China's playing dirty in the AI arms race — and Neville Singham appears to be helping them change US minds
A report alleges that Chinese Communist Party-linked backers are fueling anti-AI sentiment and data center opposition across the US through activist Neville Singham and the Party for Socialism and Liberation. This activism has reportedly stalled over $20 billion in data center investments, led to local moratoria, and blocked projects in multiple states, prompting a congressional inquiry. The report claims the groups exploit local concerns with misinformation, particularly regarding water usage and electricity bills.
The New York Post reports on a study by the Bitcoin Policy Institute alleging that Chinese Communist Party (CCP)-linked backers are funding anti-data center activism in the United States, aiming to hinder the country's progress in the artificial intelligence (AI) arms race. The report claims that a network associated with Marxist activist Neville Singham and the Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL) has influenced local disputes across 14 states.
This alleged foreign-backed activism has reportedly stalled over $23.6 billion in proposed data center investments, leading to 10 local moratoria, a permanent data center ban in Monterey Park, California, and the rejection or abandonment of four projects, including a $1 billion Google proposal in Indiana and a $12 billion Blackstone-backed center in Wisconsin. The organizing efforts are cited as remaining active in cities such as Cleveland, New Orleans, Milwaukee, and Prichard, Alabama.
The report suggests that these groups exploit legitimate local concerns about data center aesthetics and perceived impacts, fueling outrage with misinformation, particularly exaggerating claims about water usage and tying data centers to higher electric bills. Members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, including Brett Guthrie, John Joyce, and Bob Latta, have asked the White House and FBI to investigate whether foreign adversaries are indeed instigating anti-data center sentiment.
Sam Lyman, author of the Bitcoin Policy Institute study, stated that the conflict is essentially a choice between American AI and Chinese AI, emphasizing the importance of controlling the global economy's information layer. He highlighted the difficulty in tracing PSL's funding, raising concerns about potential foreign adversary involvement, and urged for continued innovation and infrastructure development to maintain America's technological leadership.