No Data Centers in My Backyard
The rapid expansion of AI infrastructure has led to a backlash against the construction of massive data centers in rural areas. Residents are increasingly concerned about the environmental impact, energy consumption, and physical presence of these facilities.
Why it matters
The physical footprint of AI is creating a new 'NIMBY' (Not In My Backyard) movement that could slow down the deployment of AI infrastructure.
Driving in Wisconsin feels like cruising through Eden. It is unimaginably green given the heat-wave summer. There are fields of corn and clover blossoms and Queen Anne’s lace; in the temperate evenings, fireflies trace and weave star-trails between cottonwood trunks. Everyone we meet is generous, warmhearted, ready to show us the meaning of “Midwestern nice” one free beer at a time.
In those halcyon environs, the data centers land like a spaceship crash.
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