Nov 9, 2026, 7:35 PMPolicy
The backlash about data centers might really just be about
This story originally appeared in The Algorithm, our weekly newsletter on AI. To get stories like this in your inbox first, sign up here. As voters went to…
Summary
This story originally appeared in The Algorithm, our weekly newsletter on AI. To get stories like this in your inbox first, sign up here. As voters went to the polls across the US last week, I was in Ashburn, Virginia, part of what’s known as Data Center Alley—the world’s largest data center hub. It’s also where the backlash now sweeping the country arguably first began taking shape.
Positives
- It’s accepted wisdom in Big Tech that the war against data centers must be about something bigger than just data centers themselves.
- Two days after the midterms, OpenAI’s chief global affairs officer, Chris Lehane, wrote that data centers “have become a proxy for public unease about affordability, corporate power, and people losing control over their futures.
Risks & concerns
- The article may not provide enough evidence to validate every implication.
- Execution, cost, adoption, regulation, or security could change the outcome.
Primary sourceArtificial intelligence – MIT Technology Reviewhttps://www.technologyreview.com/2026/11/09/1148194/the-backlash-about-data-centers-might-really-just-be-about-electricity/
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