Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Polling shows a growing political reckoning is coming for data centers

politico.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

21–30 of 72 posts

Re: Polling shows a growing political reckoning is coming for data centers

#21

Post by malfist »

IG_Semmelweiss wrote: post #5
mapping365 wrote: post #2

The new poll found that 41 percent of Americans would oppose a data center being built within three miles of where they live, up from 28 percent in the January survey. The number supporting those projects dropped during the same period, from 37 percent to 24 percent. The shift was especially pronounced among people who said they had voted for Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential race. The results reflect the scope…

This could have been stopped so easily on its tracks with a simple premise: 1 day turnaround build permits, to any proposed off-the-grid data centers. BYO power. BYO water. BYO pipes & sewage. OK, you are good. Now build! Instead they are look like parasites invading the heartland and sucking resources (true or not), and owners pretend to be surprised when they are getting voted down.

> BYO power

Like 26 gas turbines that make a ton of noise and pollution?

> BYO water

What? How does one BYO water?

> BYO pipes & sewage

Pipes and sewage to where? There's an implied common ground at the end of those.

Re: Polling shows a growing political reckoning is coming for data centers

#22

Post by ImPleadThe5th »

Der_Einzige wrote: post #16

[flagged]

There's a massive difference between piracy/copyright at a small scale for personal use or creative purposes and the wealthiest companies in the world devouring copyrighted materials and then selling it back to us.

Actually both fit into the same category of "defending individuals from massive conglomerates". Either being sued into oblivion for sharing content or having your personal IP ripped off by companies with enough lawyers for them to get away with it.

Protections for individuals, restrictions on big business. Seems to align greatly with the modern socialist M.O.

Re: Polling shows a growing political reckoning is coming for data centers

#23

Post by WarmWash »

pfdietz wrote: post #8

Are folks still thinking orbital data centers are an impossibility? Because this is a strong part of the motivation for those.

Anyone reading between the lines understands datacenter deployment has little to do with datacenters and a lot to do with kneecapping AI development.

If datacenters in space become a thing, you'll hear your neighbor talking about how rockets poison the air.

Re: Polling shows a growing political reckoning is coming for data centers

#24

Post by aprentic »

pfdietz wrote: post #13
Bjartr wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A data center on a ship out in the ocean is orders of magnitude cheaper and orders of magnitude more capable. If we can't demonstrate a solution to the heat problem, in-orbit DCs that contribute meaningful compute are a fantasy and nothing more.

Solar power in space is potentially very cheap; solar on a ship is not. The heat problem has demonstrable solutions that people who are physics challenged can't seem to get themselves to accept.

What's the solution to the heat problem?

Re: Polling shows a growing political reckoning is coming for data centers

#25

Post by Der_Einzige »

aprentic wrote: post #17
pfdietz wrote: post #8

Are folks still thinking orbital data centers are an impossibility? Because this is a strong part of the motivation for those.

Not impossible but I'm still curious how they're planning to deal with heat. I'd also wonder if the folks who don't want to live within 3 miles of a data center are OK with the data center flying over their head

No they aren't because it was never about the externalities of the data center itself (for most - it was for a few people who actually were screwed by the noise, for example). Instead, it's because most of this crowd are anti-AI luddites who hate that change is happening too fast for their minds to comprehend or adapt to.

They stand in the way of a nearly limitless number of positive outcomes from this technology and directly have blood on their hands that they wipe away with thought terminating cliches like "precautionary principle"

Re: Polling shows a growing political reckoning is coming for data centers

#26

Post by WarmWash »

jleyank wrote: post #3
mapping365 wrote: post #2

The new poll found that 41 percent of Americans would oppose a data center being built within three miles of where they live, up from 28 percent in the January survey. The number supporting those projects dropped during the same period, from 37 percent to 24 percent. The shift was especially pronounced among people who said they had voted for Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential race. The results reflect the scope…

Not surprising at all. There is paid for the locals when these things appear, but they don’t get anything back for that paid. Even if they’re computer literate and using ai, there’s no notice that this came from their local centre. Nor is there anything that’s unique to a particular location. People get annoyed at being inconvenienced so that others, elsewhere can make money.

Usually the states give the incentives, the local towns usually get their tax revenue doubled or tripled, hence why these boards sprint to approval

Re: Polling shows a growing political reckoning is coming for data centers

#27

Post by mapping365 »

Der_Einzige wrote: post #25
aprentic wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not impossible but I'm still curious how they're planning to deal with heat. I'd also wonder if the folks who don't want to live within 3 miles of a data center are OK with the data center flying over their head

No they aren't because it was never about the externalities of the data center itself (for most - it was for a few people who actually were screwed by the noise, for example). Instead, it's because most of this crowd are anti-AI luddites who hate that change is happening too fast for their minds to comprehend or adapt to. They stand in the way of a nearly limitless number of positive outcomes from this technology and…

Or look at it this way, a massive change has been forced on the public through the decisions of a small number of people. Basically the whole "Accept your fate, it is inevitable" backfired spectacularly. The people were robbed of their agency, their democratic process. This is just the democratic will reasserting its agency.

Re: Polling shows a growing political reckoning is coming for data centers

#28

Post by Der_Einzige »

ImPleadThe5th wrote: post #22
Der_Einzige wrote: post #16

[flagged]

There's a massive difference between piracy/copyright at a small scale for personal use or creative purposes and the wealthiest companies in the world devouring copyrighted materials and then selling it back to us. Actually both fit into the same category of "defending individuals from massive conglomerates". Either being sued into oblivion for sharing content or having your personal IP ripped off by companies with e…

This is why modern socialism is bankrupt.

It does NOT change with scale.

You ignored my part about how all socialists should call for the immediate open-sourcing of all closed models.

Standing in the way of mass proliferation and dissemination of this technology is about as anti-socialist as it gets. Gatekeepers deserve no room for justification.

Re: Polling shows a growing political reckoning is coming for data centers

#29

Post by logankeenan »

yostrovs wrote: post #18
jleyank wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not surprising at all. There is paid for the locals when these things appear, but they don’t get anything back for that paid. Even if they’re computer literate and using ai, there’s no notice that this came from their local centre. Nor is there anything that’s unique to a particular location. People get annoyed at being inconvenienced so that others, elsewhere can make money.

Here in Michigan there are large industrial facilities that most locals have no idea what is done inside. There's noise, electric usage, trucks coming in and out, but most people think it's ok. Data centers are seen differently.

It’s different because those places typically provide jobs for the people in the surrounding area. Data centers don’t employ enough people to provide an economic benefit for the people that live near them.

Re: Polling shows a growing political reckoning is coming for data centers

#30

Post by s0ss »

pfdietz wrote: post #13
Bjartr wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A data center on a ship out in the ocean is orders of magnitude cheaper and orders of magnitude more capable. If we can't demonstrate a solution to the heat problem, in-orbit DCs that contribute meaningful compute are a fantasy and nothing more.

Solar power in space is potentially very cheap; solar on a ship is not. The heat problem has demonstrable solutions that people who are physics challenged can't seem to get themselves to accept.

I choose to accept reality. Until someone can do it, it hasn’t been done. Once that happens, this will cease being vaporware. The bubble is filled with vapors and those who drank the koolaide can’t seem to get themselves to accept.
Post reply on HN