This data center debate has a familiar ring to it, does it not?

We can debate whether a data center built by Meta in Idaho will ultimately return more water than it uses. We can point out that golf courses and almond farms consume more water than data centers do. We can argue that the electricity these complexes demand siphons resources away from communities, then turn around and tally the tax revenue and infrastructure funding those same communities collect in return. We can note that data centers tend to land in poorer places – except, of course, when they land in Loudoun County, Virginia, one of the richest counties in the country.

And to be clear, some of these concerns are legitimate. Data centers consume enormous amounts of electricity, require significant water resources, receive generous tax incentives and can change communities dramatically. But those facts don't fully explain the intensity of the backlash.

Data center construction has been a genuine boost to U.S. economic growth these past few years, generating construction and manufacturing jobs that otherwise might not exist. And thanks to artificial intelligence, and the data centers needed to power it, the stock market – driven by the likes of Nvidia, Microsoft, Google and Meta – has skyrocketed, minting vast fortunes along the way.

It's the billionaires, stupid

Aha! Now I see what all the fuss is about.

Wealth. Inequality. Them vs. us.........

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