a rack of electronic equipment in a dark room

Photo by Tyler on Unsplash

US Election Ads Attack AI Data Centres

technologySep 8, 2026·273 words·3 min read

Political groups in the United States have spent more than $45 million since January on election advertisements that mention data centres. These are the huge buildings of computer servers that power cloud computing and AI (artificial intelligence). NPR (National Public Radio) reached the figure by studying data from the tracking firm AdImpact.

Many voters are angry. In June, a poll found that 77% of Americans think data centres make their electricity bills higher. Two-thirds of Democrats and half of Republicans do not want one near their home. People also worry about water use. And the buildings do not create many jobs — one centre can work with 50 people or fewer.

Microsoft says data centres can help small towns. Quincy is a farming town in Washington state with about 8,100 people. There, tax money from data centres helped pay for a new high school and a hospital. A water-recycling plant there saves about 138 million gallons of water a year. Microsoft promises that new centres will use less water.

Read at other levels

A1Beginner86w A2Elementary145w B1Intermediate188w

B2Upper-Intermediate273w(current · Pro)

C1Advanced379wPro