**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?
I’ll vote against anyone who is in favor of data centers, even if our internet collapses.
You must be a dimocrat. At any rate, you have chosen a losing position.
Trump obtained a “Ratepayer Protection Pledge” from these big companies building data centers. On top of that I have seen where states are putting Ratepayer Protection into state law. That would resolve electricity price increase concerns. In fact, it could actually lower local electric costs.
Another positive thing I have seen is that the old data centers have begun to retrofit their facilities with the new technology updates re water, noise, power, etc.
It is too soon for me to say if it will be an election issue. It really just depends on how things get messaged and handled politically.
Even if they agree and follow through with rate guarantees and make their own energy plus some for the community, they HAVE TO MAKE THAT ENERGY. The data center energy is still made the same way ours is now…oil, gas, coal, solar, nuclear, etc. And the massively increased demand for the same supply, or even a large increase in supply, will mean higher energy prices for the rest of us. That is before the anti-data center folks bring in water issues, environmental issues, health issues, etc.
There has been a subtle shift away from Climate Ideology when it comes to data centers. If it takes fossil fuels to get the data centers, we will have them if they are necessary for the ONE WORLD system. Just like lockdown, social distancing and masks suddenly were unnecessary when it came time for left wing rioting over George Floyd, we will get coal/natural gas fired electricity generating plants if that is what it takes for the One Worlders to have thair way.
Small, nuclear power plants seem a more likely candidate. We have had the prototype in existence since the first nuclear sub was launched in the ’50s. Lots of companies are working on the problem right now.
So you are saying that the outcome depends on what shade of lipstick is put on the pig?
There is NOTHING “positive” about AI and those humongous life-sucking data centers.
How about your paycheck or social security arriving on time or your bank deposits showing up the same day. How about mapping updates or your car that can’t seem to get anywhere without android or apple auto? How about your medical records and prescriptions being available to you 24/7 instead of waiting till office hours for a doctor?
Cloud computer storage is one of the big factors although for the average person disk drives are so cheap I don’t understand why anyone uses and pays for the cloud.
It’s not just AI people, it’s data. Do this search “what is a data center used for?” and you might change your mind.
I think each data center should supply its own power on site using nuclear micro-reactors, off grid.
This was from last year before temporary gas increases due to the Iran situation, but the general message is still the same from what I have seen.
++++
Daniel
@danielisdizzy
Kevin Warsh and Trump just made it clear why rates are going lower:
“AI is going to make almost everything cost less.
We’re at the front end of a productivity boom.
Economic growth won’t be inflationary — we’re in the early innings of a structural decline in prices.”
Elon Musk, Sam Altman, Jeff Bezos, and Stanley Druckenmiller all expect AI to be strongly deflationary.
The next few years are going to be insane.
Video linked….
So say the same people who maybe on a particular side of the H1B flood domestically? If the jobs are being eliminated from that on the one hand and increased redundancy and automation on the other, how exactly is that likely to unfold?
It is a very challenging area to consider. I believe the productivity gains will be very real, and a bumpy ride at the same time.
A central AI will not have any checks and balances in numerous nations, and this has many advantages over a competition that keeps AI very compartmentalized.
A nation that rejects AI will in a very poor position, as they will lose tremendous business.
The Trump move to abundant energy with nuclear coming online and indications that he expects AI folk to help with energy costs will be effective. We must figure out how to limit government power and abuse of AI, and still maintain its uses in production and service.
“Limit government power and abuse of AI”
Therein lies the rub.
GET RID OF THE FISA COURT AND FISA SPYING.
🎯
Why are the companies that produce the AI’s not demanding copyrights on all the content? Because it may be no good? It doesn’t make sense that word, music, video, and general content is not being used to collect copyright fees. Is this where we are moving to? Free access to anything and no limits as to how we use it. Is this the end of music downloads with fees?
Frankly, I am in favor of ALL AI generated content being labeled as such and restricted from use unless those labels stay attached. We here are starting to attribute the source and notation of AI content but shouldn’t it be law. For Pete’s sake we can’t take a paragraph out of a book or replay a song in a bar without fees, what’s up with AI?
What are some of the “numerous advantages” you think a central AI without any checks and balances would have?
What business do you think a nation which didn’t consume any AI would lose Dave? What about one that used it sparingly? Why do you see it that way?
Wasn’t the internet supposed to make everyone more productive and make prices go down? Prices/inflation kept humming, wages didn’t keep up.
In some areas it did increase productivity – but that simply made the company more profitable and allowed smaller staffing – until the point that it resulted in productivity going in the opposite direction.
In the mean time inflation continued it’s inexorable pace, ever upwards. In some select cases it actually may have been a driver of inflation.
The large scale influx of foreign workers at cheap wages should have driven costs of many things down, with human labor a major factor in costs. Instead companies ate the profits and the increased competition for resources (food, housing, etc) and increased support costs (schools, hospitals, etc) drove costs higher.
Not buying it.
AI doesn’t generate energy, it consumes it.
AI doesn’t build, fix, or maintain anything in the physical world.
AI doesn’t grow food, raise animals for food, care for the land or the animals.
AI doesn’t magically transport materials and goods from one spot to another.
AI doesn’t reduce insurance costs.
AI doesn’t eliminate transportation costs.
AI doesn’t create persistent jobs in quantity.
AI doesn’t produce raw materials.
AI doesn’t reduce most, if any, taxes.
It does make its owners tons of money in fees…at least for now.
At best, AI provides for faster computing and data processing. That’s it. The spectrum of its abilities. It doesn’t even provide intuition or true creativity or ingenuity. It can’t free associate or think outside its box. It’s a jack hammer in a data based world. A very, very expensive jack hammer. Ask those who have let loose their workers with Claude’s AI agent capability and didn’t realize the cost. One company blew through $500M in a short period of time before they knew what hit them.
What it does do in the scale being built is the ability for high throughput computing, data processing, and inference. Great for target acquisition and prioritization, battlefield management, image processing, and processing the unbelievable amounts of data gathered by the intelligence services – oh and all the personal data people are allowing to be hoovered up, often unwittingly, along with that the government hoovers up – and other even more nefarious purposes. It could even be an excellent market analyst, with the amount of data its being fed. In the end, it’s still a computing machine – not sentient, not intelligent. Often not even able to give correct basic factual answers from data it has stored in its matrix.
It sure sniffed out the desire of the captains of industry to get people off the payroll. They were eager for AI for precisely that reason.
Excellent summation.
It doesn’t just not create persistent jobs in quantity, it’s slowly DESTROYING a large chunk of the job market. Seems like almost every day another company is (1) laying off and cutting positions, (2) especially irritating, replacing real customer service with robots that are dumber than a box of rocks..
I have to disagree on some.
AI doesn’t grow food, raise animals for food, care for the land or the animals.
AI does use historical weather patterns along with soil data, and the type of crop to help farmers run their tractors and planters and cultivators and harvesters and watering systems and apply the correct amount of fertilizer or weed control or amount of seed. I personally know someone who sits in an air conditioned tractor cab watching the AI drive the rows at the optimum speed using only the fuel needed and apply the most precise amount of whatever to get the best production of the crop.
AI doesn’t magically transport materials and goods from one spot to another.
You think Amazon delivery to your home in one day doesn’t use AI to manage locations, bulk, order date, and delivery date?
Yes it still needs lots of work. I look at it like auto fill and spell check when you type, which is not perfect by any means and never will be. Humans will always need to keep an eye out.
“AI is going to make almost everything cost less.”
I’m very skeptical about this claim. The current inflation of computer prices and computer component prices alone are crushing. Right now, big AI seems to only serve itself. I’m actually a proponent of AI, but not of the “top down” way it’s being implemented. If AI is to become beneficial for ordinary people, the hardware hoarding has to stop. It’s beginning to feel similar to BlackRock’s campaign to force a shortage of single family homes.
The old fashioned dating advice kicks in again.
Don’t trust what a man says, trust what he does.
Very true, especially with component prices, from all I’ve seen (and paid out). But the problem is the majority of peope (voters) are not even seeing this happen. They’re clueless. How many people ever try to buy more memory or replacement hard drives for their desktops or laptops? Hard drive prices have just about doubled in the past 2 years, while historically technology costs have always gone down, never up. This should be another bright red flag, but again it’s one that a lot of people just aren’t aware of.
I think they are lying about the prices.
@amuse
@amuse
FWIW: Data centers aren’t increasing your utility rates, Democrats are.
Cont….
It’s similar to gasoline prices in loony leftist west coast states – but that isn’t the cause in most of the nation. See the study earlier in the thread from the government watchdog agency.
This is wrong, or at least half wrong. AI seems to be a nonpartisan (or rather a bipartisan) threat, and in this case it’s pushing too hard, too quickly, on local power and water sources. And that’s why so many people are up in arms about these data centers being built in their back yards. It’s scaring them. Everywhere I turn it seems there’s another protest. And I’m very glad to see it.
This is why I can’t really guess how it’s going to effect the midterms. And I daresay most candidates will avoid the issue of AI as much as the can, because they know how hot-button it can be.
Personally, I believe any and all new data centers should be required to use power ONLY from wind and solar.
Huh?
yes! and also any and all health care facilities, from corner clinic to major hospital. either wind and solar are the solution or they aren’t.
“all new data centers should be required to use power ONLY from wind and solar.”
🙂 that would put a quick end to all this.
We get the green at 18% efficiency. They get natural gas and nuclear at near 100% efficiency. We pay for all of it.
Then there won’t be any or new data centers, it’s as simple as that.
And then you might not be able to read or post here.
A data center is a facility that centralizes an organization’s IT operations and equipment for the purposes of storing, processing and disseminating data and applications.
Servers. If you don’t have servers you don’t have THIS.
Skip this drama entirely.
Put data centers in space.
LOL. Yes, let them eat cake.
That will put Data centers in their place.
With all geoengineering going on in the skies, there won’t likely be any wind or sun peaking through the grey filth layered “clouds” to produce any energy.
I don’t like either side much but to the extent the Chinese are actually paying influencers to stop it I’ll probably end up with tech. Sigh.
So what about the extent to which those in the WEF have been pushing it and are enamored with the idea?
There may be “baddies” on both sides of the equation – that isn’t a real to suspend rational judgement on the topic itself.
The sort of people who are “into” tech are mainly male, geeks, insensitive to others needs. That does not bode well for the world. Elon Musk has made his money mainly by government contracts.
Pres Trump needs to rein them in or those mid terms will be in danger.
“Elon Musk has made his money mainly by government contracts.”
he is a shyster. They gave him a cute sounding disease to make grift sound great
The issue is not data centers but instead, engineering standards. We have a problem with speculators operating a cookie-cutter business model building obsolete, soon to be solid waste sites, abandoned for the taxpayer to clean up.
The problem is not new. Democrats pulled the same crap with windmills and solar panel farms. They pull the same crap with arena projects in mid sized cities.
There are some amazingly efficient and environmentally benign data center technology options.
First, there needs to be uniform engineering standards and code restrictions: 1) no water cooling; 2) strict proctoring of heavy metal pollution risk; 3) the must generate their electrical power off grid; 4) they construct and operate facilities in a manner that does not put surface water, watersheds and aquifers at risk. There needs to be resonance management and standards developed for the prevention of acoustic pollution.
The best and most benign solutions to our national security needs for added data processing capacity cannot compete with junky build-and-abandon data center development schemes that are profitable only because the engineering requirements are intentionally sub-standard so the politics of convert-and-divert racketeering of what essentially public capital assets can make Democrats and other insiders continue to make a quick buck and leave the mess for taxpayer to clean up after the value has been hollowed out.
We need the finest data center design and engineering standards possible, just as we also need the best navy, submarines, air force, army and space force possible.
Demanding the best possible engineering standards is also an essential national security interest. Making Democrat insiders and local machine politicians wealthy is the polar opposite.
They’re also need to be strict decommissioning standards, which are non-nonnegotiable. It’s reportedly these companies rushing to do this because they have to meet certain timelines, but communities can insist on such protocols or say no deal.
It’s reminiscent of the wind turbines and the impact of the worn out ones plus the massive amounts of poured concrete and the cost of decommissioning, which, if it isn’t ironed out ahead of time likely falls on John Q taxpayer.
They intend full control. Higher efficiency only means they get it sooner.
Excellent points after the engineering standards part – but it’s the business standards and practices. Left to their own devices, it’s all about the $$$s in the here and now – this quarter, whatever quarter that might be. Same for most of the politicians…
The cry is “we have to do it NOW! QUICKLY! MASSIVELY! No stinking best practices, efficiencies, methods, or foresight – they just slow us down! Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!”
Then there are the uses for what even the best of practices, efficiencies, and engineering allows…
Wonderful in theory.
But that ‘page’ is lost when reality does its thing.
Apollo 1, anyone?
I think this all renders privacy and the 4th Amendment moot.
I think people should face the ugly realty that there is no business case for any of this. It is all cost – trillions in cost yet no product to sell, nothing produced and everything consumed.
I think we should know by now who is funding these trillions upon trillions and what they expect it to give them back.
I think the new global governance, the new new world order ,will take shape as oligarchies built around a few BigTech monopolies.
I think most have become so addicted and so dependent on being fed information rather than finding it, that we will never see the chains being shackled.
I think no one considers who is in really in control when there is no truth to find – only views of data created by apps built upon AI.
NO ONE TALKS ABOUT WHO OWNS ALL THIS DATA – ALL PERSONAL DATA. ALL CORPORATE DATA, ALL GOVERNMENT DATA, ALL FINANCIAL DATA, ALL MONETARY DATA.
I think ………………….
Sound noise, understand, water issues the same. Just how much of actual truth is being told? Unfortunately some people follow instead of doing. If these people researched hard enough they could find a way to take action. Instead of full blown changing their political views. They allowed oil, and gas, they may even profit from. This is just another project. Truth is needed, not emotional reaction.
I guess I am just glad we are investigating “data Centers AI”. There are the “stated reasons for having them, … but I believe after the patriot act 2001 (era), Americans are concerned about what is being hidden, … and … it’s TRUE PURPOSE is revealed. Multi-layered prongs of attacking regular average people with advanced cybernetics/medical uses/transfer of conscious to cyber-humans that have multicentury life spans and what the planet will look like with solar system exploration. Again, concepts that were science fiction in 1900’s but writers/politican futurerists were pondering for 100 years.
I will not be around, but your children’s children will be.
Saw a small clip from some industrial hygienists testifying in Ohio about the shortcomings of supposedly close looped systems.
Couldn’t find a link for that clip, but the same people recently did a deep dive into the potential issues facing many places. The closed loop system appears to be briefly touched on at the 19 minute mark, but there is much more covered:
“”Protecting the Heartland” – Hyperscale Data Centers and the Many Issues and Health Concerns”
Noise pollution, soundproof your home, easy to do.
Who pays for that?
Although on the scale of importance, IMO it’s quite a bit down the scale, but that said – do you plan on living your life shuttered in your home?
And what about sitting outside on your porch? A nice leisurely stroll through your neighborhood?
There are thousands of people living under flight paths close to many airports and the value of these homes has gone up in many cases. They have actually learned to stop conversation outside when they hear that jet coming, then start right back up when it’s gone. In Minneapolis and St Paul these neighborhoods have high demand and high value so maybe the liberals will all move in next to these things.
The clip with Trump stating he didn’t take American’s financial situations into consideration at all, was in response to a question about making a deal with Iran. American’s don’t get any oil from the Strait of Hormuz, so why would he consider American’s finances? Just another person misunderstanding and misusing the media. I bet all these data centers will soon have little nuclear power plants and quieter fans.
You cant tell shes a leftist who has been paid by fake news (MSDNC) to complain for their fake news junky audience who still watch fake news? cmon man. They dont call it fake news for nothing…and no, most people dont know anything about AI data centers yet and if they live in California chances are they dont even know what the 3 branches of government are.
In CA there is only 1 branch of government.
Democrat mafia?
Did I win?
“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?”
All I can add here Sundance is that I am beginning to hear a drum beat to “stop the data centers” in the last week or so from all the same public/private partnerships and political interests which have been getting rich pursuing urbanization, smart cities and Agenda 2030 here in central NC. There are lots of uniparty and multi-national interests here that stand to lose a lot from a Trump America-First economy.
Normally they’d all be lining up to fill their pockets from this the kind of public/private partnership money pipeline . I’d say it is early still but they might be gearing up to make datacenters a “righteous cause” election issue.
Local radio media recently is starting to play data center opposition up as a growing, organic and greater green cause. Has that same propaganda feel.
China money doing the same thing…
I am not in the U.S. so no comment about the upcoming elections. However, construction of a new data centre right in the middle of Vancouver was just announced, and protest is quite limited so far.
https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/telus-sovereign-ai-factory-data-centre-vancouver-westbank-project-locations
No NGOs to pay for the protests? Could that be the reason?
I support it as long as it is properly managed via PDJT’s stated parameters that ensures the United States wins the AI race globally.
No one really knows what the outcome of this AI data push will bring. It’s a big giant bet.
My concern is about the data collected and what some one or something will do with the information collected.
An easily manipulated ‘special interest’. A ‘special interest’ that attracts the unstable. A ‘special interest’ that the actual legimate concerns are forgotten. 🤔
Could see a ‘pro-data center group’ actually create an ‘anti-data center group’ to achieve their ‘pro-data center group’ goals. 🤔
My demand is very simple. Locate datacenters far away from me and give me only the positive outcomes of AI. Ship the bad stuff out to sea and dump it.
My, my, my,me,me,me. That’s all I hear from you.
This is one of the biggest problems with our society. The selfishness of people.
Not looking out for the greater good is destructive to everyone. Earth, planet, land, air, water, oceans , wildlife, human life and existence.
property rights are in jeopardy , privacy rights are in jeopardy, quality of life is in jeopardy, freedoms are in jeopardy, liberty is in jeopardy and more.
Our entire country and form of government was built around I and me, me, me. You’re so used to this leviathan of a government you don’t even remember.
I couldn’t disagree more. I believe America was / somewhat still is a collective of Patriots.
A unified group of America first, country proud citizens who want the best as a collective, for our populous and our country.
I believe the selfishness came from politicians, liberal corporate culture , new world order types and the deep state. Selfishness serves no one.
I hate to break this too you but you have no property or privacy rights.
Prove me wrong…
Eversource, a major power provider in Connecticut, Massachusetts and New Hampsire is “actively resisting ” large data center developments into their territory per CEO Joe Nolan. Citing no value to residential or commercial customers the costs would be astronomical. Eversource also recently requested an 11% rate hike in Connecticut.
We just do not have the power generation needed to service these facilities in New England so I don’t see the much support for them.
Data Centers
Leave it to MSNever to paint the picture that Texan Republicans have become one-issue voters…quite a biased ‘report’.
The data center question is complex, but the race to AI is not. It’s akin to the race for the atomic bomb. God let it be that whoever arrives first has the temperament to harness its powers for good, and not use them for evil.
Arrives first at what exactly?
Excellent question.
IMO THE question.
A obvious poor choice of resources for mankind. Local Falls Township in Bucks County PA, just approved one in a secret session that was leaked and residents are duly concerned but uneducated as to what a disaster this will be. Politically, the voting area is primarily blue. The sheep will spend their whole life fearing the wolf only to be eaten by the shepherd.
Read this. They’re changing zoning , secretly, to accommodate these projects :
https://buckscountybeacon.com/2025/08/not-everyone-is-sold-on-the-benefits-of-amazons-data-center-coming-to-falls-township/
“Environmental advocates, including Marcille-Kerslake, are currently closely watching the movement of HB 502 in PA’s state legislature. The bill would take certain land-use authority from local governments and transfer it to a Reliable Energy Siting and Electric Transition board (RESET), which would have the power to issue a certificate accepting energy projects from zoning and other ordinances local governments are typically in control of. ‘
Democrat sponsored bill to change zoning in Pa :
https://fastdemocracy.com/bill-search/pa/2025-2026/bills/PAB00037594/
“For hundreds of years, Pennsylvania has led the nation in building energy infrastructure. But today we’re falling behind. Too often, red tape makes it harder to get large-scale reliable energy projects built in Pennsylvania than in our neighboring states—we are one of only a handful of states that do not have a central siting authority to facilitate development of large-scale projects. It’s time to build big things again in Pennsylvania.
That is why I am introducing a game-changing element of the Governor’s Lightning Plan: the Reliable Energy Siting and Electric Transition (RESET) Board. The Board would for the first time give Pennsylvania a cohesive central authority able to consider and approve applications for large reliable energy generating facilities.
Eligible projects include reliable energy facilities that provide more than 25 megawatts of power. Projects that receive RESET Board approval would be able to quickly begin construction, speeding up development timelines and greatly improving the certainty that investors need. This “one-stop-shop” approach has proven successful in other states by making it easier for developers to get their projects built.”
it MUST be defeated
Point being it’s not a rep v dem issue… ms now clip biased bs… funny, though, they would be on the same side as China.
Good point with Pa. too. Wouldn’t trust their pols to do right. Some of the most corrupt anywhere.
“Secret session” of course because they know very well how scary AI is to so many people.
Yup. Typical democrat move.
The issues determining the elections will center around the ones the media thinks will thwart Trump’s agenda and rally the neo communists.
We vote MAGA regardless.
Here in our little town, and in the surrounding towns, people from the Left and Right, are screaming, discussing, forming groups to combat datacenters. We are an agricultural state, many are on well water, and count on the streams to water cattle and other livestock. Our electric grid is tenuous. No one can conceive of allowing a data center anywhere in the state, and it will certainly devalue property values anywhere near one.
So, I don’t know how this decides the election. You can be pro Trump and against datacenters.
Basically, the “tech bros” need to figure out a better way. They are the smart guys, right? Data centers use vast amounts of water and electricity. The view of most people is that data centers are extremely harmful to the environment and the population. They created “tools”, now they need to create a better way to support those tools, i.e. “methods”.
Check your local zoning boards. In Pennsylvania, the zoning officials are quietly changing zoning regs so that Agricultural land gets rezoned to accept data centers and solar “farms” . Even conservation preservation zoned land is getting amended. They’re changing the zoning criteria without opposition. That’s how they’re getting permits it’s sacrilegious.
This video is from MS NOW. So we can see the reason why it has been produced, and the message that it’s attempting to push: break up MAGA and use the individual land owner to do it. There is, however, an issue with the data centers infringing on personal real estate. The feds own about 1/3 of the land in the US. Rather than building data centers on private land, why not use federal land for this purpose??
It is becoming trendy to hate on tech bros in some circles. I dont think its enough yet to effect 26 outcomes, but it very much could be in 2028. The data center environmental and rate concerns are real but they are also connected to real world job losses. The issue will become toxic if AI causes too many job losses by 2028. The connection between data centers and ai job loss is the next phase of this Id wager!
A single issue election? Hope not.
I was hearing that China (via Neville Singham) is pouring money into influencing Americans to be against data centers to slow down our progress. I think people mostly do not want them built in or near where they live. I like Elon’s idea that they should be built in space harnessing the suns energy although the “race” is making that impossible right now.
I also don’t like that they take everything that’s on the internet (which is ours) and sell it back to us as a monthly utility bill. That’s really gonna piss people off.
Sorry but I and others I know don’t need to be influenced by China to be dead-set against life-sucking data centers and everything else AI.
We didn’t have the electricity capacity in the grid to have complete transition to Electric Vehicles (EVs), so there is no way we have the capacity to supply these insatiable data centers. There are a couple of good posts about this over at BitChute. One speculates that, those who have been putting certain discoveries for alternate technologies, like cold fusion, might suddenly emerge as “discovered at the last minute” to supply these data centers. Come to think of it, the New World Order crowd probably can’t supply “Smart Cities” with the necessary electricity given all the surveillance systems and the anticipated need to mollify the Climate nuts when the cities are constructed. The NWO boys need more electrical power generation for all these tools they need to control the remaining population.
It’s an election issue for ‘26. I’m seeing it become an issue in several counties in SC. I am against them. Our politicians have lied or ignored their citizens and built many anyway. The one built in my town was supposed to be at 48 and now a year later they want to build for 10X that.
People used to build cathedrals. Now look at us.
What we build is often a reflection of out culture.
We are carbon, not silicone.
In Pennsylvania, our State and local government officials are sneakily allowing zoning changes that now allow land that is/ was designated as Agricultural Preservation to now accept data centers. This angles the data centers to glide right through any zoning issues for land use. And our corrupt government’s, three layers here of townships then county then state can say “ they meet zoning requirements “. They did this to us with solar as well.
PECO has had four huge electric rate cost increases in the past 6-8 months with no end in sight. While deviating record profits on their disclosure balance sheets as public utility transparency. We are paying almost $1000/ month for a 3500 sq ft home not far off of the Main Line area. Electric and gas combo bill.
It’s appalling, egregious , greedy, unethical and infuriating.
Like many things, AI can turn out to be good, bad, or neither good nor bad.
My question is, how is AI policed? Who controls it? Who monitors it? Who is minding the AI store?
There is no doubt that AI can do some pretty amazing things and do them quickly.
Who is auditing AI? Who is qualified to audit AI?
I spent my adult life working as a GAO auditor. My work took me to all levels of government, universities, grantee organizations, businesses with government contracts, etc., and so on. I worked on Capitol Hill for individual Senators and Congressmen. I worked on a major investigation that involved both the Senate and the House of Representatives.
Not once did we not find problems; some were very significant, some middling, and some minor.
Elon Musk oversaw examinations of various government information systems, and they found significant problems.
Look at all of the fraud being found in various states and units of local government. At the top of the list is Minnesota.
Who creates AI? Humans. Smart people, to be sure.
What would make anyone think that trusting AI will turn out to be a good thing?
Trust….but verify. The more money and systems that are involved, the more skeptical we should be.
I am climbing off my soapbox now.
Thank you for your info.
Your points tickle my thought that Trump is 100% right to push our military toward best uses of AI as (or against) warfare — we absolutely need to be The Best at that — but only that when it comes to AI.
I would vote, in fact, to outlaw the use of AI for anything beyond defeating the enemy on and off the battlefield. But of course there are dangers lurking in that possibility too, e.g., giving the Military-Industrial Complex (which I was a part of for 20+ years) that much control over anything at all.
For a Saturday late post, Sundance unleashed a hurricane. Well done.
The data centers are alllllll part of the The Mark.
I’m a Texan and I have trouble believing that the people in the clips who will switch to a dingleberry like Talarico were ever that conservative. HOWEVER, there are 3 issues related to data centers (other than just looks) and all are engineering problems that can and should be addressed with massive research work. First is cooling. Some form of closed loop cooling must be used so that there is little to no strain on the local water supply. People drive cars without adding fluids to the radiator all the time yet can’t seem to get their heads around closed loop systems. Second is the electrical consumption and that’s the easier part. All new data center electricity must come from the data center’s side of the meter. In other words, no major use of public electricity. But now for what may be the hardest issue to solve – sound polution. I don’t know how much of that noise comes from the fans required even in the new closed-loop, non-evaporative liquid systems vs how much comes from power generation. But the noise pollution must be eliminated, full stop.
Again, these are engineering problems that must be solved before allowing the continued spread of large data centers. But at the end of the day, I doubt that the engineering study would come close to what’s required for a successful moon shot. In fact, I bet that Elon could finance it himself, at least with a little help from the Tech Bros. Especially if President Trump jumps on the issue. But these are not issues that cannot be solved by one of the most innovative countries that has ever existed in human history.
Don’t forget about RF and all of its kissing cousins (the entire spectrum of radiant energy). All electrical flow creates new flux, electromagnetic energy, and our atmosphere is beyond saturated already with the hidden dangers of every sort of radiation that should readily come to mind. We still don’t know all of what we don’t know on this subject — I think because collectively we don’t want to know.
Vote against data centers!
Vote for illegal immigration! Crime! Child sexual mutilation! DEI! Death tax!
Data centers are the new NAFTA!
Ask me, I’ve got it all figured out.
Many of the arguments made against what people perceive to be AI are similar in form to the arguments made against personal computers in the early 80s. For example: “Look how undependable, underpowered, etc. they are.”
Believe it or not, the capabilities of AI will improve far, far faster than personal computers did, and the current manufacturing difficulties of AI compute centers will resolve themselves far faster than anyone anticipates now.
Prepare your kids for a wild ride. It’s coming.
Yeah “Wild”, as in the Wild Wild West. We know how that went. Fortunately there was enough civilization left elsewhere to step in and beat it down.
According to Patrick Wood (Technocracy.news) if the clarity act is passed and we do not stop what is coming everything ( all personal assets) will be tokenized, and title ownership will be ceremonial only. We don’t want a world brain. This crosses political lines. wee need to work together to stop what is coming, and if the clarity act passes, it will be hard to stop. we may have only months, not years. Please wake up.
IMHO, without large-scale nuclear, it isn’t gonna work.
With the money that is involved, it’s inevitable no matter who you vote for.
Well, somebody doesn’t want the US to lead in AI … https://www.foxnews.com/us/report-chinese-propaganda-singham-network-foreign-dark-money-linked-campaigns-data-centers
Wonder why …
The ranchers raise valid quality of life points which, looked at unemotionally, are opportunities for further progress and success.
Energy consumption: Several “behind the meter” solutions are already available. For example, Bloom Energy’s (ticker BE) fuel cells produce electricity with natural gas but without combustion. Small modular reactors – not unlike those that propel our nuclear navy’s ships and submarines – are another solution. If I’m not mistaken, data centers are now required to produce their own electricity.
Noise abatement: Compressor fan blades can be redesigned to run more silently. Ever seen silent Chinook helicopters? You have to see them because they make no rotor noise. Several years ago, I was about 1/4 mile from two Chinooks in the landing pattern of the airport where I earned my pilot’s license. They were absolutely quiet – in broad daylight. Nothing secret about this apparently.
Cooling technology and water usage: I’m not as up to speed on this subject. However, significant improvements could be possible. American exceptionalism (aka Yankee Ingenuity) is still alive and well, and I’m on the lookout for investment opportunities involving water / cooling technologies.
Land usage: Space-based data centers are being actively explored by Elon Musk. Cooling would not be an issue, and electricity from the sun can be had around the clock given positioning of the data center. Musk has lowered the cost of launching spacecraft, made space-based communications available and affordable and set a new standard for operational efficiency. We already know how to transmit data securely to and from orbit. I wouldn’t bet against Elon Musk.
It’s been said that no battle plan survives the onset of battle. The ranchers’ statements reinforce that maxim. Somebody also once said, “Impossible is just a starting point”. That would be President Trump. I think we can have it all, but not in the order we’d all like to see.
Here is the political and practical solution: President Trump and Elon Musk together should announce a massive Manhattan Project, involving all the major AI and data center companies, to put data centers into orbit instead of on the ground. This would mean no heat problem to solve, and 24/7 uninterrupted solar power (plus War Department advantages via space defense capabilities). The message would be: “we are going to win the AI race for America, lower your electric bill, and keep data centers out of your neighborhood.”
I am enjoying GROK immensely. It is great to have the knowledge of the world at your fingertips. HOWEVER, (“From that point, engagement with Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems will become like a public utility.”) how long is it going to be before we have to start paying for access to this ‘utility’?
Re: how long is it going to be before we have to start paying for access to this ‘utility’?
In various way$, that may already be happening.
-a i algorithms predetermining search answers / shopping locations / where to go / how to get there / what to do
( and some people think that they still have free choice? )
-via complacency on a i, the human mind incrementally weakening in its ability to logically think (but, the mind thinks it is smarter because of a i … circular non reasoning, a form of unadmitted trans-(non) humanism? What is that societal cost? Can a super computer, compute that real cost, or would it not include something (an imperfect, human made, algorithm shortcoming)…? hmmm…
p.s.
using their creative, motivated minds, humans were able to go to the moon, land, and return, over 50 years ago.
What a i ‘data center’ was used? hmmm….
etc.
Great article.. never considered linked data centers as public utility…not sure all of us are ready the that! Still don’t know how to fully operate my iPhone….
And you still don’t know all of what your iPhone (or Android) is doing in the background, and we will likely never know.