US Energy Chief Exhorts Data Center Backers to Push Back Against Opponents
U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright urged data center supporters to actively counter critics who raise concerns about water and power use and the impact of artificial intelligence. He described these concerns as "overblown" and called for proponents to proudly share facts to overcome opposition. The article also noted investor Kevin O'Leary scaled back a Utah data center project due to opposition.
U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright has called on data center proponents to aggressively counter criticisms regarding the facilities, stating that concerns about water and power consumption, as well as the job impacts of artificial intelligence, are "overblown." Speaking at an Amazon Web Services conference, Wright emphasized that opponents are currently gaining ground in public opinion polls, citing a recent Reuters/Ipsos survey indicating that only one in three Americans approve of the rapid pace of data center construction.
Wright, a former CEO of Liberty Energy, drew a parallel between the current opposition to data centers and past battles over oil and gas fracking, asserting that data center critics "cannot win and they will not win." He encouraged supporters to engage with skeptical community members and express pride in their work, aiming to "roll over the opposition to data centers faster than we otherwise should."
The Secretary's remarks come as data center development has become a significant topic for voters and political campaigns ahead of midterm elections. The article also briefly mentioned celebrity investor Kevin O’Leary, who recently retracted unsubstantiated claims that opponents to his planned 40,000-acre data center in Utah were funded by China. O'Leary has since agreed to reduce the project's size to address wildlife protection concerns.