Premier's office criticizes professor over comments on proposed N.S. data centre
The Nova Scotia premier's office criticized an academic for his public comments regarding a proposed AI data center in the province. The government argued the professor's remarks were uninformed and contributed to unnecessary public anxiety.
Why it matters
This highlights the growing tension between academic experts and government officials regarding the rapid development of energy-intensive AI infrastructure.
Sibo Chen, an associate professor of communication at Toronto Metropolitan University, researches the discourse around AI data centres. Chen said in an interview with CBC News last week that public concern over the proposed facility in Point Tupper, N.S., is valid.
Two days later, a communications adviser in the premier's office sent him an email that called his remarks "irresponsible" and "uninformed."
"Nova Scotians deserve facts, not speculation presented in a way that creates unnecessary anxiety," William Burns wrote in the email.
Nova Scotia NDP Leader Claudia Chender said last week her party has heard from thousands of people since EverWind Fuels announced its plan for an AI data centre that it plans to lease to artificial intelligence giant Anthropic.
Also covering this story
One other newsroom covered this event. We read that version too.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in