America’s data center buildout suffered a resounding defeat in the midterms at all levels of government.
asserted
buildout → suffer → government
Candidates and ballot measures in favor of restricting or altogether stopping the development of the facilities powering the artificial intelligence boom won overwhelmingly on election night.
asserted
Candidates → restrict → night
Newly elected Democratic governors in Georgia, Ohio, and Texas have promised moratoriums on new data center construction and all took tougher stances on regulation than their incumbent Republican opponents.
asserted
all → elect → opponents
The trend carried over in various congressional races, in which candidates who were critical of their competitors’ record of promoting data center development came out on top, even flipping key districts in Ohio and South Carolina.
asserted
who → carry → Ohio
Many local communities, mostly in Ohio and Illinois, voted directly on their AI concerns and passed a flurry of ballot initiatives restricting data center development — close to 40 proposals, according to a tracker by research firm Redbud Consulting.
uncertain
communities → vote → Consulting
“What’s good for the AI industry is clearly not good for average voters,” said Shobita Parthasarathy, a public policy professor at the University of Michigan.
asserted
Parthasarathy → ’ → Michigan
“I wish that data center operators and the AI industry really take this as a sign that they’re done a very poor job of considering public concern and taking it seriously.”
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they → wish → it
Parthasarathy pointed out that many Americans are now deciding how they feel about these energy-guzzling facilities based on their experience of living near one and “real knowledge” about their deficiencies.
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they → point → deficiencies
Those concerns range from negative impacts on energy bills, to the environmental and health issues, but also include anger toward the outsized power that the tech oligarchy wields.
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oligarchy → range → that
Americans’ vote in the midterms has given them a tangible way to fight back, Parthasarathy said: Blocking the brick-and-mortar, water-sucking, heat-spewing buildings that power tech billionaires’ rapid wealth accumulation.
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that → give → accumulation
A long track record of polls have recorded Americans’ anger about data centers.
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record → record → centers
About three-quarters of voters polled by NBC News on Election Day said they opposed building these facilities in their communities.
asserted
they → poll → communities
Those sentiments are consistent with a Heatmap survey from August that found a similar proportion of Americans would strongly oppose a new data center near where they live.
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they → find → center
More than half the voters polled by NBC this week said AI and data centers were a crucial or major factor in their decision, though they were almost equally divided when it came to deciding which party would be better at addressing their AI concerns.
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party → poll → concerns
The AI industry tried to make a dent in the midterms, but much of their money was focused on a congressional primary in New York, where the cash helped defeat AI critic Alex Bores.
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cash → try → Bores
In the general election, an Intercept analysis found, AI super PACs dramatically scaled back their spending on congressional races compared to primaries amid growing anger toward data centers; only 5 percent of their direct expenditures went toward contested general election races.
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percent → find → races
Industry observers told The Intercept that this suggested developers and tech CEOs have taken note of the electorate souring on AI and data centers.
uncertain
electorate → tell → AI
That’s not to say that tech magnates, more broadly, have been stingy with their money.
asserted
magnates → ’ → money
Elon Musk spent nearly $450 million ahead of the midterms, including more than $200 million in Texas, where his companies are headquartered.
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companies → spend → Texas
“If Elon Musk wants to continue to burn half a million dollars to get no results, there are probably other ways he can do that,” said Mitch Jones, deputy director of Food & Water Action, which has advocated for regulations on data centers on the federal, state, and local level.
asserted
which → want → level
“It shows when an issue is deeply and broadly felt by American people, no amount of money can change their minds.”
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amount → show → minds
Musk’s money wasn’t enough for the races in Texas to go his way.
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races → go → Texas
Surprise upsets in the state’s Senate and gubernatorial races resulted in victories for, respectively, Democrats James Talarico and Gina Hinojosa.
asserted
upsets → result → Talarico
Talarico promised to end tax breaks for data center developers and minimum federal requirements to protect the grid, environment, jobs, and transparency.
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Talarico → promise → grid
Hinojosa called for a moratorium on all data center approvals “until laws can be passed by the Legislature to protect Texans.”
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laws → call → Texans
Outgoing Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott had already temporarily halted environmental permitting and grid connections until about the end of the year, but Hinojosa’s proposal would last longer and be more expansive.
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proposal → halt → year
Promises to Rein In AI
Congress’s new incoming class includes many Democrats who have promised to rein in the harms of AI.
asserted
who → rein → AI
Ohio’s Democratic Sen.-elect Sherrod Brown flipped a district after portraying his opponent in ads as cheerleading the data center industry.
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Brown → flip → industry
In typically red South Carolina, Democratic Sen.-elect Annie Andrews defeated her opponent, Sen. Darline Graham, after accusing her of being bought by developers.
asserted
Andrews → defeat → developers
Pro-AI super PAC Building the Future spent $2.5 million to support Graham, according to Politico.
uncertain
PAC → spend → Politico
In Mississippi, Democrat Scott Colom, who called for a temporary ban on data centers, was narrowly ahead of his incumbent opponent on Wednesday evening in a state that has not elected a Democrat to the Senate in more than four decades.
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that → call → decades
Just because Trump is expected to veto Democrats’ proposals to regulate AI, that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t push for them, said Jones, of Food & Water Action.
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Jones → expect → Action
He’s hoping Congress will approve a ban on “artificial superintelligence,” as well as a federal moratorium on new data centers.
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Congress → hop → centers
“They should show the American public they are standing with us and taking actions to force Trump to veto those bills,” Jones said.
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Jones → show → bills
Although moratoriums typically target new construction and not existing data centers, Jones says they are still necessary to prevent an even more expansive buildout.
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they → target → buildout
“We don’t need any more,” he said, citing a Forbes estimate that the total cost of the projected buildout ranges from $2.8 trillion by 2030 to $10.30 trillion by 2032 in the U.S.
With Trump still in charge, states led by Democratic governors may be where more forceful regulation on data centers occurs.
uncertain
regulation → need → centers
In Georgia, Democratic Gov.-elect Keisha Lance Bottoms promised a temporary statewide pause on data centers.
asserted
Bottoms → promise → centers
Ohio’s new incoming Democratic Gov.-elect Amy Acton proposed an “immediate moratorium upon taking office on any new construction.”
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Acton → propose → construction
And in Kansas, Democrat Cindy Holscher, who declared victory in the gubernatorial race, has advocated for halting new development.
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who → declare → development
Local communities are getting creative, too.
asserted
communities → get → ?
…and 13 more, not listed.
The Aporia
