Could NIMBYism kill AI?
In Virginia, Youngkin is pushing for Data Centers which residents are opposing for noise, construction traffic, and destruction of scenic farmlands.
“It’s like living in hell,” one resident said of the data center infrastructure in her county.
I’m hopeful that it will.
It's awful out there. He's not going to be around to see what destruction ensues. Typical #youngkin WHY ISN'T HE BUILDING THEM IN HIS NEIGHBORHOOD??
Typical Youngkin, building data centers in someone else's backyard while he's sipping sweet tea in his own. But seriously, could NIMBYism be the kryptonite that takes down AI? Maybe we'll find out when the robots start protesting the noise and construction traffic.
So some NIMBY is cool? I am all for this kind of thing.
Also use huge amounts of water for cooling.
Oh yes. I would fight it. So would most people.
This is a NIMBY movement I can get behind … as long as the answer isn’t to push them to historically disadvantaged areas with less political clout.
Instead, let’s make the answer they have to invest in more energy infrastructure and renewable energy sources!
@drdind.bsky.social to give you a local Northern VA example of how bad it is.
FOURTEEN datacenters within 1/2 mile of our neighborhood
Probably the only time NIMBYism will ever do anything worthwhile.
God, lets hope
Lack of water may kill them in the southwest
And the water they use in the computer cooling systems is unbelievable high.
As a NOVA resident I can tell you It’s not so much NIMBY - they’ve been building these huge data centers for years and most of the worlds internet runs through here. It’s more like No More TBH.
More of this! They use too much water and suck up too much energy meaning in most cases more air pollutants like benzene and methane. They are LOUD.
We need to weaponize our Karen powers for good
Those data centers are a blight wherever they land. They suck up water and electricity, blight the landscape and run up utility bills for the people around them.
Good. It's already a wasteland of data centers there.
On the other hand, Hoosiers will rubber stamp the approval and hand out tax abatements and credits on top
And enormous water use!
In South Korea, residents in Seoul are opposing urban data centers
Data center construction sparks NIMBY opposition amid Korea's big AI push koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/news/2025-07...
In Seoul's Guro District, protests against a data center construction reflect local concerns over health, noise and property values. As demand for AI-driven data centers surges, projects face delays, ...
One of the worst things that can happen is when that business fails or is moved to another location they will leave a giant complex there that has no other use. Sort of like shopping malls. When businesses moved out they just leave this giant carcass there that can not be converted to other uses.
I don't know about the power play aspects of this but it's definitely better than the middle of the desert 🤣
