Just saw this article about a community that attracted data centers.

costs of data centers to the community

"Most every company you deal with has spent millions if not billions of dollars implementing software systems...AI or otherwise.... that run their businesses.... from payroll to inventory management to logistics.."

It seems to me that this Is just another small step in the software world. It should have never been labeled " AI " because I don't believe it is " AI " and it just scares everybody.

IBM What is a data center!

Sometimes I wonder? The last printer I bought ( an HP) did not come with a USB cord to plug into the computer. It wanted me to set up the connection through the internut. Which is completely inconvenient / near impossible. I don't need to send my print commands to the world just to send a print to the printer. I think the human dependence on the the internut has drawbacks. I still wonder how modern people will navigate from point A to B , if Alexa doesn't tell them where to drive and turn?

Pretty good article, Dirt. Sadly most on here complaining about data centers probably won't bother to read it.

They should be complaining about the subsidies. Wait, these guys may be farmers.

It seems to me that the USA has gone through two industrial revolutions up to now. First with steam power or just the kinetic energy of moving water. Next came the internal combustion engine and the generation of electricity. This was our "great leap forward".....to quote Mao.

I think data centers represent the next big phase in that ongoing revolution. I think it is an opportunity to see our productivity rate increase again as it did in the 90's along with a rise in GDP.

Of course there will be dislocations of existing infrastructure and landscapes. That always happens. The idea is to plan it in a rational manner rather than acting like a bunch of Luddites and killing the baby in its crib.

Opposition to data centers is generally being promoted by the "usual suspects".....the greens and other far-left political groups with an innate dislike of capitalism, and the goal of subverting it, in the hope imposing a different economic system on Western Civilization.

It is not like we are inventing the transistor, just appear to be outsourcing what used to be insourced?

How the Humble Transistor changed the world

I think it is a way to reduce the costs of increasing productivity and GDP.

Number of Data centers June 2025 Source: Brookings

United States 5,426
Germany 529
United Kingdom 523
China 449
France 322
Australia 314
Netherlands 298
Russia 251
Japan 222
Brazil 196
Mexico 173
Italy 168
Poland 144
Spain 143

Funny thing is the internut gives different totals depending on source. They all agree the U.S. has a vast majority of them.

The people complaining about the data centers would probably be howling in outrage if these huge multinational companies chose to build the data centers in foreign countries. I thought everyone wanted more job creation at home instead of overseas?

Kinda interesting that we have just heard all the real complaining the last few years and there are already thousands up and running. There is good, bad and ugly with almost all aspects of life and learning how to deal with change is an important aspect of enjoying the life we have been granted.

Bryce

1984
Y'all just can't see it yet
Think ahead 5-8 years when the political pendulum swings back the other way and the DSA takes control

1984 is never going to happen. Don't need cameras when people willingly carry their tracking and listening devices with them every where they go.