The growth of America’s AI sector is facing a problem that no innovation in chips or faster computers can overcome – the approval of locals. In various cities in the US, people are raising issues related to the location of large-scale data centres, the amount of electricity and water required by these facilities, and the value of the economic contribution compared to their resource consumption. In many cases, local authorities react to such problems with a temporary suspension of new facilities and efforts to develop regulations for the rapidly developing industry, reported Forbes.
A recent case is Raleigh, North Carolina, where the council approved a moratorium on approvals for large data centres on October 6 by a 7-to-1 vote. This temporary measure is meant to allow officials time to evaluate impacts on adjacent properties and local resources, but not to ban the business outright.
