US tech leaders stage data center charm offensive

US tech leaders intensified their charm offensive in response to mounting bipartisan backlash against data center construction.

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg published a 6,500-word essay Monday announcing plans for a $1 billion fund to invest in communities that host data centers, and OpenAI published an open letter to Texas’ governor on Friday pledging to be a partner in “responsible AI infrastructure development.”

By contrast, The New York Times wrote, the White House has largely refrained from addressing the backlash against data centers, which the president calls “Money Machines.” Americans are “on fire” against data centers, a Republican senator told Semafor: New York banned their construction outright, and local bans nationwide jumped from 300 in late June to over 500 in July, The Information reported.