Workspace CEOs say they’re seeing tech companies desperate for AI-fueling data centers turn to empty corporate parks for relief.
John Santora, CEO of WeWork, told Semafor World Economy that companies have met some resistance from town leaders in suburban and rural areas, but predicted that would ease.
“What’s happening now is they realize as they begin to sit there for four or five years, they don’t have the tax base either way,” Santora said. While some are becoming residential spaces, “you’re seeing some shift to data centers, because [the towns] need the cash.”
Diane Hoskins, global cochair at design firm Gensler, echoed the sentiment: “That industrial park — it might be a data center,” she said.
Residents in areas where data centers are coming online have fought against them, citing concerns about energy and water consumption, noise pollution, and what they claim as a general unsightliness. In response, some tech companies have hired design firms like Gensler to spruce up the exteriors, Semafor previously reported.
WeWork is a sponsor of Semafor World Economy. John Santora made his comments in an unsponsored editorial interview.