Michael Rosen ponders the impact of the fight against new American data centers.
It’s no surprise that politicians and activists on the Left vigorously oppose data centers, the massive, low-slung buildings housing the advanced computer chips that are powering the artificial intelligence revolution. And it’s also not exactly shocking that China has sought to stir up local opposition to these hyperscale structures, given that Beijing and Washington are locked in a fierce and highly consequential race toward AI supremacy.
But what’s raised eyebrows this summer has been growing unease in red states and among some Republican politicians—most notably, Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX)—as rural residents in particular have rebelled against the seeming imposition in their communities by giant technology companies of new infrastructure of gargantuan proportions.
Unfortunately, while at least some of the arguments mustered against data centers have merit, they largely neglect the significant benefits that they bestow even on local jurisdictions. Increased electricity generation, lower utility rates, higher employment, and accelerated growth all typically accompany data center construction, to say nothing of their critical importance in winning the AI competition. And while the tech titans must work hand in glove with local communities to introduce infrastructure in a careful, measured, and effective manner, we simply cannot cede the field to the People’s Republic of China. …
… Last month, we learned that China itself had sparked supposedly homegrown concerns with data centers. In a blistering report issued in June, entitled “PRC-linked influence operations are targeting AI debates in the US,” the tech pioneer OpenAI found that actors originating in China “used our models in support of apparent covert influence operations that promoted narratives in an attempt to manipulate a legitimate debate about American AI and wider tech policies.” In particular, in clear violation of the terms and conditions of OpenAI’s platform, a cluster of Chinese users “generated social media comments and images claiming that data center buildouts for AI were increasing electricity prices for average families.”
