GOP embraces speculation about China’s role in data center backlash

Republicans are embracing allegations that data center opposition in the U.S. is being fueled by foreign actors, raising questions over how influence operators are contributing to one of the fiercest debates in the tech policy space.  

Reports, including from OpenAI, recently emerged suggesting China and other countries are carrying out influence campaigns to fan the flames of Americans’ frustration with the data center buildout.

Data centers — the server warehouses powering the AI boom — once enjoyed support from politicians on both sides of the aisle. But public opinion has rapidly deteriorated in the face of concerns about the infrastructure’s impact on electricity bills and the environment.  

Democrats have seized on this backlash, especially around energy costs, while Republicans have struggled to coalesce around a message addressing voters’ worries ahead of the midterms.  

“It makes sense for Republicans to point out China’s genuine efforts to influence American politics,” Ryan Fedasiuk, a fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, told The Hill. “I’m glad we’re doing so. But on some level, it’s cope … it’s not going to make the problem go away.”

President Trump largely supports industry development, arguing tech companies need to be able to build without obstacles to effectively compete with China in the so-called AI race. He has sought to speed up the approval of data center projects, curtailing environmental reviews and pushing for faster grid connections. 

But the White House is also grasping the reality of data centers’ increasing unpopularity. Earlier this year, Trump secured commitments from leading AI firms to cover rising electricity costs from data centers.

As the president and his fellow Republicans try to balance a pro-tech agenda with constituents’ concerns, at least one key administration official and several GOP lawmakers are latching onto the reports of foreign influence campaigns.  

“Any place that’s trying to build data centers is getting bombarded with foreign-directed........

© The Hill