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AI data centers encounter a wave of opposition, and Silicon Valley giants begin to spend money to "put out the fire"
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Source: ithome.com
On August 19, Beijing time, the Wall Street Journal reported that U.S. technology companies are striving for public support to build needed data centers by holding communication meetings, promising to provide jobs, and investing huge sums of money. Crowds protesting AI in the U.S. In July, about 1,000 Georgia residents gathered at Effingham County College and Career Academy (ECCA) to hear what OpenAI could do for them. Just the day before, OpenAI announced plans to build a new data center in this area near Savannah. The event was billed as an open house-style informational session where interested local residents could come and ask questions. As they entered, attendees passed by protesters holding signs that read, “I didn’t vote for AI” and “Data can’t be treated like water!”. OpenAI employees were at the booth to educate residents about the proposed data center, providing a QR code to a job site and posters showing what the facility might look like in the future. There is also a taco buffet on site. OpenAI also offers more attractive “benefits”: When announcing the project, OpenAI pledged to invest $80 million in the local community and provide up to $71 million in coding learning credits to local students. Chris Lehane, chief global affairs officer at OpenAI, said holding open houses is "a really important part" of winning community support. "People really want to know, is my electric bill going to go up? Is this going to affect my water supply? Will I pay more or less in taxes?" Open houses, multi-million dollar community commitments, free burritos, these things haven't been the norm in this industry. Previously, the tech industry relied on speed, secrecy and political connections to get approvals and build large computing facilities on favorable terms. Solving a PR crisis But that's changing quickly. A fierce grassroots opposition is rising and beginning to threaten the foundations of the AI boom. Those who push A