Anti-Data Center Movement Gains Steam Across the US
Political candidates and activists from all sides are organizing against the rapid expansion of data centers and AI infrastructure.
A growing coalition of politicians, activists, and everyday citizens is mounting serious resistance against the proliferation of data centers and AI infrastructure across the United States.
The movement spans ideological lines. Nearly 200 people packed a Richmond, Virginia church one February morning, many having driven hours before dawn from across the state to voice their opposition.
The pushback isn't coming from one political camp. Candidates and organizers from different professions and belief systems are finding common ground in their concerns about data center expansion — from energy consumption and water usage to noise pollution and land use.
It's a rare bipartisan moment in American politics: people who agree on almost nothing else are united against Big Tech's insatiable appetite for physical infrastructure. The AI boom needs servers, and servers need buildings. Not everyone wants those buildings next door.