70% of Americans don't want AI data centers near their home, that's more opposition than nuclear plants get

[Endymio]

I think it is a fact that data centers uses significant amount of power and water. They are not self sufficient.

A community with no businesses consuming power and water is a dead community, one whose residents flee elsewhere. I've already posted the figures showing datacenters use far less water than golf courses. As for power costs, the push for "green energy" has driven up rates far more than datacenters have (still only about 4% of total US consumption.)

Furthermore, in the medium- to long term, datacenters make electricity cheaper, as their demand curve is flatter than residential consumption, their distribution and billing costs far cheaper per kw-hr, and they allow amortization of capex and operating costs across a much larger base.

 

[Endymio]

Companies get taxed on profits, not losses. Most AI companies are losing money ... So I am not sure what you said about "hundreds of millions of tax revenue..

Was that a joke? Property taxes have exactly zero to do with profit or loss. A large datacenter pays taxes on the value of their land, structures, and contents within: period. Furthermore, "most AI companies" -- by which you mean datacenter operators -- are generating huge profits: Google, AWS, Microsoft, Meta, Equinix, etc.

Honestly, the level of ignorance and disinformation on this subject is literally off the charts.

 

[Megalomaniac]

Plot Twist: you're going to end up getting both!

 

[wiyosaya]

I wonder why these people are against having data centers in their town

https://www.tomshardware.com/desktops/servers/six-ai-data-centers-proposed-for-a-small-town-of-7-000-equal-to-51-walmart-supercenters-in-17-square-mile-area-four-out-of-the-seven-town-council-members-have-resigned-from-their-positions-as-town-fights-back

 

[ZedRM]

70% of Americans don't want AI data centers near their home, that's more opposition than nuclear plants get

More news that is a surprise to no one. Shocking week for news. Yup, just shocking..

Nuclear power stations at least have regulatory laws surrounding their operation, and they, you know, produce power we citizens can use. AI is trash that has yet to prove any useful benefit for the resources it consumes.

AI needs to be banned until strict regulations are created to manage it safely.

 

[tonylukac]

Why don't they bury nuclear reactors underground?

 

[Vanderkaum037]

What exactly "makes electricity cheaper"? Please enlighten us.

Power plants increase the supply of electricity. When supply of a commodity increases, the price goes down. Let me know if you want any other big mysteries explained.