About 130 US Data Center Projects Valued at $130 Billion Facing Delays or Pushback, OpenAI and Meta Ramp Up Community Outreach

Odaily News: As concerns grow across the United States over AI data centers' water usage, electricity consumption, and impact on local infrastructure, tech companies such as OpenAI and Meta are adding community relations staff to reduce the risk of local opposition to data center projects. A Gallup survey shows that about 70% of Americans oppose the construction of data centers in their areas, and in the first three months of this year, at least 75 data center projects with a total value of approximately $130 billion were blocked or delayed due to local opposition.

Among them, OpenAI is hiring a head of community engagement to mitigate opposition to its data center projects in Ohio and Georgia, while Meta is recruiting a community engagement manager to build relationships with local officials and school districts. Additionally, OpenAI announced this week that it is investing $40 million to establish a community fund in Ohio, Meta has spent millions of dollars on advertising campaigns promoting data centers, and Microsoft has stated it will no longer seek local tax incentives for new data center projects. (Bloomberg)