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US Campaigns Spend $45m Attacking AI Data Centres

technologySep 8, 2026·379 words·3 min read

More than $45 million has been spent on American political advertisements that mention data centres since January, according to an analysis by NPR (National Public Radio) of figures from the advertising tracking firm AdImpact. The vast warehouses of computer servers, which power cloud computing and artificial intelligence (AI), have become an unlikely target for candidates in both major parties ahead of this year's elections.

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.

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