Hatred of data centers in the United States has quickly become one of the most important sociopolitical topics, especially as the 2026 midterms approach. For many communities across America, the negatives overwhelmingly outweigh any positives artificial technology could give to a person, particularly because of the massive environmental and economic costs data centers have on the towns they are built in. For many people, data centers strain the power grid and use up fresh drinking water.
Regardless, with how much vitriol data centers have gained in the United States, many would assume that opinion is universal across the globe. Surprisingly, no, but the reasoning becomes much more understandable than most people might think.
Most of the world’s data centers are concentrated within the United States, with well over 4,400 facilities. Local communities in the US see firsthand the damage these buildings do, helped by footage and protests spread on social media. Outside of the United States, many people don’t have the hands-on experience of dealing with a data center being built in their town. People are generally more accepting of AI if they don’t have any negative experience with data centers. In countries like China, which strongly supports data centers because of how differently they construct theirs.
Many of the new Chinese data centers use renewable energy like wind and solar. Some of their most notable data center projects include building coastal underwater data centers. If data centers in China were more like those within the United States, there would likely be more pushback.
