As artificial intelligence becomes a key part of national infrastructure, developers across the United States are rushing to build large data centers in many regions. Many of these areas have not seen this level of industrial growth in decades, and these projects appear to bring the promise of jobs and economic growth to communities that need it. Despite the potential for renewed prosperity, local residents are opposing data centers. Most cite environmental impacts and increasing energy costs as major concerns. Are these worries based in reality? If not, where are they originating from, and how can we address these narratives?
To discuss this, NetChoice President and CEO Steve DelBianco joined Shane Tews’ podcast with Lynne Kiesling. Tews is a nonresident senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, where she focuses on digital economy issues, including artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, privacy and data protection, next-generation networking (5G), the Internet of Things, international internet governance, international information and communications technology, and emerging technologies. Kiesling is also a nonresident senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, where she leads the Electricity Technology, Regulation, and Market Design Working Group. She also directs the Institute for Regulatory Law and Economics at the Northwestern University Center on Law, Business, and Economics, and is a member of the US Department of Energy’s Electricity Advisory Committee.
Listen to the episode here: https://www.aei.org/multimedia/data-centers-and-power-grids-the-battle-for-ai-infrastructure-with-lynne-kiesling-and-steve-delbianco/