GoKawiil
Tech News
President Vladimir Putin has directed non-state-owned data centers across Russia to set aside 10% of their capacity for state IT infrastructure, to be released on 24 hours' notice via a new government commission. The order follows Ukrainian drone strikes that damaged Russia's largest data center and the finance ministry's facility, disrupting services like Yandex Mail and tax databases.
Prophecy Gov's American Sentiment project analyzed 10,202 public comments made at 417 local government meetings across 48 states in 2026, finding 90.5% were negative toward proposed data centers, 7% positive, and 2.5% neutral questions. The site reports that 73% of the 906 tracked meetings had no vocal supporters at all, and even where support existed, opponents outnumbered supporters six to one. Top complaints cited were water use, quality-of-life impacts, and lack of project transparency.
Reports ahead of the November 3 midterm elections indicate that AI data centers have become a major campaign topic in several states, with candidates debating regulation and proposed moratoriums on new facilities. Voter turnout for the midterms is reportedly reaching record levels.
President Javier Milei is pitching Argentina, particularly Patagonia, as an unregulated hub for AI data centers, meeting with executives from OpenAI, Amazon, Google, Oracle and venture capitalist Peter Thiel. Records show data center firm Crusoe has also sought talks with Argentine energy officials about U.S.-backed investments, while Polish firm Green Capital plans a $3 billion data center in Patagonia to lease to tech companies.
OpenAI announced Monday it will pilot a 'Grid Protectors Program' at a new data center in Effingham County, Georgia, pledging to free up to 1,000 megawatts of power during extreme weather or emergencies — enough to power air conditioning in roughly 700,000 homes. The company frames this as making its data center power supply available to utilities when local communities face strain.
Sam Altman said on the YouTube channel Cheeky Pint that it's inefficient for consumers to keep DRAM sitting mostly idle in personal computers, arguing that memory would be better utilized in AI data centers. Elon Musk responded on X with a mocking meme referencing a WWII film about hunting for hidden items, framing Altman's comment as an attack on consumer RAM ownership.
Republican candidate Byron Donalds, who has Trump's endorsement and roughly $148 million in campaign funding largely tied to the tech industry, faces defections from GOP voters angered by his support for data center development. Patti Zirhut, a lifelong Republican and anti-data-center organizer in Hernando County, says she will not vote for Donalds and is considering backing Democratic opponent David Jolly instead. Jolly, a former Republican, says opposition to data centers is stronger among Republicans than Democrats in Florida.
OpenAI confirmed to Business Insider that it is rebranding its data center facilities as 'compute campuses,' saying the term better reflects the scale of its AI infrastructure investments in computing, energy and jobs. The company said it wants host communities to help shape and share in the benefits of these projects.
OpenAI is preparing a public relations campaign to launch after Tuesday's midterm elections, according to Axios. Chief global affairs officer Chris Lehane outlined plans including AI 'speed limits,' efforts to frame AI as empowering for everyday people, pushing U.S. leadership on global AI standards, and rebranding unpopular data centers as 'AI compute campuses.'
A Sierra Club analysis, first reported by Bloomberg, projects that US grid emissions could reach 2.1 billion metric tons of CO2 by 2030 if currently planned AI data centers come online as scheduled. That would mark a 42 percent jump from 2025 levels, driven largely by gas-fired power plants built on or near data center sites to bypass grid bottlenecks.
California's Proposition 45 would shorten environmental review timelines for projects deemed 'essential,' cap legal challenges at 270 days, and limit public comment to 45 days. Environmental groups including Earthjustice warn that data center developers could classify their projects as essential infrastructure to access these expedited approvals, even though the measure is being pitched mainly as a way to speed housing and renewable energy construction.
A Media Matters for America analysis found Fox News coverage favorable to data centers increased roughly 420 percent over a recent two-month period, with pro-data-center claims rising from 39 between August 5-18 to 203 between August 19 and September 2. The spike followed an August 18 memo from the National Republican Senatorial Committee warning party insiders that opposition to data centers threatened Republican midterm prospects, and Fox segments also began citing 'far-left activists' and Chinese government propaganda as sources of anti-data-center sentiment.