The growing sentiments present a sort of dilemma. AI is proving to be quite the revolutionary technology and has seen massive adoption and skyrocketing usage. To meet demand, hyperscalers are erecting data centers at breakneck speed, which residents now oppose. Proponents say data centers are an absolute necessity and any opposition stifles growth.
Opponents, on the other hand, say they are only demanding responsible execution and have nothing against AI. President Trump has condemned communities that have opposed data centers, saying that they “want to end up being backwards and poor.” He has also implied that China could be behind the sentiment, orchestrating movements behind the scenes. Meanwhile, officials across the country are reportedly facing death threats and gunfire over AI data center projects, even as AI data center investments are projected to hit $32 trillion by 2050 .
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Etiido Uko Social Links Navigation News Contributor Etiido Uko is a news contributor for Tom's Hardware covering the latest updates in big tech and the PC industry. He is a mechanical engineer and senior technical writer with over nine years of experience in documentation and reporting. He is deeply passionate about all things engineering and technology, and is an expert in gadgets, manufacturing, robotics, automotive, and aerospace.
Rand0m_Guy Who wants to bet the people opposed to the Data Centers used their 'smart' phone or other device to voice their opposition which required a data center to work. Same people who use their ipads to post on social media that ipads sucks. LMAO! Reply
Daelith Rand0m_Guy said: Who wants to bet the people opposed to the Data Centers used their 'smart' phone or other device to voice their opposition which required a data center to work. Same people who use their ipads to post on social media that ipads sucks. LMAO! Those data centers tha t flourish atthe moment are mostly for AI (directly or indirectly with the data they generate). Reply
rgd1101 ai could also use for medical and other useful. not just for chat and useless stuff Reply
Crypted Rand0m_Guy said: Who wants to bet the people opposed to the Data Centers used their 'smart' phone or other device to voice their opposition which required a data center to work. Same people who use their ipads to post on social media that ipads sucks. LMAO! Very "you criticize society, and yet you live in a society!" tier take. Most of these new data centers being built are for the imagined and also real existing demand for AI. Reply
Crypted rgd1101 said: ai could also use for medical and other useful. not just for chat and useless stuff Unfortunately a lot of AI use in helpful areas comes with a lot of caveats or is exaggerated to sell an idea instead of being fully functional. There was some AI medical company that raised billions not too long ago for their revolutionary AI…that didn't even exist. Also most of this is probably for Flock and other AI surveillance methods. Reply
Tanakoi And CCP China continues to fund these "grassroots" anti-datacenter and anti-AI groups and propaganda … assisted by low IQ individuals who believe AI is "using all da water" and "stealing our jobs!" Reply
PEnns "Trump says opposing communities "want to end up being backwards and poor." Indeed. Look at all those people who are now super intelligent and newly minted billionaires because they live in the shadows of AI centers!! Reply
Tanakoi "Google Datacenter transforms local schools from worst-funded to best-funded in the state; many other benefits as well" https://www.newson6.com/tulsa-oklahoma-news/pryor-public-schools-talks-impact-of-googles-data-center-on-the-district-gives-us-an-advantage Reply
rgd1101 Tanakoi said: "Google Datacenter transforms local schools from worst-funded to best-funded in the state; many other benefits as well" https://www.newson6.com/tulsa-oklahoma-news/pryor-public-schools-talks-impact-of-googles-data-center-on-the-district-gives-us-an-advantage similar to nuclear power plant. they bring in properties tax. but they shouldn't use farmland or too close to residential area Reply
Key considerations
- Investor positioning can change fast
- Volatility remains possible near catalysts
- Macro rates and liquidity can dominate flows
Reference reading
- https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/data-centers/SPONSORED_LINK_URL
- https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/data-centers/local-opposition-blocked-usd68-billion-worth-of-data-center-projects-in-the-second-quarter-of-2026-data-center-investments-reportedly-still-on-track-to-hit-usd32-trillion-by-2050#main
- https://www.tomshardware.com/membership
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- d-Matrix Adopts NVIDIA NVLink Fusion for Rack-Scale XPU Deployment
- AI-controlled robot arms attempted harmful tasks 97% of the time; experiments included stabbing a baby doll, mixing chemicals — OpenAI and Anthropic models try
- Local opposition blocked 45 data center projects worth $68 billion in the second quarter of 2026 — data center investments reportedly still on track to hit $32
- Acer Predator QD-OLED monitor now 36% off — 500 Hz refresh rate and True Black 500 certification slashed to $509.99
Informational only. No financial advice. Do your own research.