Welcome to the first edition of Power Play! From now until the midterms, senior writer Molly Taft will be sharing their thoughts every Sunday on this political season’s hottest issue: data centers. We welcome reader comments, and will be answering questions from the comments section in future editions.
\n\nBe sure to catch WIRED’s first livestream on data centers this Thursday, September 10, featuring Molly, senior politics correspondent Hugo Lowell, and senior business writer Max Zeff! You can submit questions here.
\n\nIt’s been a rough summer for data center boosters. Polling is getting even more dismal—as many as 75 percent of Americans now say they would oppose a data center being built in their area, up from 42 percent last year. Politicians from both parties who were previously advocates, like Texas governor Greg Abbott and Pennsylvania governor Josh Shapiro, are now switching up as the midterms approach, looking to convey to voters that they’re talking a hard line on the hated infrastructure.
\n\nBut while some Republicans are turning tail on the issue even in the face of President Donald Trump’s vigorous support for data center construction, others are joining prominent tech leaders in doubling down on an old narrative: That China…
Original source: https://www.wired.com/