Over 70 percent of Americans oppose AI data center construction in their area, according to a new Gallup survey. Just seven percent said they were "strongly" in favor of new data centers. According to Gallup, data centers are so strongly disliked that Americans would prefer to live near a nuclear power plant than a data center - even at its peak, opposition to nuclear power plant construction topped out at 63 percent.
Gallup's data is based on a March 2026 survey of 1,000 randomly-selected American adults in all 50 US states and the District of Columbia, along with an April 2026 survey of 2,054 adults "who are members of the Gallup Panel." …
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The coalition's standardization efforts could accelerate AI infrastructure development, reduce costs, and prevent vendor lock-in, fostering innovation.
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Google is reportedly in talks with SpaceX for a rocket launch deal as it explores orbital AI data centers through Project Suncatcher.
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Massive new data centers are the physical foundation for tech companies’ hopes and dreams for AI. But the rush to expand warehouses full of energy-hungry servers has also kicked up fights across the world over their impact on power grids, utility bills, nearby communities, and the environment.
From audacious plans to launch data centers into space to the latest legal battles over pollution, The Verge has the biggest news and reporting surrounding data centers.
43 percent of Americans blame data centers as a major reason for rising power bills.
Senators are pushing to find out how much electricity data centers actually use
How the spiraling Iran conflict could affect data centers and electricity costs
Seven tech giants signed Trump’s pledge to keep electricity costs from spiking around data centers
Trump claims tech companies will sign deals next week to pay for their own power supply
Anthropic says it’ll try to keep its data centers from raising electricit
Claims of nimbyism are a misunderstanding: the movement is about whether regular people have a say in fundamental decisions
Since the surreal scene at the 2024 presidential inauguration, when a row of big tech titans took their VIP seats and signaled their new alliance with Maga, the Trump administration has rolled out the red carpet for Silicon Valley’s AI ambitions and shareholder priorities.
Washington has doled out billions in lucrative federal subsidies and contracts to the cash-rich sector, bloating an AI bubble that experts warn may imperil the entire economy while prohibiting any guardrails on the fast-moving technology.
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The data center industry’s rapid growth has raised concerns among state lawmakers, who are now pushing to limit AI data centers’ impact on utility bills, water use and the electric grid.