With support from the Department of English and the Department of Geology and Geography, the Humanities Center welcomed Dr. Dustin Edwards to our campus on April 9.
Data centers are having a moment. From the White House to county commissioner meetings, data centers are being trumpeted for their promise to reshape economies and secure national dominance. At the same time, as tech companies race to lead the global AI market, billion-dollar data center deals have been the subject of headlines, lawsuits, and public backlash.
In his presentation, Edwards tracked the policy developments, financial arrangements, and energy configurations that have paved the way for the rapid construction of hyperscale AI data centers in the U.S. Drawing on qualitative interviews with frontline communities where data centers are being proposed, Edwards insists that this future is not a foregone conclusion.
In a moment of unchecked growth and little governmental oversight, data center opposition coalitions have scaled in their own right, demanding a different and less extractive vision for a collective future.