable of framing their own arguments, but i also don’t discount the CCP’s rationale for working a full-on Info Op to influence US voters.
And I believe the opposition crossed over from massive solar and wind facilities.
So here’s where I’m confused about all the datacenters and support for and against. The support for, claims as you have, that we mus win this race instead of China so that we are the dominant AI country. The support against, say that datacenters are bad for the environment and also will result in the government controlling us via digital ID and digital currency never to be free again. So if WE win the AI race it will be OUR government that subjects us to tyranny and if China wins, then THEIR government will subject us all to tyranny ? Seems like a bad choice for us in either outcome.
This is real opposition. People here in Hood County, Texas are living it. We have been fighting to get our lives back for 3 years.
I’ll be honest, I’m up to here *raises hand above head* with the “it’s a Chinese conspiracy” nonsense.
Fun fact – the WEF has been THE biggest proponent of AI for years, before it was a fad.
Not “my view”, not “something fed to me by China”, not “my opinion” – their own words…
https://old.bitchute.com/video/WzMaWfUR86Kb/
If you want to skip the predictive movie clip, you can skip to the 3 minute mark.
https://old.bitchute.com/video/wdQfYdaC3xIH/
Here is Yuval also talking, laughing, mocking God and how they’ll use Ai to write a new, better “bible” and religion…
https://old.bitchute.com/video/2xvoVC9bsXRq/
“We are the gods now” says the diminutive Yuval. And he and his morally aberrant cult, wax wings and all, truly believe this.
Why do we need more data centers if there are already 4300 of them?
Can’t they upgrade them for better performance?
Our big power problem is anti-growth green stupidity. Not as bad as Germany, but still bad.
It just makes no sense to make them into water hogs. Unnecessary costs.
But the pro side was caught flat footed by the anti side scaring people with all these fears.
And all these fears are highly doubtful.
Like all this green crap has been jacking up electricity prices and prohibiting growth in capacity. Awful convenient to blame that on datacenters. Letting all the evil politicians off the hook.
And the Antis are clearly poisoning the well. Soon nobody will believe anything from the pro side.
But the anti side has already demonstrated itself to be a foreign funded campaign.
What a pain!
Here are 2 Articles on Power Consumption and Hardware Obsolesce
” Why data centers could hit obsolescence sooner than you think ”
https://www.jll.com/en-us/insights/why-data-centers-could-hit-obsolescence-sooner-than-you-think
” AGING DATA CENTERS
and why enterprises shouldn’t retrofit them ”
https://www.stackinfra.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Stack_WP_Aging_Datacenters033122.pdf
Jim, here at link is a detailed November 2025 map of then current data center infrastructure in USA. It is on a government site.
98553.jpg Data Center siting map
Datacenters is the same old NIMBY argument that has been going on forever.
God is in control. It is already written. Allow Jesus Christ into your heart.
Agree about Jesus Christ. Disagree about NIMBY. We have been living this intrusion 24/7 for 3 years. People here are sick and have lost their life investments in their properties. If this is such a national security issue open up government controlled land. There are thousands of acres with vast resources to utilize. Stop the destruction of the small rural communities and farmland.
Data center builders should be required to pay for whatever infrastructure expansion is necessary for their operation. They should not be allowed to socialize the costs and privatize the profits.
Didn’t PDJT state at a rally, or something, that all the new data centers would need to power themselves?
What is the legal situation right now nationally? And/or state by state.
Also, why so many in the hottest climates of the lower 48? Why not put them near the Alaskan oil and gas leases?
Exactly! Melt the snow for their water use, nuclear power, and far away from the lower 48!
Or just put no doors on it.
This!
Some new data centers are being built with their own power plants. As for water, pipe in sewage/waste water from the nearest Blue city/states-plenty of extra poopoo caca water there.
Let me tell you about my granddaughter.
She’s 18 years old, and just graduated high school. She’s smart and talented. She wants to be a cosmetologist, doing hair and nails, partly because she knows AI is going to be a factor in lots of jobs, but probably not that one.
She and her friends HATE AI. Hate it. She was angry when teachers asked students to use it for assignments. She thinks it is making people dumber. She is concerned about the data centers and their water and power usage.
AI is a loser with young voters. That much I believe.
I believe this is true and AI has already shown left leaning answers to questions.
Wiser than her years might indicate. God bless her…
It’s the people who control them I don’t trust. Who’s bidding will they do?
Why, “The Highest Bidder” of course.
Their purpose is to track every move, every transaction we make. The Chinese social credit score, it’s coming here.
I wish it were to track all politicians and all public servants for public knowledge, but I doubt it.’they will be tracking us.
We’re getting a data center right near us, we’re not happy
Everybody Stop, Think, and take a deep Breath.
There sure is all of a sudden a lot of well financed opposition with fancy well printed placards and signs, and already rehearsed slogan etc.
Sounds just like a few years ago when the Global Warmist all organized and worked on getting our power plants shut down, and transitioned into Solar/wind.
Turns out when a lot of the money was traced back, all of the global warming research, the protests, the lawfair, each was being funded by who? The Chinese Communist Party.
Why?
To Cripple our industrial base and to sell us all of their Solar and wind equipment.
FJB was instrumental in Shutting Down 100 Gigawatts of generating capacity in the US in his four years, using the RCRA operating permit process. What most people do not realize is the FJB regime only permitted the construction of 25 Gigawatts of Sola/Wind new capacity. This has left a big hole in our power production capacity, just as AI is showing up.
How about that?
Do we all see why our power bills are so high now?
So who do you think wants to win the AI race? They just about did us in on the power front.
Interesting how this already fully staffed and opposition with professionally painted signs and brochures appears to stop data center, just when the battle over global warming has been won, but look at all the damage done to the power infrastructure in the meantime.
Is it not readily apparent what is happing here?
Can we not put 3+1 together, seeing as we have already got a 2+2 example looking us right in the face?
Data centers destroy power and water infrastructure as well as the physical damage to the body from the noise and probably other vibrations and energy fields.
You do the elementary math.
TheGreatStateofTexas [always say as one word] has a large number of Data Centers according to the Map included with this article. … Virginia does also; presumably from the ‘data’ requirements created by the Federal Government.
There has to be some sort of information detailing with the ‘catastrophic’ consequences. … I haven’t seen any such dire consequences actually presented in ‘alarmist’ articles.
Big Al Brown might be correct in his analysis. … We have to separate the ‘wheat from the chaff’ and determine the correct answer about ‘data centers’ in our country. … If there is an actual need for data centers, then the ‘power’ and water requirements need to be met.
Too many jobs in our country have already been sent overseas. … There is no need for a ‘conniption fit’ over a contrived problem. … The alarms raised about ‘data centers’ sound more like alarms about ‘killer bee’ swarms and Demon Rum.
GGHD, you are catching on.
Guy, I am a Licensed Professional Chemical Engineer with 50 years experience.
Math is what I do for fun on my off days.
I looked at my office power bill (22 years in the same building with minimal changes). It was around $1000, just like 15 years ago. Where are people’s electricity bills higher? New England and California?
If it primarily those 2 areas, we know it’s not significantly due to data centers. Rather it’s due to poor policy.
My bill in Jefferson County Alabama has tripled in the last 4 years (the FJB years before PDJT47) .
The proximate cause was that FFJB and his minions in the EPA and DOE used the RCRA Operating Permit system to shut down the 3 largest coal fired power plants in Alabama without anything to replace them.
Our normal “wind” averages about 2 mph. So large scale wind is not an option in Alabama.
And then know Alabama normal anual rainfal is in the range of 54-60 inches of rain a year. That is more than an inch of rain a WEEK.
You know what comes with rain, right? CLOUDS.
Colorado, where I lived for 5 years, has 300 days of full Sun every year but it on’y gets about 13″ of rain a year, about an inch a month.
Alabama has about 200 days a year of Sun out of 365, about half, so Sun is not a viable source here either.
But the EPA/DOE weere all suffering from Cranio-Rctal Inversion. Since thier ears were up inside they could not be troubled to hear facts such as these.
The signs displayed in this video have been paid for by the people in the community most affected. I live in Granbury Texas and have been part of this fight for 3 years. Do an internet search or on Facebook. This is grassroots and across the country the opposition is consistent with the issues communities are facing.
The paid opposition is the made up messaging that it’s backed by China.
Race to what? Do we as a people get a vote before it gets rammed down our throats? Or is just another MIC false binary. USSR, domino theory, Radical Islam, China, Iran. We appear to need an enemy for the elites to get rich.
Data centers will likely become obsolete fairly quickly, as always happens with technology. I do not know how AI will operate a few years from now, but it will be different.
Why isn’t fractal computing getting more attention? Jay Valentine has been saying for at least 2 years that data centers being built are 1980’s technology and are already obsolete. Palentir and Oracle know this, but they are heavily invested in this old technology so they have pushed it hard Valentine says we could have far more efficient AI without data centers. There are already devices that can do the work of a data center that can fit in the back of an SUV,, but this info has been kept from Trump and others in government. The government is putting the nation through needless suffering by telling people we have a choice between having data centers or falling behind China in AI technology. If Valentine is right, it is a false choice. I am not a techie, but I am appalled that very few people are aware of the fractal alternative. I have never heard anyone give a reason why it isn’t a viable alternative. It seems to me it is being deliberately ignored. I find very few people who have ever heard of it: https://thesustainablecomputinginitiative.com/
If it is bogus I would like to hear someone with knowledge about it say so. Jay Valentine seems credible to me. It makes me very suspicious that he cannot get his message out there. I believe the data center issue is a losing issue for Republicans. Many people in my community are extremely upset about it. Democrats like Bernie Sanders want to to put a stop to data centers. I live in a predominantly Republican area,, yet his message has appeal among citizens whose land is being seized, their water being depleted and who are being asked to pay for the power to operate these monstrosities they never asked for. I am NOT in favor of abandoning AI because we surely would be at a technological disadvantage if we did, but if we can do it without damaging our environment, depleting our water, raising our electric bills we should do it. If Valentine is correct we should be able to have our cake and eat it too.
Nailed it. Well done.
JMO.
Is opposition to datacenters strong enough to tilt the outcome of the 2026 midterms?
No.
Just another bad “splitter” idea …… financed by the 2026 splitter cabal………… nothing more ……
The splitter’s didn’t work in 2022, they won’t work in 2026.
MAGA / America First isn’t just our motto, it is our duty!
Mid Terms need to be ‘too big to rig’….
Sigh…We’re so inferior in our technology methods as humans. AI race. To do it we must built large centers to house servers. We still save data in computer towers. Next up is the ability to keep them on. This means plugging them and get large amounts of energy for which we JUST figured that nuclear power would help. But to keep them cool enough for data to flow without interruptions; because we haven’t figured out how to evade heat, we must use lots of water. ALL of this for “AI”. As long as someone doesn’t unplug the cable by mistake “AI” will be great! Gold Jerry! GOLD!
Fractal Sustainable Computing Substack. Can be done on a handheld device a bit larger than your phone and faster!
Fractal, and a reading list. Quite impressive.
https://thesustainablecomputinginitiative.com/resources
Consider zvec on a Local device (or your proprietary/Sovereign devices), using quantum encryption on a Tor-like distributed network with any connection or query, and data returned, externally likewise encrypted. Each is local
(albeit it how local) and sovereign.
Ergo, no outside entity owns or controls your data.
The large data ceners will be obsolete, having raped the land and culture. Ciu bono indeed.
There are certain words that tell you the author is feeding a fad with BS.
Sustainable is one of those words.
I love data centers . Just force them to smartly use water and electricity or you don’t build it. It is r rocket science.
What’s next when datacenters become obsolete – akin to the old CPU for a desktop computer back in the day? Now a whole computer fits in a small circuit board built into the base of a monitor with a negligible footprint. A super computer now fits in your pocket. So we are going to build all the tilt-up concrete warehouses and destroy our beautiful farmland that feeds our people?
What happened – did we put too many satellites up in space and now there’s too much space junk filling the air to create their geofence?
Are they even necessary?
Jay Valentine
https://share.google/R8psqSZxYPhUQQt5T
I personally don’t understand the economics. The revenue stream from AI doesn’t currently support these billion dollar investments. Then technology and chips will continue to change. Data centers built today will be outdated in 5 years. This is history repeating itself, ibm did this.
I think sundances point is ….. when they can’t cover the economics, the AI companies will want a bailout…. And the congress uniparty that are getting paid off today will hand it over to them.
AI streamlines employees. Meaning they can do more with ‘less’…
If it eliminates jobs, then big business is for it because the one thing they hate more than anything else….is paying salaries and benefits. If they could get away with not paying us, they would not pay us.
Just my cynical opinions as I have found incorrect info, multiple times…kind of like when they tried to sell us on computerized vote tabulation as it was introduced back around 2000…
Not enough actual information about the water, power use for data centers, the variations of sizes, locations, etc. to make any real decision;
the fact that there is a huge crowd of anti-data center without the reason why other than the emotional outcry of huge demand for water, screams the environmental crowd has their new rallying cry given they’ve lost their climate change money raising game.
Makes a person wonder what would have happened if there was instantaneous social media when automobiles were just beginning to be made by produciton line if the blacksmiths and horse buggy sellers and railroad executives would have caused huge delays in what is our current national highway infrastructure.
It also makes me think of what I call the “Concrete Creep” that has afflicted Florida…it started in Miami and has progressed northward and west…all the way up the coasts of Florida….
Cars and robotics replaced human labor. The promise of AI is to replace human thought. Enjoy the digital prison.
The data centers should be forced to build their own on-site electricity, like Trump said they would, so they use AC and Not water for cooling.
And far enough away that they don’t impact residences, communities and farmland.
Fulfillment of Daniel 12:4
“…..many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase.”
God will win when all is said and done. John 5:28-29
“(28) Do not marvel at this, for the hour is coming when all who are in the grave will hear His voice (29) and come out; those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment.”
—–
“Those who have done good” means those born again of Spirit and water, as Jesus said. Not those who lived a ‘good life’.
A study using a good concordance will prove that to be true of v. 29.
Yes. People are using AI to get the fruits of a Christian life without being connected to Christ at all.
This is the third time in less than a week that God has brought these words of Jesus to my attention. First in one of the other gospels, then in reading John 5:29 in the early hours of 5/29, and now this.
Cheryl Shadden is my BFF! She has been fighting this for 3 years. She just paid off her property after living there for 30 years and it’s worthless. The community here, as is everywhere, are so against this take over of their homes and communities. But you literally can’t fight city hall. We are one of the smallest counties in Texas. We are a critical watershed for rivers running into the Brazos river. A major tourist area. Voted many time the best historic small town in America! That will be over. Our city council just approved a @2000 acre Amazon data center a mile and a half away from Cheryl’s home. Against the citizens wishes in the county. The only people making money from these massive surveillance projects are the lizard loafer fat cats not a single local pleb.
Also we are in an area that is drought ridden more years than not.
If these are just to run AI related BS, then we don’t need them. I take that back. No amount of data is needed to justify the destruction needed to build these facilities. Ban them all.
But we can’t live without the cat videos!!!!!!
Epoch Times wrote about this same topic last week. As one might expect, their conclusion and opinion was a bit less “Blame Trump” than the MSNOW video. In that video, wasn’t Trump talking about the Iran war instead of data centers? If so, it’s no surprise that MSNOW was trying to take him out of context.
Epoch Times said that younger people are much more likely to favor them nearby their homes than older people, which makes sense. And they cited a “Redfin-commissioned” survey that 49% of Republicans and 36% of Democrats support construction of data centers. I think a lot of hub-bub in that MSNOW video would occur if any factory was built near these people. I think the people recorded in the video don’t realize how lucky they are to have these datacenters nearby versus other things like prisons, power plants, water treatment plants or really many types of factories.
I think that water use is the biggest societal challenge. I think in a hot place like Texas is a bit dumb because it raises the cooling needs versus the north. It sounds like the oldest datacenters use a lot of water due to cooling towers ala power plants but for water-constrained locations like Texas or out west they can use air-conditioners or just more fans. Those will increase noise and energy but it’s still probably the best choice where we’re water constrained.
Datacenters aren’t generating the number of jobs that a factory would but it’s still a lot of jobs for a lot of these rural areas. Construction of them is a huge undertaking that supports a lot of manufacturing that Trump is trying to build up while reversing years of off-shoring. Tariffs can’t spur new factories overnight but these keep a lot of tradespeople employed and busy. In these rural areas, the hotels, restaurants, and other retail are likely doing amazing during all the construction. And then there’s the power plants needed…that’s a lot of jobs for some struggling rural areas.
You can either be in favor of progress or not. I suspect the people attacking Trump for supporting them are the same people trying to stop MAGA any way possible.
I have been told that datacenters use less water than the agriculture that the land may have been using previously. That would make a lot of sense. And we have quite the food surplus in USA, so I think it’s a worthwhile upgrade for a lot of these areas.
I also just remembered an Epoch Times article last fall about people in Texas protesting solar farms. Some of the neighboring ranches talked about how anchoring the solar cells into the ground poisoned the rain runoff which drains onto their farms and it was obviously a problem for their animals. Those sorts of stories are probably conveniently ignored by MSNOW.
The US is a net food importer
Thanks, I didn’t know that. Perhaps the new trade deals will change that?
Define progress? These are short-term construction jobs. H1-Bs will fill the hotel and restaurant jobs.
Do you really mean H1-Bs? Those now cost a $100k fee to the US government. I presume you mean something else. I believe those are commonly used in healthcare, science and engineering. By progress I mean similar to the advent of the internet. Australia had slow connections and little investment versus what we had. Tech is the strongest part of our economy and generate a lot of tax revenue for our country. I am as paranoid as SD about big brother, and am nit impressed by AI as of yet but I’d rather keep this in the USA than outside
won’t someone think about Mother Nature? Wind farms kill birds and confuse whales. Nestle wants water to become their domain so that they can sell it instead of getting it out of a tap. If the tech giants agree to move and live next door, then there might be a conversation worth having, but only for the sake of conversation, not because anyone will agree to having them built.
Where is the concern about global warming, given the immense heat these places emit ?
If the argument is between better AI broads with more convincing boobs and and ducks and frogs living in peace in their pond, ducks win. There is more to life than faster ways for the gov’t to control every aspect of every minute of every day.
It will be fun to watch the first Marvin Heemayer take his turn at the wheel towards one of these monstrosities.
Bendover gov cox just declared an emergency drought declaration for utah but supports the construction of a massive data center in box elder county for Mr. Wonderful / O’leary, public comment was not allowed. I agree w JFK Jr. we’ll learn the health hazards data centers will unleash on communities only after they r built. Bendover cox panders to anyone with big $$$$$…
Like cox and senator curtis, rep maloy is another morally bankrupt RINO sellout, they all pander to big ag, big money donors….
Don’t know Phil Lyman’s views on AI centers but he would be a great replacement for Maloy. I plan to attend their debate next month and I suspect AI centers will come up.
lyman is against data centers…
As far as water consumption, what about water from our surrounding ocean.
Seems like it’s not easy. Maybe a good future innovation is possible here. Here’s a reasonable state of the technology link (https://www.alfalaval.com/media/stories/crude-oil-refinery/salt-water-and-extreme-environment-applications/)
I don’t like the thought of AI, but I sure don’t want another country getting the top AI system first!
This is similar to what played out with nuclear weapons! Who’s going to be the controlling country over AI? This should be a big concern for everyone in this country.
Why do they need such large buildings and so much land? We hold in our hands every day a computer that houses everything to run it within a handheld object!
I have questions but it seems there’s no answers except for “We need this huge amount of land to build a huge data center!”
There is an alternative: https://thesustainablecomputinginitiative.com/
Democrats are only against data centers because Trump is for them. If it was their man in the White House, they’d be looking for ways to get paid for not opposing data centers in their states.
I don’t want one in my neighborhood because the demands on electricity and water would be suddenly very high and it’s likely they already negotiated cheap, bulk rates so the rest of us would have to pay more. That’s just how these things work.
Would it not be a reason reasonable course of action to ask what communities really want one and then build them there?
One way to bring this issue into greater focus is to blow up one or two of them and then maybe we could have a real conversation about this instead of the divide and conquer strategy (with payouts to local officials) that Big Tech has successfully deployed so far.
Data centers are not economically feasible. The only ones that will survive will be the ones connected to the government and taxpayers will be the ones supporting them.
The government will have all of the information. The cia is smiling bigly.
Yes, follow the money.
These things are coming regardless of the party in power. A shame that TPTB can’t come together and do the smart thing(s) that need to be done– for the good of the country, the environment, and its citizens.
“Politics are local”
And the reps better get ahead of what their constituents demand.
Whoever caves to “Big Tech” will lose.
My thoughts.
Data centers are coming one way or the other, whether we like it or not. Think of them as nuclear weapons. No one likes or wants nuclear weapons, but where would the USA be without them being used as deterrence?
We can put up with the data centers, master them and have a safe, prosperous and sovereign country. Or, we can elect democrats, have data centers run by China, loose our sovereignty with open borders and have Sharia Law replace the constitution.
At some point, something will replace the data centers just like the tiny microchip replaced the monster computers centers. When data centers are eventually obsolete, there will be another hair on fire issue created to keep the masses divided. Let’s keep our eye on the ball and not get sucked in to trap.
Midterms will all be about gas prices if they remain at this level. Democrats have no policies.
I need better information. The truth.
Rest assured much of the info out there is PR BS from all sides.
But, but, but… Peter – you gave us Palantir – the repository of our vacuumed up meta data. What is there to fear, Peter?
https://www.breitbart.com/tech/2026/05/30/report-billionaire-peter-thiel-flees-america-moves-family-to-argentina/
If this doesn’t speak volumes about data centers – don’t know what will ever get your attention!
Interesting that that George Orwell wrote the novel “1984” about this. “Hey… AI…When was the Apple computer developed”?
Answer:
“The Apple Macintosh, introduced in January 1984, revolutionized personal computing by popularizing the graphical user interface (GUI) and the mouse. Today, the “Mac” lineup continues as Apple’s premium PC brand, featuring the latest Apple Silicon chips, advanced AI processing, and the macOS operating system”.
Well I’ll be danged…Go figure…
Most tech products have some kind of AI in them now.
My hearing aids use AI. So does my diabetes app on my iPhone.
I’m planning another run for the Indiana State House of Reps in 2026 against an entrenched, awful R. (Among other things, he voted against the new Congressional map.) Running against the data centers is shaping up to be a major campaign plank. (Oh, and yeah, I work in IT.)
Hmmm… don’t know of a “Brian” – Lake County?
Paasch. HD40. Steuewarld is the target. One of the most powerful players in the state.
Search “Brian for Hoosiers” on facebook.
I did too. Best wishes for a successful campaign and win!
I am a hard no on data centers. It is tough enough to pay for myself, let alone pay for costs of the utilities to run these centers whose purpose seems to be able to monitor my every thought. I do not trust the designers either….
Right now I think that we are being played by both sides. One side is telling me that this is necessary and that we have to stay ahead of the ChiComs. The other side is telling me that the data centers will take all of the water and most of the farmland.
Where’s the truth? Food security is National Security. I don’t want farmland destroyed for a boondoggle just like solar panels and windmills did. What happens to these data centers when they become obsolete? Are they going to just sit there and be a blight on our landscape just like windmills and solar panels? Whoever builds/owns them should have to set aside in advance $$$$$$$ that will restore the land to pristine condition.
Their water rates should be astronomical compared to the general public. Their negative impact on communities should be minimal.
I don’t like the idea of AI and all of this data collection. What is the purpose of it? I am presently believing the people who say that the USA has to get into the data/AI race just like we had to get into an arms race with the Soviet Union. Are they BS us? Can we put the centers in a cold climate such as Greenland?
My opinion is that the pro data center side has not made the case that they won’t take most of the water for themselves and cause electricity rates to skyrocket. They never come out and say EXACTLY what these centers will do in terms of water and electricity.
Great hit on every point. The water and electricity are the primary visible talking points. The real impact is how they destroy everything in their path and surroundings and give nothing back to the actual people who live there.
Long time lurker, but this is first time to comment. What are data centers even used for? To store data? What data and collected from where? I would love to know more about them before cementing my opinion as hard no. Also why the MSNow video? The video just sounds like propaganda to highlight divisions among conservatives.
Yeah. There is a lot of conflation.
Data storage has racks of hard drives or the RAM equivalent. It takes processors to access data.
Network servers have racks of processors and lots of network connections. Minimal data needed.
Supercomputers are processor heavy. But need fast data handling.
And then there is cloud computing which provides offline data storage and processing.
Building AI models needs access to data.
Running AI needs super processing.
Running AI for everyone needs massive networking, and distributed processing.
My guess is that “datacenter” is a catchall term.
Also, every company that collects data on us needs to store it.
Grocery stores requiring cards to get discounts? Data.
Hardware or shoe stores asking for phone numbers? Data.
All those cookies on your computer? Data. Data. Data. Data.