Most Americans Oppose AI Data Centers In Their Communities, New Poll Shows

The vast majority of Americans oppose having artificial intelligence data centers in their communities, according to Gallup data released Wednesday.

The latest Gallup poll found that 7 in 10 Americans oppose building data centers for AI in their local area, including 48% who are strongly opposed. Just 7% of respondents said they are strongly in favor of data center projects, the survey shows.

The survey found that those opposed to AI data centers cite their excessive use of resources, with 18% each citing water and energy use. Meanwhile, 16% mention environmental concerns regarding pollution from data centers, including noise, air and water pollution, Gallup reported.

Roughly one in five opponents of data centers were worried about the impact on quality of life in their local areas, such as increased population, worse traffic and preferring that the land be used for other purposes, according to the poll.

Many Americans have publicly opposed new data center projects, citing concerns such as energy and water consumption. The total number of data centers in the U.S. more than doubled from 2018 to 2021 amid the ongoing AI boom, according to the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy.

Spending on building new AI data center projects across the globe could top $7 trillion by 2030, CNBC reported on Saturday.

Virginia, commonly been referred to as “the data center capital of the world,” currently has the largest number of data centers, followed by Texas and California, according to the World Resources Institute (WRI). The top 10 U.S. states account for about 60% of all data centers across the nation, per WRI’s estimates.

Additionally, a data center campus in north-central Georgia drained over 29 million gallons of water before the local utility company became aware of the scale of consumption, causing low water pressure flow in its host community, Politico reported on Saturday.