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I don't see it that way at all, but then I'm a housing activist, and I've seen fiercer opposition to a 4-story apartment building than to some of these data cen

by tptacek 5mo ago

I don't see it that way at all, but then I'm a housing activist, and I've seen fiercer opposition to a 4-story apartment building than to some of these data centers. People just like opposing development. It's very satisfying! When I see a protest over a golf course opening, I'll take data center water use concerns seriously. The data centers the industry wants are all going to get built. People are being hypnotized by concentrated minority interests in specific spots in the country. The only big picture thing about it is the left-populist sideshow it's created.

no-name-here 5mo ago
> The data centers the industry wants are all going to get built. That seems very untrue - multiple areas have already banned data centers, and senators like Bernie Sanders have proposed stopping data centers nationwide. This is just the next phase of NIMBY-ism. Alternatively, source that the "data centers the industry wants are all going to get built"? > I've seen fiercer opposition to a 4-story apartment building than to some of these data centers. I'm guessing you're referring to rather cherry-picked data? I've seen data center opposition making even the national news, but I don't recall any '4-story apartment buildings' opposition doing so? And senators like Bernie Sanders are proposing halting data centers nationwide - are there any similar proposals to similarly outlaw such housing construction nationwide? > People just like opposing development.… When I see a protest over a golf course opening, I'll take data center water use concerns seriously. Agreed.
- taybin 5mo ago
  Bernie Sanders proposes a lot of things that are never implemented. I’m not sure his support is actually a useful signal of greater support.
  - bdangubic 5mo ago
    it is (unfortunately) quite the opposite, if you see what he supports there is a high likelyhood of that not happening.
- tptacek 5mo ago
  Of course multiple areas have already banned data centers. So what? The United States is absolutely enormous. Data center buildout --- especially for AI training --- has a much easier problem than housing does. Housing needs to be built near centers of economic activity, which means that every marginal unit of housing is likely to be infill and has to pass muster with relatively dense neighborhoods of people who hate development. Data centers tend to be sited in underutilized industrial tracts. There are lots of those around the country. I feel like what's obviously happening here is that people have a rooting interest against AI, and highly-publicized pushes against "AI data centers" in specific areas are simply sparking joy for people.
  - no-name-here 5mo ago
    Is the argument that opposition to, and proposed bans of, data centers are only occurring on sites near dense population centers, as opposed to even covering incredibly low density sites? I'd say data center opposition goes beyond housing opposition as state-wide or even national bans have been proposed. Many people similarly have a 'rooting interest' against public housing, public transit, even new housing in general in their area, and similarly celebrate when housing, transit, etc. get stopped. <shrug>
    - tptacek 5mo ago
      That's exactly what I'm saying. This is an old story; it's just getting airplay because of the "AI" connection.
cootsnuck 5mo ago
> The data centers the industry wants are all going to get built. If that was the case then why are the majority of data center projects getting scrapped? https://gizmodo.com/data-center-project-cancellations-quadrupled-in-2025-as-locals-fight-back-2000709669 https://gizmodo.com/data-center-project-cancellations-quadru... Why are insiders saying they only expect about 10% of data center projects to ever be completed? Why is 2026 already shaping up to have less than half of planned data centers break ground on construction? Local community opposition is a big driver but so is permitting and infra procurement. https://www.datacenterknowledge.com/energy-power-supply/why-ai-data-center-projects-face-years-of-delays-after-approval https://www.datacenterknowledge.com/energy-power-supply/why-... All of this is inconvenient to big tech's "inevitability" narratives.
- ojbyrne 5mo ago
  That Gizmodo article says none of the things you characterize it as saying. Except sorta - "Peter Freed, Meta’s former director of energy strategy, who spoke to Heatmap, expects only about 10% of the projects that are currently underway to ever be completed." Perhaps that's why he's a "former director" but that doesn't really qualify as an "insider."
  - cootsnuck 5mo ago
    Yea, my bad. "majority getting scrapped” was sloppy wording. More accurate to say would be that a big chunk of the AI data center pipeline looks delayed/speculative. 16GW is slated for 2026, but only 5GW is actually under construction. https://www.sightlineclimate.com/research/data-center-outlook https://www.sightlineclimate.com/research/data-center-outloo... I do think it's a bit ridiculous though to not consider someone a tech insider who was a director for a decade at one of the biggest tech companies in history...
hunterpayne 5mo ago
[flagged]

by tptacek 5mo ago

no-name-here 5mo ago

> The data centers the industry wants are all going to get built. That seems very untrue - multiple areas have already banned data centers, and senators like Bernie Sanders have proposed stopping data centers nationwide. This is just the next phase of NIMBY-ism. Alternatively, source that the "data centers the industry wants are all going to get built"? > I've seen fiercer opposition to a 4-story apartment building than to some of these data centers. I'm guessing you're referring to rather cherry-picked data? I've seen data center opposition making even the national news, but I don't recall any '4-story apartment buildings' opposition doing so? And senators like Bernie Sanders are proposing halting data centers nationwide - are there any similar proposals to similarly outlaw such housing construction nationwide? > People just like opposing development.… When I see a protest over a golf course opening, I'll take data center water use concerns seriously. Agreed.

taybin 5mo ago
Bernie Sanders proposes a lot of things that are never implemented. I’m not sure his support is actually a useful signal of greater support.
- bdangubic 5mo ago
  it is (unfortunately) quite the opposite, if you see what he supports there is a high likelyhood of that not happening.
tptacek 5mo ago
Of course multiple areas have already banned data centers. So what? The United States is absolutely enormous. Data center buildout --- especially for AI training --- has a much easier problem than housing does. Housing needs to be built near centers of economic activity, which means that every marginal unit of housing is likely to be infill and has to pass muster with relatively dense neighborhoods of people who hate development. Data centers tend to be sited in underutilized industrial tracts. There are lots of those around the country. I feel like what's obviously happening here is that people have a rooting interest against AI, and highly-publicized pushes against "AI data centers" in specific areas are simply sparking joy for people.
- no-name-here 5mo ago
  Is the argument that opposition to, and proposed bans of, data centers are only occurring on sites near dense population centers, as opposed to even covering incredibly low density sites? I'd say data center opposition goes beyond housing opposition as state-wide or even national bans have been proposed. Many people similarly have a 'rooting interest' against public housing, public transit, even new housing in general in their area, and similarly celebrate when housing, transit, etc. get stopped. <shrug>
  - tptacek 5mo ago
    That's exactly what I'm saying. This is an old story; it's just getting airplay because of the "AI" connection.

cootsnuck 5mo ago

> The data centers the industry wants are all going to get built. If that was the case then why are the majority of data center projects getting scrapped? https://gizmodo.com/data-center-project-cancellations-quadrupled-in-2025-as-locals-fight-back-2000709669 https://gizmodo.com/data-center-project-cancellations-quadru... Why are insiders saying they only expect about 10% of data center projects to ever be completed? Why is 2026 already shaping up to have less than half of planned data centers break ground on construction? Local community opposition is a big driver but so is permitting and infra procurement. https://www.datacenterknowledge.com/energy-power-supply/why-ai-data-center-projects-face-years-of-delays-after-approval https://www.datacenterknowledge.com/energy-power-supply/why-... All of this is inconvenient to big tech's "inevitability" narratives.

ojbyrne 5mo ago
That Gizmodo article says none of the things you characterize it as saying. Except sorta - "Peter Freed, Meta’s former director of energy strategy, who spoke to Heatmap, expects only about 10% of the projects that are currently underway to ever be completed." Perhaps that's why he's a "former director" but that doesn't really qualify as an "insider."
- cootsnuck 5mo ago
  Yea, my bad. "majority getting scrapped” was sloppy wording. More accurate to say would be that a big chunk of the AI data center pipeline looks delayed/speculative. 16GW is slated for 2026, but only 5GW is actually under construction. https://www.sightlineclimate.com/research/data-center-outlook https://www.sightlineclimate.com/research/data-center-outloo... I do think it's a bit ridiculous though to not consider someone a tech insider who was a director for a decade at one of the biggest tech companies in history...

hunterpayne 5mo ago

[flagged]