Lowry: What if factories had gotten the data center treatment?
Rich Lowry's opinion piece argues that current opposition to data centers over concerns about their appearance, energy, and water consumption is inconsistent when compared to the historical impacts of factories. He suggests that such criticism overlooks the economic benefits and job creation associated with data centers, similar to the industrial revolution. Lowry posits that if today's stringent standards applied to early manufacturing, many foundational American industries would never have been built.
Rich Lowry's opinion piece in the seMissourian criticizes modern opposition to data centers, arguing it's hypocritical compared to the tolerance shown for early American manufacturing. He highlights that factories of the past were significantly more polluting, dangerous, and resource-intensive, often with poor labor conditions, yet are now romanticized by some who simultaneously oppose modern industrial-scale computing facilities.
Lowry points out that data centers are criticized for being "unsightly" and consuming "lots of energy and water." He contrasts this with the "dark satanic mills" of the Industrial Revolution, noting that if today's environmental and aesthetic standards were applied historically, major factories like steel mills or aluminum smelters, which consumed vast amounts of water and energy, would never have been built. He dismisses criticisms, such as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's use of dirty water samples, comparing it to the Cuyahoga River repeatedly catching fire.
Furthermore, Lowry contends that while data centers don't offer the same regular employment as old factories, their construction and maintenance drives substantial blue-collar job growth and higher wages. He argues that it is perverse to impose tariffs to create manufacturing jobs while simultaneously opposing private-industry investments in data centers that power innovation and generate similar blue-collar employment opportunities. He concludes that stifling such developments with a "Not in my backyard" attitude prevents the nation from achieving the next wave of economic and technological advancement, akin to the mass manufacturing revolution.