GoKawiilAccording to a new survey conducted by Ipsos at the end of last year, almost half of all queried Americans said they would oppose an AI data center being built near their community. This level of opposition is higher than that given to the creation of multi-apartment buildings, new apartment complexes, or mixed-use developments.
This survey appears to highlight the growing opposition to data center construction in America. Around half of all previously announced data center projects have been delayed or cancelled entirely. Often this was for financial or component supply issues — such as Chinese power transformer shortages — but growing opposition from local lawmakers and communities about their impact on water and air quality, and electricity prices, has also been a factor.
As resentment toward AI data centers appears to be on the rise, this problem for hyperscalers may only worsen as larger swathes of the American public oppose the creation of new “AI factories.”
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Millennials are the least concerned
In the survey, 4,000 U.S. residents were polled about their feelings towards the construction of new AI data centers near their communities. It was designed to gauge their fears around local environmental and service disruption, as well as the broader case of AI displacing human workers and upending social institutions.
In total, 47% of respondents said they opposed the construction of new AI data centers in their neighborhood, with just 38% saying they supported it. That support was spread differently throughout various age ranges, however.
Of those questioned, 50% of Millennial age respondents said they either somewhat or strongly supported the creation of new AI data centers in their neighborhood or local area. This was closely followed by 48% of Gen Z respondents. There was a large drop off after that, with only 38% of Gen X saying they supported their creation. Baby boomers were the least enthusiastic, with just 22% claiming they felt the same.
In what is perhaps an example of the current U.S. administration’s influence and its entanglement with top tech firms, 49% of surveyed Republicans claimed they would support new data center creation in their local area. This stood in stark contrast to just 36% of Democrats. A causal trend could also be drawn from the fact that Republican voting states and counties tend to be more rural, with less economic activity. Data center projects do require construction, and there is the potential for local job creation.
When it came to homeowners and renters, surprisingly, it was the homeowners who were more likely to support it, with 39% versus 36% of renters claiming they either somewhat or strongly supported new data center development in their neighborhood.
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