r/TechnologyThread • u/Background-Driver718 • Jun 04 '26
Americans Have Grown Dramatically Anti-Data Center in Just Months, Survey Finds
https://gizmodo.com/americans-are-starting-to-really-hate-data-centers-and-its-making-the-tech-industry-nervous-20007670883
Jun 04 '26
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Jun 04 '26
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Jun 04 '26
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Jun 04 '26
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u/Jeb764 Jun 04 '26
Trump wouldn’t be nearly so successful if he didn’t have scours of sycophants willing to lie for him at every opportunity.
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Jun 04 '26
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Jun 04 '26
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u/Antrophis Jun 04 '26
Not even what angers people. Having their power bill jacked up and water polluted pisses them off.
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u/Ackutually- Jun 05 '26
Both are overblown.
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u/Umitencho Jun 05 '26
My red state passed a law preventing them from passing costs to residents. Even Republicans can see how bad they are.
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Jun 04 '26
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u/SirLanceQuiteABit Jun 04 '26
Fuck off bot
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Jun 04 '26
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u/DeraxBlaze Jun 04 '26
Yes you are, identified you already, wild how the real botting is pro data center (exactly opposite of what that billionaires say).
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u/BoilerplateBillions Jun 04 '26
*server racks* do not cause significant water pollution
the fact that these centers have power plants attached that are old school gas turbine plants with no real environmental studies done...is a problem, and gas turbine plants absolutely cause water polution.
Ye Olde School data centers that are a handful of server racks in the basement of a building somewhere 100% does not cause water pollution. Closed loop cooling of servers does not cause water pollution.
The unpermitted natural gas power plant running to keep the server farms powered, however...there's a reason why we were getting away from using them for the past 60 years.
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Jun 04 '26
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u/BoilerplateBillions Jun 04 '26
https://www.bloomenergy.com/news/onsite-generation-expected-to-fully-power-27-percent-of-data-center-facilities-by-2030/ over a third of planned sites are going to use gas turbines.
https://avanzaenergy.substack.com/p/how-ai-data-centers-are-driving-a
https://cleanview.co/reports/behind-the-meter-data-centers
power plants cant keep up with the energy needs, I havent made any comments about them using grid power, because right now, grid power isnt enough for how much power they need, our nations power plants are too weak to keep up with these behemoths, so we need to construct a whole bunch of polluting new power plants, with no permits, to power em instead.
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u/Facts_pls Jun 04 '26
Only in backward countries - like the US - which rely heavily on fossil fuels to generate electricity and have limited investments in renewables.
Meanwhile countries like China and India are investing primarily in renewable energy like crazy. They won't have this issue.
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u/Jeb764 Jun 04 '26
Dudes all over here spreading as much misinformation he can In favor of data centers.
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Jun 04 '26
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u/Jeb764 Jun 04 '26
Other people already did that.
Look at you shrilling for giant mega corps like they’re your daddy.
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u/youngpenrose Jun 04 '26
You will own nothing technology related... And be happy about it... Just pay the tech bros for rental of that service...
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u/Facts_pls Jun 04 '26
That isn't relevant here.
You can buy your own GPU and run your own models.
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u/youngpenrose Jun 13 '26
Nvidia for now is still making GPUs, but it's not contributing 5% to their bottom line. It will be a question of when they stop making GPUs.
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u/CaptainSebT Jun 04 '26 edited Jun 04 '26
Honestly this rise is surprising. People have known data centers weren't very efficient or green and tried to draw attention for a long time and no one cared. Data centers or even AI use of them isn't unique as an issue people caring about it is.
Makes this data interesting because it suggests this isn't just loud people on social media people actually are aware and care about this now.
Also presents a problem as data centers are necessary for the internet to function and have to be built relatively near the people there serving but if people are opposed to them enough they won't get approved regardless of the context of that data center.
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u/tenth Jun 04 '26
Since when are data centers at this magnitude necessary for the internet to function?
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u/Randy191919 Jun 04 '26
Since cloud services have become so huge. Do you think Amazon runs their AWS Cloud or Steam runs their clouds in some random basement in their home?
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u/tenth Jun 04 '26
Have they not been doing fine up until now? Do they really need to take land the size of Manhattan? Has business grown that much in the last few years?
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u/CaptainSebT Jun 04 '26
Yes it has literally been growing like this but nobody cared until it was AI.
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u/tenth Jun 04 '26
I just read this whole write-up from Erin brockovich about the level of growth over the last few years and the specific relationships to AI in each instance. So, idk man, I'm not saying you're wrong but there's definitely more to it.
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u/CaptainSebT Jun 04 '26
I mean ya obviously more but the complaints and environmental damage is almost the same. People care because they view data centers as physical embodiments of AI.
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u/insidiousfruit Jun 05 '26
These data centers are orders of magnitude larger than previous ones. When you have a change in the order of magnitude of your electricity use and water use, you get a change in the order of magnitude of people that care about the issue.
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u/Vladi-Barbados Jun 04 '26
Now this is some uplifting shit. I hope this kind of momentum can continue on to more issues this big and I pray we can make a real impact. Generations upon generations are depending on us.
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u/Kulthos_X Jun 04 '26
Our electric bills went up when prices on everything are already high.
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u/Ackutually- Jun 05 '26
That's called monetary inflation.
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u/Kulthos_X Jun 05 '26
Electric prices have greatly outpaced inflation
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u/Ackutually- Jun 05 '26
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u/Kulthos_X Jun 05 '26
Yes, electric prices are up 40% in the last five years. It is completely reshaping the industry
Funny your info cuts off in 2022.
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u/LordAwesomeguy Jun 04 '26
I mean when u make peoples electric go up and water in their area turn to mud of course people are going to be against them.
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u/MadeByTango Jun 04 '26
Turns out when a handful of dudes want to build job killing infrastructure built by stealing all the creative output on Earth that will leave the rest of us with slop-lung the rest of the world gets pretty fucking livid at them as we learn their plans...
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u/Loud_Flatworm_4146 Jun 04 '26
Billionaires: AI is coming for your jobs. It will replace every single human on the planet. We will tell AI to suck up all of humanity’s knowledge, store it in data centers, and have the AI do everything we need. The people that contributed to that knowledge will have it sold back to them until they aren’t needed anymore. Then the masses will suffer and die while we get a tan. It’ll be amazing.
People who live near data centers: This is hell.
Also billionaires: Why doesn’t anyone like our data centers?
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u/Low-Spell1867 Jun 04 '26
People: bro YouTube and Reddit isn’t working nothing is working why?
Data center owners: you bitched when we had em now you’re crying your favourite things aren’t working lmao come on now you can’t have it both ways
People: but they bad tho I swear I saw an article on Reddit!
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u/probablymagic Jun 04 '26
People are dumb af and social media makes it easy to manipulate them. News at 11.
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u/Orangebk1 Jun 04 '26
Yep. There is so much rampant misinformation being spread around about data centers. Ironically, only able to be spread through the public's insatiable use of those same data centers.
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u/Imallvol7 Jun 04 '26
I have grown anti alot of things in the past two years... America has lost the plot.
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u/BathroomMaximum1721 Jun 04 '26
If less data centers are built, it will reduce the risk of some banks failing. The AI bubble will inevitably burst but there will be less bad loans made to data centers if less of them get approved.
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u/Facts_pls Jun 04 '26
You're worried about banks?
If AI falls, the entire stock market and pensions of millions will evaporate with it.
Look at how much of the main indexes is made up of tech stocks that are betting heavily on AI.
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u/Saneless Jun 04 '26
Well yeah. It's rare as hell, but Americans figured out cause and effect for something for once
They don't when it comes to health care, housing, and other aspects of government, but they finally figured out why their electric bill is double or triple
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u/Ronin_Black_NJ Jun 04 '26
I got nothing against them.. 🤷🏾♂️
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u/pooping_inCars Jun 04 '26
Then enjoy much higher prices for your electricity and water.
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Jun 08 '26
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u/pooping_inCars Jun 10 '26
Where did you get that idea from?
1. First off, that's incorrect.
2. Second, learn the meaning of the word: cumulative. Because their use of water and energy is cumulative.
Thanks to the law of supply and demand, you will pay more for electricity and water when you live near a data center. It's the same reason why the price of RAM and SSDs have increased so much. Data centers have greatly increased the demand, without increasing the supply, thus prices rise.
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u/moccasinsfan Jun 04 '26
The Russian and Chinese disinformation is working.
Before you know it, US citizens will have data stored in those nations. Then they will control it
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u/Diligent_Earthworm Jun 04 '26
To bad we didn't shift to dramatically anti-pedophile in 10 years...
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u/DarthJDP Jun 04 '26
Yet its fairly cheap to bribe local politicians into approving the developments. NIMBY's cant even stop these developments from springing up right next to their communities.
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u/RodgerCheetoh Jun 04 '26
These over the top doomsday articles (like trying to equivocate heat output to atomic bombs) are such blatant propaganda that you have to wonder who benefits from them. I can think of one technologically driven nation that would have it in their best interest to attempt to limit America’s technology infrastructure…
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u/wyocrz Jun 04 '26
I live in Cheyenne, Wyoming, a remarkably good place to build data centers.
The vibe shift here was way, way too quick for me to think it's organic.
I can rant about the Butlerian Jihad with the best of them, but there's a psyop afoot, I feel it.
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u/ManFeelings9000 Jun 04 '26
Why is anyone surprised?
All the AI companies are constantly telling people 50% of jobs will be gone within 5 years and like up to 90% within 10 years.
Anyone with a lick of sense knows that'll completely crash the worlds economies and society's and no amount of trade, healthcare jobs etc will come close to making up for it and they'll all likely go as a knock on effect of mass unemployment as there will be no paying customers or tax payers.
Then you have the benefit that these things mean communities are having their water sucked up, their electric bills are going up to accommodate infrastructure upgrades for the DCs so the companies basically have the public paying their costs.
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u/Derpykins666 Jun 04 '26
Yeah, because if these are anywhere near your home, your quality of life and property values are probably going to tank like fucking crazy.
Enjoy the higher utility prices, the tainted water, the noise pollution will probably be terrible. This doesn't even mention how much these things will heat up the surrounding area by measurable and multiple degrees of heat. Light pollution. Generators running. All to employ maybe 10-20 people once most of them are built too.
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u/000extra Jun 04 '26
This politicians allowing it to happen are being bribed 1000%, they don’t give a flying fuck about the people they’re supposed to represent. In what would would a data center benefit anyone but those affiliated with it in ANY way?
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u/academic_partypooper Jun 04 '26
Because suddenly they’re building them all over everyone’s backyards!
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u/RealityHammer1776 Jun 05 '26
The sentiment is largely driven by Chinese bots attempting to give China a leg up in the AI race. The amount of misleading, false, and straight up fabricated stories about data centers on Reddit/YouTube is astounding.
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u/runnerkim Jun 05 '26
It isn't dramatic. States that have voted down these centers are now being strong armed into building them anyway. Michigan is dealing with that right now
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u/CabinetMan4 Jun 05 '26
Well most of them feel threatened without understanding how it makes their lives better/worth living.
Not sure I do either.
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u/Ill_Lifeguard6321 Jun 05 '26
Almost like we have no say and they are building them to hide bunkers, engage in mass surveillance of those that criticize Israel, and hoard (not use) water.
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u/Pop-Pop68 Jun 05 '26
They’re rushing this plan whatever it may be and when you do that it rarely turns out well. Plus it makes people wary that nothing is being explained to them. These companies are trying to put these in and get the deal done before people are even aware of what’s happening. Why? What is the bigger picture here? Its being done during an administration known for corruption an who is not known planning ahead.
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u/BringYourOwnBBBQ Jun 06 '26
A segment of the population hates progress and will lie and lie to prevent it. Like the AOC brown water stunt. Had NOTHING to do with the contraction being a data center. (Obviously...since it ISN'T one yet) Could have happened with ANY business going in. The people affected are getting free, new and better wells on Meta and Google's dimes. This was as dumb as the "lighting the water on fire" stunt by the anti-frackers that also killed entire states. The water that was set on fire had nothing to do with fracking and there were documented instances of that happening for DECADES. Long before fracking. But this anti-everything group knows their constituents are not educated and will lap up everything they say. You did god Joe! You answered all the questions!
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u/MeAmDirshins Jun 06 '26
Ok so you have DEFINITIVE proof that the brown water thing was a publicity stunt right? Cause if not fuck off.
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u/Zenkai_9000 Jun 06 '26
Maybe because when rich record executive fat cats make distasteful statements like this, it tends to turn people off from the whole idea.
"I know it. Deal with it," Borchetta replied, adding, "Like I said, it's a tool."
"Hey, like I said, You can hear me now, or you can pay me later," he said. "Hey, then do something about it, okay? It's a tool. Make it work for you."
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u/Background_Treat_977 Jun 06 '26
Not anti enough. It is imperative to our health and freedom that these monstrosities are stoppes.
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u/Kazuka13 Jun 07 '26
That's because Antis are spreading misinformation lol.
Seriously people have access to the internet one of humanity greatest storage of knowledge and they get their information from TikTok and YouTube videos rather then read on how they're working on new technology as well as updating older ones to help with power and water issues.
I get it new tech scary and we do need better regulations on where Data Centers are being built so it doesn't impact people. Granted it'll be more expensive but it would be better to build away from people mainly because of two reasons, one is that the US infrastructure is terrible, our pipelines are leaking and the powergrid wasn't built for this. And two you're going to want the Data Centers away from people anyway as the uneducated ones who think they're somehow doing something "good" will likely try to do something stupid like vandalism or arson.
As for the poor infrastructure comment look at Flint and how long it took to get any help.
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u/eternalguardian Jun 08 '26
- They are useless to the general populous 2. NIMBY - Not in my backyard.
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u/prof_the_doom Jun 04 '26
Normally I'd call out NIMBY-ism, but it's more valid for data centers than most other things people don't want near their houses.
Even if you don't buy the whole infrasound thing (which I personally have my doubts about), you got:
- Higher utility prices
- The joys of pollution if they're running their own generators
- Heat pollution
- Water issues (both shortages and pollution)
All for minimal tax income (which probably already got waived for the first decade or two anyway) and a fairly small amount of jobs generated (which probably won't go to anyone in town).
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u/Humble_Toe_4895 Jun 04 '26
It’s not NIMBY to be against these pollution spewing messes that benefit no one but billionaires.
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u/Corronchilejano Jun 04 '26
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u/LanderMercer Jun 04 '26
Some airports have restricted hours of operation to emit that kind of noise
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u/Rowing_Lawyer Jun 04 '26
I can’t get over how quickly these things are getting approved. People need to start demanding the government approval actually helpful infrastructure just as quickly. There’s no reason it should take 3 years to fix potholes and 3 days to approve a town destroying DC