Darrell Issa: 'Large Data Centers Are The Backbone' Of AI Research And Banning Them Will Harm States

During a House Science Committee hearing, Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) raised concerns about New York Governor Kathy Hochul's decision to prohibit new data centers in the state. Issa argued that large data centers are the "backbone" of AI research and that such a ban would harm New York's great institutions, potentially leading them to poach resources from other states or fall behind in research.

A responding Director at the hearing echoed President Biden's sentiment, stating that New York's ban was "terrible" and that states should instead leverage data centers to improve grid resilience and lower energy prices. The Director also noted that the compute capacity for scientists and technologists in New York would be limited by this decision.

Issa further highlighted efforts by major data center producers to achieve net-zero or even net-positive electricity production, adding to the grid rather than solely consuming. Both speakers agreed on the importance of data centers for grid resiliency and their potential to become energy producers, especially with advancements allowing for behind-the-meter energy solutions that could eventually lower consumer prices. The discussion also touched upon the critical role of low latency in modern technological advancements, such as autonomous vehicles and aircraft control, suggesting that restricting localized compute power could inherently reduce safety. The possibility of edge computing and localized AI, like that developed by Qualcomm Snapdragon, was mentioned as a future technological direction.