The data centers powering the artificial intelligence boom in the U.S. have emerged as an unexpected pressing point ahead of November's midterm elections. Frustration over higher electricity costs and noise from these facilities is fueling opposition to Big Tech among Democrats, as well as an increasing number of Republicans.
Candidates in at least 21 races across 18 states have aired television advertisements mentioning data centers this cycle, according to marketing data cited by U.S. media, almost evenly divided between both parties.
On the grid serving Senate battleground Ohio, as well as 12 other states, demand from data centers drove up capacity costs by $9.3 billion in a single year, a 174% increase, according to an independent market monitor.
Anger over household bills has merged with a broader populist distrust of Silicon Valley, exposing lawmakers who, until recently, were courting the sprawling server farms with tax breaks and promises of jobs and investment.
In Texas, Republican Gov. Greg Abbott has frozen new projects while regulators weigh their impact on power and water supplies. It was Abbott who, not long ago, called his state the "epicenter of AI development."
