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Today I sat down with John McQueeney, State Representative for House District 97 in Tarrant County, Texas and member of the State Affairs Committee covering power grid and electric policy. In the last six weeks alone, John's committee has run three interim data center hearings. He is also drafting...

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Chris Powers

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15,875 views • 2 months ago •via X (Twitter)

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People in Utah have started asking us an important question, when you build these power facilities for AI data centers, can some of that energy be sold back into the local grid? The answer is yes. That completely changes the conversation. Instead of being seen as “the evil data center guys,” we can help power Utah’s grid while also building critical AI infrastructure for the future. And despite the headlines, we’re not building the world’s largest data center overnight. We’re starting with just 1.5 gigawatts with 1 gigawatt of net IT load a small fraction of the long-term proposal and proving the model first. And it’s not a 40,000 acre data center. Our project a full build out will span 10-13k acres 7,500 of which will be preserved. We want the people of Box Elder County to come see it themselves, the EPA air quality standards, the water permits, the noise compliance, and how the project actually operates before anything scales further.
1:11

People in Utah have started asking us an important question, when you build these power facilities for AI data centers, can some of that energy be sold back into the local grid? The answer is yes. That completely changes the conversation. Instead of being seen as “the evil data center guys,” we can help power Utah’s grid while also building critical AI infrastructure for the future. And despite the headlines, we’re not building the world’s largest data center overnight. We’re starting with just 1.5 gigawatts with 1 gigawatt of net IT load a small fraction of the long-term proposal and proving the model first. And it’s not a 40,000 acre data center. Our project a full build out will span 10-13k acres 7,500 of which will be preserved. We want the people of Box Elder County to come see it themselves, the EPA air quality standards, the water permits, the noise compliance, and how the project actually operates before anything scales further.

Kevin O'Leary aka Mr. Wonderful

71,642 views • 2 months ago

Georgia is basically turning into one large data center Get ready for this, there is no legal obligation for data centers to disclose how much water they will be using - Georgia currently has about 162 data centers already - They have an additional 141 new data centers planned - Combined these data centers will use 12+ GW or more of power, this is equivalent to the usage of 10 MILLION homes - Combined water usage estimate of 35+ billion gallons per year or higher Absolutely insane There is no comprehensive federal requirement for data centers to publicly report detailed water usage. A bill was introduced called “the Data Center Water and Energy Transparency Act” to mandate reporting of energy and water consumption to states and the EPA This is an issue, here’s one example The Quality Technology Services data center in Fayette County used 29–30 million gallons of water went unmetered and unbilled for months without initial detection. Residents complained about low pressure during drought conditions. The company later paid retroactively $150,000 but faced no fines
1:48

Georgia is basically turning into one large data center Get ready for this, there is no legal obligation for data centers to disclose how much water they will be using - Georgia currently has about 162 data centers already - They have an additional 141 new data centers planned - Combined these data centers will use 12+ GW or more of power, this is equivalent to the usage of 10 MILLION homes - Combined water usage estimate of 35+ billion gallons per year or higher Absolutely insane There is no comprehensive federal requirement for data centers to publicly report detailed water usage. A bill was introduced called “the Data Center Water and Energy Transparency Act” to mandate reporting of energy and water consumption to states and the EPA This is an issue, here’s one example The Quality Technology Services data center in Fayette County used 29–30 million gallons of water went unmetered and unbilled for months without initial detection. Residents complained about low pressure during drought conditions. The company later paid retroactively $150,000 but faced no fines

Wall Street Apes

147,412 views • 2 months ago

We need a Republican nominee who can hold Jocelyn Benson accountable for her husband profiting tens of millions from data centers in Michigan. John James cannot do it because the data center builders in Michigan are among his biggest donors. And James has already proven he cannot handle his own conflict with data center special interests. Instead of defending his record with substance, he plays the race card. Opposition to data centers is a key element of Republican victory this November, and John James is a liability at the top of our ticket.
1:55

We need a Republican nominee who can hold Jocelyn Benson accountable for her husband profiting tens of millions from data centers in Michigan. John James cannot do it because the data center builders in Michigan are among his biggest donors. And James has already proven he cannot handle his own conflict with data center special interests. Instead of defending his record with substance, he plays the race card. Opposition to data centers is a key element of Republican victory this November, and John James is a liability at the top of our ticket.

Perry Johnson

203,668 views • 29 days ago

This is very alarming Housing developers are realizing that selling parcels to data center developers is far more profitable than building homes “AI data centers aren't just using electricity and water. They're using land previously planned for homes” - 55 homes were purchased for nearly $1 million per house and knocked down to build data centers outside of Chicago - Amazon paid $700 million for land so they could build a data center instead of homes - Meta, Amazon, Microsoft, and Alphabet are spending more money on data centers than the US spent on railroads in the the interstate highway system in the 1950s, and more than the US spent on the Apollo space program States are choosing data centers over homes. There are real examples of this Northern Virginia is the center of this phenomenon known as Data Center Alley, even though the region has a shortage of more than 75,000 homes I found real devastating examples of this happening: Prince William County / Bristow, Virginia (Northern Virginia “Data Center Alley”) The homebuilder Steve Alloy’s company was preparing to develop 516 new homes when surrounding land was rapidly bought up by Microsoft, Google, and other data center operators instead. Nearby, the Village Place housing project entitled for 250 additional units had its land sold to a data center developer for $31 million Stanley Martin Homes Land Flip to Amazon, Prince William County, Virginia Residential homebuilder Stanley Martin Homes assembled 270 acres for about $51 million. They flipped most of it to Amazon for $700 million In Suburban Chicago Illinois. Stream Data Centers bought a 55 home subdivision for nearly $1 million per home, demolished the houses, and built a 2.1 million sq ft data center campus This must be stopped. We have starter home affordable crisis already
0:57

This is very alarming Housing developers are realizing that selling parcels to data center developers is far more profitable than building homes “AI data centers aren't just using electricity and water. They're using land previously planned for homes” - 55 homes were purchased for nearly $1 million per house and knocked down to build data centers outside of Chicago - Amazon paid $700 million for land so they could build a data center instead of homes - Meta, Amazon, Microsoft, and Alphabet are spending more money on data centers than the US spent on railroads in the the interstate highway system in the 1950s, and more than the US spent on the Apollo space program States are choosing data centers over homes. There are real examples of this Northern Virginia is the center of this phenomenon known as Data Center Alley, even though the region has a shortage of more than 75,000 homes I found real devastating examples of this happening: Prince William County / Bristow, Virginia (Northern Virginia “Data Center Alley”) The homebuilder Steve Alloy’s company was preparing to develop 516 new homes when surrounding land was rapidly bought up by Microsoft, Google, and other data center operators instead. Nearby, the Village Place housing project entitled for 250 additional units had its land sold to a data center developer for $31 million Stanley Martin Homes Land Flip to Amazon, Prince William County, Virginia Residential homebuilder Stanley Martin Homes assembled 270 acres for about $51 million. They flipped most of it to Amazon for $700 million In Suburban Chicago Illinois. Stream Data Centers bought a 55 home subdivision for nearly $1 million per home, demolished the houses, and built a 2.1 million sq ft data center campus This must be stopped. We have starter home affordable crisis already

Wall Street Apes

62,401 views • 2 months ago

Oregon Democrats are attempting to hand 1,700 acres of farmland over to developers Democrats are even planning on making taxpayers pay for the new roads for the data center Democrat “Senator Janeen Sollman has been serving these landowners and their lobbyists for as long as she's been in the legislature” “The governor is part of the problem too. She introduced a bill to extend enterprise zone durations — These bills don't use the words data center, but anyone who understands policy knows that one of the primary beneficiaries will be data centers”
2:48

Oregon Democrats are attempting to hand 1,700 acres of farmland over to developers Democrats are even planning on making taxpayers pay for the new roads for the data center Democrat “Senator Janeen Sollman has been serving these landowners and their lobbyists for as long as she's been in the legislature” “The governor is part of the problem too. She introduced a bill to extend enterprise zone durations — These bills don't use the words data center, but anyone who understands policy knows that one of the primary beneficiaries will be data centers”

Wall Street Apes

53,159 views • 5 months ago

In the next 15 years, data centers are expected to add an additional $160 billion to grid costs in the US Estimate say electricity rates for average households will spike by as much as 70% Data centers are projected to triple their share of US electricity demand in the next few years The main driver is the explosive growth of data centers built by Big Tech companies like Amazon, Meta, Microsoft, Google, OpenAI and more to power artificial intelligence Places like Northern Virginia already has over 200 data centers with massive new ones planned. Utilities are striking secret proprietary deals with Big Tech companies. These are hidden behind NDAs that shift much of the infrastructure costs onto regular residential customers Just in the PJM energy market of 13 states covering 65 million people, data centers were responsible for 63% of last year’s record 800% spike in capacity prices (This is INSANE) Residential customers in places like Virginia and Louisiana are being forced to subsidize billions in new power plants and grid upgrades for data centers. An Examples of this is in Louisiana, Meta’s data center deal leaves the public potentially on the hook for half or more of a $3–4 billion power plant Again, without major policy changes, average household electricity bills could rise by up to 70% over the next 15 years due to data center demand. There is only one real way we can stop this, we must create a separate customer class for data centers Maryland and Oregon have already passed laws doing this Forces data centers to pay for the specific infrastructure they need instead of spreading the costs to everyone else. More states need to do the same Ban secret sweetheart deals Require full public disclosure of all contracts between utilities and Big Tech Prohibit deals where data centers pay below the actual cost of service Make data centers pay the full cost of new power plants and grid upgrades Change regulations so utilities cannot socialize the cost of data-center-driven infrastructure to residential and small business ratepayers This needs to be done immediately
13:33

In the next 15 years, data centers are expected to add an additional $160 billion to grid costs in the US Estimate say electricity rates for average households will spike by as much as 70% Data centers are projected to triple their share of US electricity demand in the next few years The main driver is the explosive growth of data centers built by Big Tech companies like Amazon, Meta, Microsoft, Google, OpenAI and more to power artificial intelligence Places like Northern Virginia already has over 200 data centers with massive new ones planned. Utilities are striking secret proprietary deals with Big Tech companies. These are hidden behind NDAs that shift much of the infrastructure costs onto regular residential customers Just in the PJM energy market of 13 states covering 65 million people, data centers were responsible for 63% of last year’s record 800% spike in capacity prices (This is INSANE) Residential customers in places like Virginia and Louisiana are being forced to subsidize billions in new power plants and grid upgrades for data centers. An Examples of this is in Louisiana, Meta’s data center deal leaves the public potentially on the hook for half or more of a $3–4 billion power plant Again, without major policy changes, average household electricity bills could rise by up to 70% over the next 15 years due to data center demand. There is only one real way we can stop this, we must create a separate customer class for data centers Maryland and Oregon have already passed laws doing this Forces data centers to pay for the specific infrastructure they need instead of spreading the costs to everyone else. More states need to do the same Ban secret sweetheart deals Require full public disclosure of all contracts between utilities and Big Tech Prohibit deals where data centers pay below the actual cost of service Make data centers pay the full cost of new power plants and grid upgrades Change regulations so utilities cannot socialize the cost of data-center-driven infrastructure to residential and small business ratepayers This needs to be done immediately

Wall Street Apes

57,720 views • 2 months ago

VIDEO: Texas Gov. Abbott calls for regulations on data centers, contrasting previous stance FOX 4 NEWS ... AUSTIN, Texas - Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Wednesday called for sweeping regulations on data centers to be passed by the legislature in the 2027 session. It's a change in stance for Abbott, who previously worked to make Texas the epicenter of the data center buildout. In a letter to the Public Utilities Commission of Texas and the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, Abbot laid out his ideas to hold data centers accountable and ensure the costs of their growth are not passed on to taxpayers. Abbott called for new centers to add power generation to the state's power grid while paying for their own infrastructure costs and connection to the grid. The letter also calls for the mandated use of closed-loop water systems and annual reporting on electricity and water use by data centers. The governor is also calling on lawmakers to repeal sales tax exemptions and "other outdated or unnecessary incentives" for data centers. Data centers would also be required to consider the communities by reducing their impact through measures such as reducing noise. "As Texas continues to welcome innovation and investment, we must ensure that growth strengthens our people and their quality of life without placing undue burdens on Texans and local communities," Abbott wrote in the letter. In the letter, Abbott directed PUC and ERCOT to submit a joint memorandum by July 17 outlining actions they've taken to prevent risks and added costs to taxpayers because of data center development. At least one lawmaker applauded the move as state Rep. Helen Kerwin praised Abbott for "protecting Texas ratepayers." "As these projects are proposed across Texas, we must PROTECT our water resources, rural communities, and state parks while bringing greater transparency and accountability to the process," Kerwin said on X. Kerwin has come out against the explosive expansion of data centers in the past, calling for full impact studies before development. "Economic development matters. Innovation matters. Jobs matter. But our water and our power are not negotiable," she said in February. Cal Jillson, a political scientist, tells FOX 4's David Sentendrey that Abbott's recent comments are at odds with his past stance on data centers. "The Governor has worked very hard to make Texas the epicenter of the data center buildout," Jillson said. ERCOT delivered a warning in April that Texas power demand could quadruple by 2032, mostly driven by data centers, population increases and oil production. Jillson also believes Abbott, who is seeking re-election this November, sees the potential for political backlash for other Republican campaigns. "He is sitting on $130 million, he’s gonna win easily but he knows that there are some races down ticket. Maybe even the U.S. Senate race, certainly the Texas Railroad Commissioner race, which have weaker Republicans that he needs to worry about," Jillson continued. "He’s got to try to be sure that Republicans hold the Texas House and Senate by large margins. So that’s what he’s trying to do, just position the Republican Party more than himself so they’re not taking blame for the data center buildout." The move comes as communities and local leaders push back against the rapid expansion of data centers in the state. Last month, Hill County officials placed a moratorium on new data centers in their county. The move was met with a lawsuit from developers. Officials rescinded the moratorium last week in response to the pressure from the lawsuit and issued a checklist for new large-scale development in the county. The Angelina County Commissioners Court advised residents to contact state lawmakers during Tuesday night's meeting after hearing public comments about a proposed data center located outside the Lufkin city limits. "We have no authority to do a moratorium or to stop any type of development in the county," Angelina County Judge Keith Wright said. "The Texas legislators have consciously limited what we can do, and they've done it on purpose."
2:22

VIDEO: Texas Gov. Abbott calls for regulations on data centers, contrasting previous stance FOX 4 NEWS ... AUSTIN, Texas - Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Wednesday called for sweeping regulations on data centers to be passed by the legislature in the 2027 session. It's a change in stance for Abbott, who previously worked to make Texas the epicenter of the data center buildout. In a letter to the Public Utilities Commission of Texas and the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, Abbot laid out his ideas to hold data centers accountable and ensure the costs of their growth are not passed on to taxpayers. Abbott called for new centers to add power generation to the state's power grid while paying for their own infrastructure costs and connection to the grid. The letter also calls for the mandated use of closed-loop water systems and annual reporting on electricity and water use by data centers. The governor is also calling on lawmakers to repeal sales tax exemptions and "other outdated or unnecessary incentives" for data centers. Data centers would also be required to consider the communities by reducing their impact through measures such as reducing noise. "As Texas continues to welcome innovation and investment, we must ensure that growth strengthens our people and their quality of life without placing undue burdens on Texans and local communities," Abbott wrote in the letter. In the letter, Abbott directed PUC and ERCOT to submit a joint memorandum by July 17 outlining actions they've taken to prevent risks and added costs to taxpayers because of data center development. At least one lawmaker applauded the move as state Rep. Helen Kerwin praised Abbott for "protecting Texas ratepayers." "As these projects are proposed across Texas, we must PROTECT our water resources, rural communities, and state parks while bringing greater transparency and accountability to the process," Kerwin said on X. Kerwin has come out against the explosive expansion of data centers in the past, calling for full impact studies before development. "Economic development matters. Innovation matters. Jobs matter. But our water and our power are not negotiable," she said in February. Cal Jillson, a political scientist, tells FOX 4's David Sentendrey that Abbott's recent comments are at odds with his past stance on data centers. "The Governor has worked very hard to make Texas the epicenter of the data center buildout," Jillson said. ERCOT delivered a warning in April that Texas power demand could quadruple by 2032, mostly driven by data centers, population increases and oil production. Jillson also believes Abbott, who is seeking re-election this November, sees the potential for political backlash for other Republican campaigns. "He is sitting on $130 million, he’s gonna win easily but he knows that there are some races down ticket. Maybe even the U.S. Senate race, certainly the Texas Railroad Commissioner race, which have weaker Republicans that he needs to worry about," Jillson continued. "He’s got to try to be sure that Republicans hold the Texas House and Senate by large margins. So that’s what he’s trying to do, just position the Republican Party more than himself so they’re not taking blame for the data center buildout." The move comes as communities and local leaders push back against the rapid expansion of data centers in the state. Last month, Hill County officials placed a moratorium on new data centers in their county. The move was met with a lawsuit from developers. Officials rescinded the moratorium last week in response to the pressure from the lawsuit and issued a checklist for new large-scale development in the county. The Angelina County Commissioners Court advised residents to contact state lawmakers during Tuesday night's meeting after hearing public comments about a proposed data center located outside the Lufkin city limits. "We have no authority to do a moratorium or to stop any type of development in the county," Angelina County Judge Keith Wright said. "The Texas legislators have consciously limited what we can do, and they've done it on purpose."

David Sentendrey

62,561 views • 2 months ago

There are RVs parked for miles in Abilene, Texas They are used for temporary housing for thousands of construction workers building massive AI data centers Abilene is in the middle of a huge AI data center boom, projects include OpenAI, Oracle, Crusoe, Microsoft, and more. These are multibillion dollar campuses, some valued at more than $26 billion+ The power needs for these data centers in this area will exceed 1 million average homes They’ll use about 8 million gallons of water
1:03

There are RVs parked for miles in Abilene, Texas They are used for temporary housing for thousands of construction workers building massive AI data centers Abilene is in the middle of a huge AI data center boom, projects include OpenAI, Oracle, Crusoe, Microsoft, and more. These are multibillion dollar campuses, some valued at more than $26 billion+ The power needs for these data centers in this area will exceed 1 million average homes They’ll use about 8 million gallons of water

Wall Street Apes

334,605 views • 2 months ago

Famous Yellowstone Actor Mo Brings Plenty speaks at his city council meeting to oppose a proposed Data Center The proposed data center is the Piqua project in Ohio. It’s a hyperscale data center that is estimated to use up to 2 MILLION GALLONS OF WATER PER DAY There are also multiple more proposed data centers in the area, including one by Amazon Web Services Yellowstone Actor Mo Brings Plenty urges the city council to do the right thing and say no because of water concerns. He says he knows they’re in a tough position, but they ran for that position The amount of data centers being built in America is way out of control
3:21

Famous Yellowstone Actor Mo Brings Plenty speaks at his city council meeting to oppose a proposed Data Center The proposed data center is the Piqua project in Ohio. It’s a hyperscale data center that is estimated to use up to 2 MILLION GALLONS OF WATER PER DAY There are also multiple more proposed data centers in the area, including one by Amazon Web Services Yellowstone Actor Mo Brings Plenty urges the city council to do the right thing and say no because of water concerns. He says he knows they’re in a tough position, but they ran for that position The amount of data centers being built in America is way out of control

Wall Street Apes

342,610 views • 21 days ago

ABC News investigated and found more than 3,000 data centers are already operating nationwide At least 1,000 more planned Residents near data centers are seeing much as 50%+ increases on their electric bills “ABC7 has also been covering public meetings over proposed data centers and there are questions about water use and the environment. The i-team in ABC News studied this private company's data center map and found that there are at least 4,302 data center projects across the U.S. Large and small. Of those, 3,038 are currently operational with another 1,203 either under construction or plan for construction. 61 have acquired land. In Illinois, there are 164 operating data centers with another 81 planned for construction. The largest state project plan is in Yorkville. It would be 2 gigawatts and according to the ABC7 data team would use the same energy that would power approximately 1.7 million homes more than every home in the city of Chicago.”
4:21

ABC News investigated and found more than 3,000 data centers are already operating nationwide At least 1,000 more planned Residents near data centers are seeing much as 50%+ increases on their electric bills “ABC7 has also been covering public meetings over proposed data centers and there are questions about water use and the environment. The i-team in ABC News studied this private company's data center map and found that there are at least 4,302 data center projects across the U.S. Large and small. Of those, 3,038 are currently operational with another 1,203 either under construction or plan for construction. 61 have acquired land. In Illinois, there are 164 operating data centers with another 81 planned for construction. The largest state project plan is in Yorkville. It would be 2 gigawatts and according to the ABC7 data team would use the same energy that would power approximately 1.7 million homes more than every home in the city of Chicago.”

Wall Street Apes

152,195 views • 5 months ago

🚨 JUST IN: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has just BANNED AI data centers from using up all the water needed by citizens during a drought And the law BANS utility companies from charging higher prices because of data centers "How are you going to say that somehow the water can go to a data center when we need to water for our own people and for the core functions of our society?"
3:10

🚨 JUST IN: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has just BANNED AI data centers from using up all the water needed by citizens during a drought And the law BANS utility companies from charging higher prices because of data centers "How are you going to say that somehow the water can go to a data center when we need to water for our own people and for the core functions of our society?"

Eric Daugherty

568,852 views • 3 months ago

New Jersey residents are noticing construction crews surveying and replacing lines to upgrade power infrastructure for Data Centers Residents are paying for these upgrades These lines being updated are for a data center that’s not even close, it’s across the bridge 20 minutes away This is happening across Fairless Hills, Bristol, Middletown, and surrounding Bucks County spots due to multiple data center projects New Jersey already has 80+ data centers with more planned so these updates are happening everywhere Residents in these areas are already paying some of the power costs and grid upgrades related to data centers Welcome to corporate socialism. Money is taken from you to pay for the data centers infrastructure, but they won’t share any of the profits with you It’s called socialized losses and privatized profits
0:33

New Jersey residents are noticing construction crews surveying and replacing lines to upgrade power infrastructure for Data Centers Residents are paying for these upgrades These lines being updated are for a data center that’s not even close, it’s across the bridge 20 minutes away This is happening across Fairless Hills, Bristol, Middletown, and surrounding Bucks County spots due to multiple data center projects New Jersey already has 80+ data centers with more planned so these updates are happening everywhere Residents in these areas are already paying some of the power costs and grid upgrades related to data centers Welcome to corporate socialism. Money is taken from you to pay for the data centers infrastructure, but they won’t share any of the profits with you It’s called socialized losses and privatized profits

Wall Street Apes

59,079 views • 2 months ago

New Data Center the size of 40 football fields planned in Utah - 40,000 acres of private land in Hansel Valley - Utah is in widespread drought but the Data Center will use 977 million gallons of water per year - An additional 1,200 acres of military and state-owned land - Land tied to Hill Air Force Base, Utah Test and Training Range and National Guard sites - It’s one of the largest proposed data center campuses in the US - Promoted as potentially the largest in the world, with up to 9 GW of on-site power generation - Utah already has 48 operational data centers They will get tax break incentives - Energy use tax slashed from 6% to 0.5%. - 80% rebate on personal property taxes for equipment and servers Insanity
3:00

New Data Center the size of 40 football fields planned in Utah - 40,000 acres of private land in Hansel Valley - Utah is in widespread drought but the Data Center will use 977 million gallons of water per year - An additional 1,200 acres of military and state-owned land - Land tied to Hill Air Force Base, Utah Test and Training Range and National Guard sites - It’s one of the largest proposed data center campuses in the US - Promoted as potentially the largest in the world, with up to 9 GW of on-site power generation - Utah already has 48 operational data centers They will get tax break incentives - Energy use tax slashed from 6% to 0.5%. - 80% rebate on personal property taxes for equipment and servers Insanity

Wall Street Apes

69,055 views • 3 months ago

Brad Paisley speaks out against AI data centers: “They’re trying to build a data center, a monstrosity next to the zoo where they’re not asking for permission and it’s also going to really affect something here in Nashville that’s one of the beloved parts of our town and it’s without the blessing of those who are gonna be affected by it. Nashville, we gotta fight this”
1:28

Brad Paisley speaks out against AI data centers: “They’re trying to build a data center, a monstrosity next to the zoo where they’re not asking for permission and it’s also going to really affect something here in Nashville that’s one of the beloved parts of our town and it’s without the blessing of those who are gonna be affected by it. Nashville, we gotta fight this”

Marco Foster

50,118 views • 1 month ago

"Advocacy has to look different than in the past." What was once a sleepy race for Public Service Commission in Georgia, which regulates utilities, has become a flashpoint in the fight over data centers. Voters, frustrated by rising electricity bills and a surge in data centers, elected commissioner Alicia Johnson, who campaigned on reining in the AI-farm build-­out and forcing the projects to pay their own way. And the fight against data centers is spreading nationwide. In Oklahoma, advocates Jordan Harmon and Mackenzie Roberts staged a series of town halls opposing a proposed hyperscale data center on ranch land, which officials emphasized would continue to be used for “food security,” agriculture, and hunting. Amid the outcry, the proposal was ultimately shot down. For the new issue, TIME spoke to a broad array of AI skeptics, including those on the front lines of data-center development. Read more stories here: Video by Benedict Evans for TIME.
1:43

"Advocacy has to look different than in the past." What was once a sleepy race for Public Service Commission in Georgia, which regulates utilities, has become a flashpoint in the fight over data centers. Voters, frustrated by rising electricity bills and a surge in data centers, elected commissioner Alicia Johnson, who campaigned on reining in the AI-farm build-­out and forcing the projects to pay their own way. And the fight against data centers is spreading nationwide. In Oklahoma, advocates Jordan Harmon and Mackenzie Roberts staged a series of town halls opposing a proposed hyperscale data center on ranch land, which officials emphasized would continue to be used for “food security,” agriculture, and hunting. Amid the outcry, the proposal was ultimately shot down. For the new issue, TIME spoke to a broad array of AI skeptics, including those on the front lines of data-center development. Read more stories here: Video by Benedict Evans for TIME.

TIME

19,960 views • 5 months ago

New scenes from the Hazen Fire (Buckeye brush fire) burning south of Buckeye, Arizona The fire as of right now is still 0% contained and has burned nearly 1,000 acres Coincidentally Buckeye, Arizona has multiple large-scale data center projects planned Planned data centers nearby include - Tract Buckeye Technology Park is the largest and most prominent. A 2,069 acre campus for up to 20 million sq ft of data centers with 40 buildings - Hassayampa Ranch: Another massive 2,000 acre $25 billion data center project west in unincorporated Maricopa County - There are additional smaller data center proposals also, including conversions of industrial and hydrogen sites The fire seems to be clearing the land
0:58

New scenes from the Hazen Fire (Buckeye brush fire) burning south of Buckeye, Arizona The fire as of right now is still 0% contained and has burned nearly 1,000 acres Coincidentally Buckeye, Arizona has multiple large-scale data center projects planned Planned data centers nearby include - Tract Buckeye Technology Park is the largest and most prominent. A 2,069 acre campus for up to 20 million sq ft of data centers with 40 buildings - Hassayampa Ranch: Another massive 2,000 acre $25 billion data center project west in unincorporated Maricopa County - There are additional smaller data center proposals also, including conversions of industrial and hydrogen sites The fire seems to be clearing the land

Wall Street Apes

97,175 views • 3 months ago

The RVs parked for miles in Abilene, Texas seem to never end I shared earlier footage of this, but this shows they are expanding and building 2,300 more spaces They are used for temporary housing for thousands of construction workers building massive AI data centers The city has approved large-scale RV parks specifically for data center workers, including a nearly 1,000-space park on Elmdale Road and plans for up to 2,300+ spaces total across new developments Abilene is in the middle of a huge AI data center boom, projects include OpenAI, Oracle, Crusoe, Microsoft, and more. These are multibillion dollar campuses, some valued at more than $26 billion+ The power needs for these data centers in this area will exceed 1 million average homes They’ll use about 8 million gallons of water Each major project can have as many as 6,000 workers on site each day
0:57

The RVs parked for miles in Abilene, Texas seem to never end I shared earlier footage of this, but this shows they are expanding and building 2,300 more spaces They are used for temporary housing for thousands of construction workers building massive AI data centers The city has approved large-scale RV parks specifically for data center workers, including a nearly 1,000-space park on Elmdale Road and plans for up to 2,300+ spaces total across new developments Abilene is in the middle of a huge AI data center boom, projects include OpenAI, Oracle, Crusoe, Microsoft, and more. These are multibillion dollar campuses, some valued at more than $26 billion+ The power needs for these data centers in this area will exceed 1 million average homes They’ll use about 8 million gallons of water Each major project can have as many as 6,000 workers on site each day

Wall Street Apes

60,470 views • 2 months ago

Woman who lives in Virginia says her county alone has over 50 Data Centers and now they are being asked to conserve both power and water “Our temperatures are about to hit an average of 120° across the state, but you want us to preserve water and power so the data centers can run, and we're going to be the ones fitting the bill for all that power that gets used up” She’s absolutely correct I verified that parts of Virginia are sending conservation requests to residents For those that don’t know how bad it is in Virginia Data Center Alley alone in Northern Virginia hosts the world’s largest concentration of data centers, around 600–685 facilities with many more planned Things are only going to get worse
2:02

Woman who lives in Virginia says her county alone has over 50 Data Centers and now they are being asked to conserve both power and water “Our temperatures are about to hit an average of 120° across the state, but you want us to preserve water and power so the data centers can run, and we're going to be the ones fitting the bill for all that power that gets used up” She’s absolutely correct I verified that parts of Virginia are sending conservation requests to residents For those that don’t know how bad it is in Virginia Data Center Alley alone in Northern Virginia hosts the world’s largest concentration of data centers, around 600–685 facilities with many more planned Things are only going to get worse

Wall Street Apes

120,444 views • 1 month ago

I take partial blame along with the rest of the industry. We did not communicate the difference between a data center built in Virginia 20 years ago and what we're building now. Most data centers today don't use more water than a golf course, and so that's a huge package of misinformation. Additionally, everybody has to bring their own power. The major benefit to that is we need more power in America. Not just data centers, we need overall power. In Utah for example, I have to bring my own power and build power not only for the data center, but to give back to the community to keep power costs down. That's a major benefit. That's gonna happen across the country.
2:25

I take partial blame along with the rest of the industry. We did not communicate the difference between a data center built in Virginia 20 years ago and what we're building now. Most data centers today don't use more water than a golf course, and so that's a huge package of misinformation. Additionally, everybody has to bring their own power. The major benefit to that is we need more power in America. Not just data centers, we need overall power. In Utah for example, I have to bring my own power and build power not only for the data center, but to give back to the community to keep power costs down. That's a major benefit. That's gonna happen across the country.

Kevin O'Leary aka Mr. Wonderful

48,789 views • 5 days ago

Over 150 residents in Red Oak, Texas packed their City Hall meeting, spilling into hallways to protest Despite this their local officials stayed until after midnight and approved a new massive 830 acre data center campus in the middle of the night They don’t work for you The project is will be the 6th data center in the small city of Red Oak. The population is only about 15,000- 20,000 people The council approved the rezoning despite strong opposition. The project is moving forward Resident “We don't need another data center. You don't know what the health impact is. You got them all crunched together — You're going to ruin this community” I found that just these data centers in this small town will use as much power as 300,000 homes Insane
0:53

Over 150 residents in Red Oak, Texas packed their City Hall meeting, spilling into hallways to protest Despite this their local officials stayed until after midnight and approved a new massive 830 acre data center campus in the middle of the night They don’t work for you The project is will be the 6th data center in the small city of Red Oak. The population is only about 15,000- 20,000 people The council approved the rezoning despite strong opposition. The project is moving forward Resident “We don't need another data center. You don't know what the health impact is. You got them all crunched together — You're going to ruin this community” I found that just these data centers in this small town will use as much power as 300,000 homes Insane

Wall Street Apes

220,439 views • 2 months ago