In the wake of Friday’s announcement of Virginia’s new Framework for data center development, news outlets are probing deeper into what is happening with the growing backlash to data centers. (See VFP’s coverage of Friday’s announcement by the governor here, and here).
In August, we wrote about this issue following a “listening session” on data centers led by Sen. Louise Lucas. As we noted then, “Don’t jump to conclusions about recent polling that suggests people reject data centers. Their concerns are more about how communities are changing in a rapidly moving world, and not the structures driving the digital revolution.”
An excellent piece by NPR on Monday explored the extent to which data centers are not just driving public debate, but how they’re reshaping politics in the country writ large. Based on a discussion with Darrell West of Brookings, NPR wrote “It’s more than a not-in-my-backyard issue … it also reflects existential fears that artificial intelligence will take jobs or eliminate humanity entirely.”
Traveling to Loudoun County, the reporters pushed the issue further, highlighting how data centers are splitting Democrats and forging new bipartisan alignments. “At the grassroots level,” NPR writes, “that translates into Democrats and Republicans working together on an issue of mutual interest.”
For some, the problem runs even deeper. Ivy Main argues that the core of the problem is trust, and fear. “Unease about AI makes the fight over how, and even whether, to site more data centers in Virginia more than just a disagreement over land use and resource allocation,” she writes. “Beneath the concerns that residents point out to pollsters is a growing conviction that we are fighting for our future.”
The challenge with this remains unchanged, however. Americans continue to adopt the technology that is driving data center growth at record rates. The St. Louis Fed late in 2025 showed that generative AI adoption, despite the handwringing, is being adopted at an aggressive rate. And not just by businesses. In fact, it is growing fastest in nonwork environments.
