"AI companies are spending astronomical sums of money on building data centers as quickly as possible in order to increase their compute power. But the majority of Americans don't want that infrastructure close to their homes, according to a Gallup survey. The polling company asked 1,000 adults across the US about their views on AI data centers, and 71 percent were against having one in their local area. Almost half of the respondents (48 percent) were strongly opposed."
"There are plenty of reasons to not want to live close to data centers. They often require a lot of land. They can be loud, and some nearby residents have raised environmental concerns over noise pollution. SpaceX's AI division (formerly xAI) recently added more natural gas turbines to a Mississippi data center, despite facing a lawsuit over alleged violations of the Clean Air Act. Other companies are using such turbines to power data centers too."
"Data centers also tend to use a lot of water, which can cause shortages. Electricity costs have soared for folks in some areas given the vast amount of power required to run data centers, though some tech companies have pledged to mitigate price increases. The residents of Lake Tahoe in Nevada and California don't quite know where their power is going to come from as of May 2027 after their current supplier decided to focus on serving data centers instead."
"Half of the Gallup survey respondents who said they'd oppose the construction of a local data center cited the effects on resources, such as water use, power grid constraints and deforestation, while 16 percent mentioned noise, air, water, light and heat pollution. Just under a quarter (22 percent) said they had quality-of-life concerns related to the impact on property values, health, traffic and how much space these facilities take up."
AI companies are rapidly building data centers to increase compute power, but many Americans do not want this infrastructure nearby. A Gallup survey of 1,000 adults found 71% opposed having an AI data center in their local area, with 48% strongly opposed. Only 7% were strongly in favor. Concerns include land requirements, noise, and environmental issues such as air pollution, water use, and electricity demand. Some data centers have faced scrutiny over power generation choices, including natural gas turbines. Respondents also cited power grid constraints, deforestation, and pollution types such as noise, air, water, light, and heat. Quality-of-life concerns included property values, health, traffic, and space taken up.
Read at Engadget
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