Amid nationwide backlash, an Ohio welcomes the world's largest AI data center

Increasingly, people across the country are protesting proposed AI data centers, concerned that the centers will drain resources, strain power grids and cause noise and pollution. But a plan to build the largest AI data center in the world in southern Ohio is being welcomed by many with open arms. Spotlight on America’s national investigative correspondent, Duane Pohlman, reveals why the data center is being embraced in Pike County and how this plan could provide a blueprint for the future. On March 20th in Pike County, Ohio, under a large tent filled with music and lights, Trump Cabinet members and a long list of elected leaders gathered for a major announcement. Before addressing the crowd, a big screen played a video, setting the stage for their major announcement. As renderings of power plants and a massive new AI center appeared on screen, it became clear how big this day would be. The Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant (PORTS), a Cold War-era, uranium enrichment plant that once armed America’s nuclear bombs, will soon be the site of the largest power and technology campus on the planet. "PORTS Technology Campus, where the future begins and the American people win,” boomed the voice of the video’s narrator. Then, one-by-one, the leaders came to the podium. "We are embarking on the next era of American dominance," said Assistant Secretary of Environmental Management Tim Walsh. A dominance that’s centered on what will soon be the largest AI data center on earth, combined with a massive $33 billion natural gas-powered power plant and 18 new, nuclear fueled small modular reactors (SMR) to power it. Chris Wright, U.S. Secretary of Energy drove home how truly big this project is. "This facility that's going to be built here is bigger than any facility ever built in world history," Secretary Wright told the crowd. To build it all, Co-CEO of SB Energy, Rich Hossfeld said it will take an army of workers. “35,000 will build the new Ports Technology Campus, transforming it into a beacon for not only the US, but the entire world,” Hossfeld proclaimed. Japanese investment group SoftBank is funding it with the mind-bending budget. "$1.5 trillion." Across America, AI, from Maine to Washington, data centers are increasingly driving dissent and outright protest, as people pack meetings, gather on streets and sidewalks, carrying signs that read, “NO A.I. DATA CENTERS.” "We allow one in here... boom, boom, boom, boom," a man explained at a meeting in Columbus, Ohio, noting he and others were here to stop the cascade of A.I. centers from arriving here and elsewhere. In Scranton, Pennsylvania, a man at a hearing proclaimed, "Not here. Not in anybody’s backyard." Obstinance to the construction of the AI data centers vary, but many times is rooted in the perceived use of water and electricity that such facilities will drain at the expense of people who live and work nearby. Others note the noise and air pollution caused by back-up generators already utilized by centers that already operate in places like Northern Virginia. But in Pike County, Ohio, many are welcoming the newest and largest AI data center on earth with open arms. "I think it's important for the community," said Stephen Woloschek, an employee who’s working to demolish the old PORTS plant, adding that the jobs will help the area that is economically depressed, ranking third lowest in the state of Ohio for per capita income. FULL STORY: https://wchstv.com/news/spotlight-on-america/ohio-ai-data-center-pike-county-ports-technology-campus-world-largest-ai-data-center-ohio _________________________________________ Follow WCHS on social media: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/eyewitnessnewscharleston/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/wchs8fox11​ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wchs8fox11/ For the latest local and national news, visit our website: https://wchstv.com/ Sign up for our newsletter: https://wchstv.com/sign-up