Symbolic imageData centre backlash spreads from US ballots to Europe and Asia
Opposition to AI data centres, seen in the US midterms, now reaches European streets and Indonesian taps. Developers are starting to retreat.
After the midterms on Tuesday, 3 November, the Guardian reports that dozens of measures limiting data centre expansion passed. An NBC exit poll cited by Le Monde found that 56 percent of Americans called the issue a crucial (23) or major (33) factor in their vote, and Democrats spent millions on ads linking opponents to data centre projects. The Guardian expects the result to slow investment in AI infrastructure, while Bloomberg reports that data centre finance chiefs are preparing for a tougher road.
Protests across Europe
On Friday and Saturday, the coalition Stop Dirty Data Centres, which unites environmental and digital-rights groups, held 90 events in about fifteen European countries. Crowds were often a few dozen, sometimes several thousand, and organisers demand a moratorium on large data centres, according to Le Monde.
Water anger in Batam
Taps ran dry on the Indonesian island, where the water utility cites a long drought worsened by El Nino. Residents direct their anger at the data centres, which often use water to cool servers, the South China Morning Post reports.
Developers pull back
Bloomberg reports that Stockland scrapped its Sydney data centre plans after local backlash.