Data centres become key issue in US midterm elections

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 1 Nov, 13:47 · Archive

Data centres and artificial intelligence have emerged as significant issues in US midterm elections, with candidates across the country making pledges to regulate or ban development.

Data centres and artificial intelligence have emerged as major issues in midterm races across the United States, with politicians from both parties pledging to regulate or halt development. In New York, the first state to enact a data centre moratorium, activists have been organising against projects including a 600-megawatt facility proposed near the Tonawanda Seneca Nation's reservation and a federal wildlife refuge. Governor Kathy Hochul signed an executive order in July implementing a one-year moratorium, though this followed her initial rejection of the idea just two months earlier.

The moratorium represents a compromise; the state legislature had previously passed an omnibus bill that would have implemented a stricter one-year pause throughout New York. Community organisers remain concerned about the strength of protections, with some worried that Hochul may not sign a stronger bill and questioning whether the state Department of Environmental Conservation is adequately involved in evaluating projects.

TechCrunch reports that data centres and AI have become such intense concerns outside the tech industry that they could sway some midterm races. The tension reflects a growing divide between the technology sector, which emphasises the benefits of AI development, and communities concerned about infrastructure impacts. After election day, newly elected officials must decide whether to follow through on promises to voters or permit large infrastructure projects to proceed.

How it is being reported

• What Democrats Can Learn From New York’s Data Center MoratoriumWith a number of anti-data-center candidates poised to win on Tuesday, New York provides a glimpse at the tensions around actually having to do something about the digital infrastructure.Wired · 1 Nov, 11:00
• Data centers are now a midterm issue, even in BrooklynAt a Brooklyn midterm party five days before Election Day, every conversation, from a council member’s fireside chat to a debate about the Democratic Party, kept circling back to AI and data centers.TechCrunch · 1 Nov, 02:22

In this story: New York · Kathy Hochul · Tonawanda Seneca Nation · United States

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