'The country that wins the AI race controls the world:' So, why are data centers such a tough sell?

**Christy Strawser** (0:01)
Welcome to On Deadline, your radio news from Audacy newsrooms across the country.
I'm Christy Strawser, Audacy's managing editor of news. Data centers are at the middle of debate in cities across America. Are they the bane of neighborhoods or a necessary step forward? Let's hear from both sides.

**Greg Cassidy** (0:17)
It's the Bob Ross Show, Greg Cassidy is here. So a backlash has begun. Data centers, you know, when you look at something on paper, you're like, of course we want to be ahead of China when it comes to AI. We have valid concerns about AI, how it will be utilized. We're learning every day about the pros and cons, but the idea of these data centers that apparently use ungodly amounts of water to cool them and godly amounts of power to run them. So there's major concerns.
There's a zoo in Tennessee, in Nashville to be specific, that they want to build a 69,000 square foot data center right next to the zoo.
The zoo said this facility literally would be about 50 yards away from some of its animals and that that noise could disturb its residents. That's the other thing too that doesn't get talked about enough. My understanding is these data centers do make a substantial amount of noise. Who's going to win in this case? We are vehemently opposed to having a data center so close to the animals. That from Rick Schwartz, Nashville Zoo's president and CEO. And the zoo had launched an online petition against the data center. As of Friday, it had more than 180,000 signatures and 25,000 shares on Facebook. The petition asked city leaders to intervene to protect one of the most fragile and rare collections of animals in the country. And the clouded leopards, I guess, would be the closest to that. And these are pretty rare, and they're trying to breed them to keep them on going and alive. And they're very vulnerable, and they definitely don't think the noise is going to help.
And so, you know, this is interesting because it's one of those things, yeah, AI, we got to win and beat China and all that stuff. And then, but then there's, not in my backyard.

**Mike Dabosky** (2:27)
There's a lot of that going on around the country, too.

**Greg Cassidy** (2:30)
Yeah. So, yeah, this is just one case of many. And they're quietly trying to, you know, put these data centers together. And we do have, we do have vast areas still available in this country, where these things would not, you know, be harmful to anything near it.
As far as the water sources and stuff go, I can tell you, you know, we're very concerned in Florida here about our water. And we should always be concerned about it, because you know what, we've had some good years, and then it doesn't get talked about. Then we're in the middle of a huge drought, and the state's burning down, and the water's drying up, and recreational waterways are closed down or difficult to access.
And so then, oh, it becomes up the top of the surface. So the timing, if people are pro data center, the timing couldn't be worse, at least here in the state of Florida. And we're already kind of fed up with being told, hey, don't water your lawn, you know, we're short on water. But the bottling companies don't slow down one bit. So I think we all find that a little irritating, and I think that's valid to be irritated by it. So, you know, that they'll probably, somebody will get their palms greased, somebody will see an extraordinary benefit of having the AI, these AI data centers, and they'll force their way through, and they'll get, just like the bottling company, oh, it's gonna produce jobs. How many, really? Like a dozen? Get out of here, jobs.
Anyway, that's my two cents worth on that, but it is an ongoing battle.

**Christy Strawser** (4:17)
Here's more perspective from WBEN in upstate New York on what major corporations are doing with all this data center output.

**Mike Dabosky** (4:24)
In Nashville, more than 200,000 people have now signed on to a petition to block the construction of a data center.

**SPEAKER_4** (4:31)
The community does not want this here.

**Mike Dabosky** (4:33)
Rick Schwartz is the president of the nearby Nashville Zoo, and he says he's concerned the constant noise and light from the data center will harm the animals. DC Blocks, the company behind the plan, is downplaying those concerns. It is the latest data center project to face pushback from surrounding communities.
Google has signed on to a new AI agreement with SpaceX, paying the company more than 900 million dollars a month to use its data centers. SpaceX, which is in the midst of filing a public offering, owns the artificial intelligence firm XAI.