“The data center hyperscalers, Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft, and others, are spending over $750 billion this year constructing data center infrastructure, with spending expected to approach $1 trillion next year. This amount equals the total U.S. annual spending on kindergarten through twelfth-grade education.”
Headlines ring daily about data center protests. Cities and states pass bans on data center construction. News outlets warn that the data center boom, driven by artificial intelligence, must come to a halt. But data center construction continues to soar with demand exceeding supply. But location matters; physical proximity to end-users reduces data travel time for real-time applications such as video streaming, online gaming, financial trading, and autonomous systems.
Protests Mount …
On July 18, 142 data center protests across 42 states were held, organized by HumansFirst. The Data Center Rejection Database of journalist Robert Bryce counts over 300 data center rejections in 2026.…
“Data from USA Data Centers for the last two years shows that, with some exceptions, states without net zero electricity mandates are building data centers at a much faster pace than states with mandates…. Most states with net zero mandates are building data centers at a much slower pace….”
The artificial intelligence revolution is leaving green electricity states behind. Network operators are choosing states with policies favorable for gas-fired power to support construction of new data centers. States that block data center construction or try to force firms to use wind and solar electricity will lose the economic benefits of the AI boom.
We are in the midst of an AI revolution on a scale that may exceed the internet revolution of twenty years ago. BNP Paribus estimates that AI will boost the US economy by more than 10% by 2034.…
“Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft, and Oracle have announced AI capital spending plans totaling $650 billion this year, up 70% from 2025 and up 650% from 2020. This single-year spending total is larger than the individual Gross Domestic Product of 168 nations.”
“Economy-transforming artificial intelligence faces a rising battle between the Trump administration and progressive environmental groups, a major issue for the mid-term elections.”
Artificial intelligence is impacting the economy on a scale that may surpass changes from the internet revolution. Science, technology, energy, transportation, health care, industry, and business are being transformed at an accelerating pace. President Trump has emerged as an AI champion, but opposition is rising from progressive and environmental groups.
The term “artificial intelligence” was coined by John McCarthy at Dartmouth College in 1955. But it took 67 years until the introduction of ChatGPT in November of 2022 for AI systems to master the complexities of human language.…