Data Center Alley

After spending days in Ashburn, Virginia—the world's largest data center hub—MIT Technology Review's writer argues the nationwide backlash against data centers is less a culture war than a concrete fight over electricity supply and power bills. OpenAI's global affairs chief Chris Lehane framed the pushback as a proxy for public unease about affordability and corporate power, but on-the-ground reporting suggests siting, grid capacity, and residential electricity costs are the real flashpoints.