Data center developers are struggling to connect to the power grid and, not unrelatedly, connect with people.
Perhaps half the data center projects due to start operating this year won’t arrive on time, according to Currence, an artificial intelligence analytics firm. Trouble accessing electricity is a big reason, but so is resistance. Concerns about rising power bills, along with land and water usage and AI’s threat to jobs, have more than 70% of Americans opposed to data center construction in their area. Some 75 projects worth an estimated $130 billion were blocked or delayed in the first quarter alone, according to Data Center Watch.
One start-up, Span.io Inc., ...