Americans Oppose AI Data Centers in Their Area
news.gallup.com
Seven in 10 Americans oppose the construction of an AI data center in their local area, including 48% strongly opposed.

cross-posted from: https://piefed.world/c/tech/p/1122224/nuclear-power-plants-far-more-popular-than-ai-data-centers-for-local-areas

Seven in 10 Americans oppose constructing data centers for artificial intelligence in their local area, including nearly half, 48%, who are strongly opposed. Barely a quarter favor these projects, with 7% strongly in favor.

These results, from a March 2-18 Gallup survey, represent the first time Gallup has asked about data center construction, a topic that has met fierce opposition from local residents in many parts of the country. These data centers house computing equipment that helps power AI technology used by businesses, universities and other institutions. The centers cover large areas of land, require extensive amounts of electricity to operate and need substantial water to cool the equipment, raising concerns about their impact on the environment and local electric bills.

The data center question parallels the wording Gallup uses to ask about local nuclear power plant construction. In the same March survey, 53% of Americans say they oppose building a nuclear energy plant in their area, far less than the 71% opposed to data center construction. Since Gallup first asked the nuclear power plant question in 2001, the high point in opposition has been 63%.

  • Echo Dot@feddit.ukEnglish
    3·
    14 hours ago

    Well we need both. We can’t power the world 100% off renewables because we don’t inave a global power distribution network.

    • Rioting Pacifist@lemmy.worldEnglish
      2·
      8 hours ago

      Why not?

      We have batteries, geothermal, hydro & wind.

      There are already countries that are 100% renewable, without a global grid.

      Country Renewable % Rest of mix
      Bhutan ~100% Negligible fossil backup; nearly all hydro — RatedPower
      Albania ~100% Small fossil gas imports during drought years; solar growing to 9% of capacity — RatedPower
      Paraguay ~100% Negligible; exports large surplus hydro to Brazil & Argentina — RatedPower
      Iceland ~99% ~1% oil/gas peaking; geothermal + hydro dominant — Our World in Data
      Costa Rica ~99% ~1% diesel backup generation — Our World in Data
      Nepal ~99% ~1% fossil fuel; imports some coal-based power from India during dry season — RatedPower
      Norway ~98% ~1% fossil gas, ~1% other; minor imports during low-hydro periods — Our World in Data
      • Echo Dot@feddit.ukEnglish
        1·
        7 hours ago

        Yeah that’s my point. It’s all very well Norway being able to produce vast amounts of electricity but how do you transfer that to Japan or Australia? You can’t, because there isn’t a global power distribution network. You can’t take electricity from any arbitrary point on the planet and deliver it to any other arbitrary point on the planet, and until we develop such an interconnected system, we’re going to have to need independent power generation systems, some of which won’t be renewable.

        • Rioting Pacifist@lemmy.worldEnglish
          1·
          7 hours ago

          some of which won’t be renewable.

          Why not?

          We currently have electricity that works without a global unified power grid, yet you keep saying that for renewables to work we need one, why?