Henninger on the Data Center Backlash: We’ve Been Here Before, in the 19th Century While Building the Railroads, People Became Upset

RUSH EXCERPT:
HENNINGER: "Is very striking, Paul. Primarily because they are big. And theoretically the going to occupy a lot of space, use a water, people are concerned about the reliability of the electrical grid of the data center is using so much electricity. But you know, we have been here before, Paul. This reminds me of what happened in the late 19th century when we were building the railroads and the transportation system in this country. People became upset at the individuals running it. Matthew’s famous book deemed them. The problem with that is, if these companies get on the wrong side of the political ethos then you get a lot of regulation. Back then that led to the regulation of the progressive era in the 1920s. We are kind of heading in that direction again with very important technology, artificial intelligence, facing the prospect on both sides of the parties and I’ll of regulation. Which could thwart the buildout of a very important technology. As far as the data centers go, people have to understand everything we use now cell phones, smart phones, the internet is already running out of data centers. This is an expansion of something that art exists."