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Voters around the country are pushing back against the building of data centers for artificial intelligence. The large-scale facilities are necessary to match the demand for AI, but there are high energy costs that come with them. It's an issue that was critical in key state elections last year. Now it's becoming a midterm issue and is drawing White House attention. NPR White House correspondent Deepa Shivaram traveled to Hanover, Virginia, and brings us this report.
DEEPA SHIVARAM, BYLINE: The most popular sign for anti-data-center protesters in Hanover County reads, grow tomatoes, not data centers. They're everywhere, says Jennifer Corpus, a Hanover resident.
JENNIFER CORPUS: And I think it's, like, that emotional tie to being, like, this is our county, and this is something that our county's known for. Like, why do we want to be known for data centers? We don't.
SHIVARAM: Corpus has been leading protests to convince local leaders to vote against plans for four new data centers in the area.
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UNIDENTIFIED PROTESTERS: (Chanting) The data center's bound to fail.
UNIDENTIFIED PROTESTER: Hanover is not for sale.
SHIVARAM: She's concerned about everything from how data centers will impact rural land to higher energy costs.
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CORPUS: Hanover residents do not want data centers.
(CHEERING)
SHIVARAM: The rise of data centers has become a particular issue in Virginia, which has the highest number of data centers than anywhere in the world. An independent review commissioned by the state government showed that by 2040, Virginians could be paying up to $37 more per month in energy costs. In other states, like Wisconsin, North Carolina and Pennsylvania, similar fights are popping up. Brendan Steinhauser leads The Alliance for Secure AI, a group pushing for more AI safeguards. He says the pushback against data centres reflects people's larger fears.
BRENDAN STEINHAUSER: There's a fear that's out there that is real and that is palpable that is informing the way they think about these huge facilities that they see in their neighborhood. And they're like, what is happening? Why is this happening so fast? Why didn't I get a say in this?
SHIVARAM: Proponents say they're crucial for everyday technology use and bring jobs to the area. But the debate has started to become seeped in politics, and it's not exactly divided by party. Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who caucuses with Democrats, has pushed for a nationwide moratorium. Republicans like Missouri Senator Josh Hawley and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis are both pushing for more regulations. Here's the governor last month.
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RON DESANTIS: There are some people that say, you know, the right policy is to just give Big Tech whatever they want, subsidize it and all this stuff, and somehow that's going to lead us to some happy place. You know, I reject that.
SHIVARAM: And while President Trump and his AI czar, David Sacks, have been advocating for more data centers and working closely with tech companies, the White House is starting to respond to voters' cost concerns, though they have no authority over how private companies can operate. Tech companies, though, are starting to act amid the public backlash. OpenAI and Microsoft both announced initiatives to lower energy and water usage around their data centers. Here's Dan Diorio from the Data Center Coalition, a group that represents companies like Meta and Amazon.
DAN DIORIO: The industry is committed to being a responsible partner in the communities and where they locate, but also a responsive partner.
SHIVARAM: As both parties gear up for elections later this year, how they talk about data centers could be critical, especially because it hasn't been defined by party lines, says Steinhauser.
STEINHAUSER: On this issue, for whatever reason, people are just so concerned about it. And they're so worried about it that I think they're just cheering anyone who is saying the right things or is expressing skepticism.
SHIVARAM: That's certainly true for Hanover residents, including Corpus. She says the issue will be a big part of how she votes in local elections.
CORPUS: If someone told me they were anti-data center, they'd have my vote.
SHIVARAM: All the other disagreements, Corpus says, can wait.
Deepa Shivaram, NPR News, Hanover, Virginia.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC) Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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