How AI data centres in the US have become bad neighbours | Digital Dilemma

Hinzugefügt: 2026-05-16

[00:00:00]Take a look at this American football field. Now, imagine 70 of them. That's roughly the size of an AI data center that Meta is building in the US state of Louisiana. And it's just one of many data centers popping up all over the country. But for many residents, these power- hungry centers are the new neighbors that no one seems to want. So much so that they've now become a bipartisan issue. An issue that both Republicans and Democrats are finding common ground on. Tech giants are spending billions of dollars on these centers to power the AI boom. They say these centers create more jobs and give the US an advantage in the global AI race. But in the US, public sentiment is less optimistic. One concern for residents is rising energy bills because these centers use a lot of electricity and that drives up the price. There's also the environmental and land use concerns. AI data centers generate both noise and air pollution caused by backup generators. They also require massive amounts of water to cool the hardware, which puts pressure on natural resources. As a result, local communities have been pushing back. One report found that in 2025, an estimated $98 billion in projects have been blocked or delayed. This was done through petitions, public hearings, and grassroots organizing. A recent poll in Virginia suggests that most people there are against new data centers in their community. The state has more than 660 data centers, the highest in the US, with almost 600 more under construction.

[00:01:22]and politicians in Maine passed a bill to pause the developments of data centers there until 2027, but the governor vetoed it. There's now so much political push back against data centers that some analysts say they could become a major factor in the November midterm elections. Some people in Utah have already said they see November's elections as their chance to vote against the development of these centers. So, while tech leaders promote the AI revolution, there's a quieter, more grassroots one happening in response. And it looks like it took an AI boom in people's own backyards for those on both ends of the political spectrum to come together.