US tech leaders stage data center charm offensive

Tech companies are stepping up efforts to address growing bipartisan backlash against data center construction. Per Semafor, Meta's Mark Zuckerberg published an essay this week announcing a one billion dollar fund to support communities that host data centers. OpenAI also sent an open letter to Texas' governor, pledging partnership in responsible AI infrastructure development. The resistance is significant: New York has banned data center construction outright, and local bans nationwide have surged from three hundred in late June to over five hundred in July. The White House, by contrast, has largely refrained from engaging with the issue.

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