Meta fears anti-data center vote after midterm elections

Key Takeaways

1Meta anticipates increased political obstacles for its data centers after the midterm elections

2Dina Powell McCormick outlines the local conditions necessary for project acceptance

3Meta has centers in 23 states and plans five projects of one gigawatt or more

4The AI agent Muse has 10 million users, and the rental of computing power is being considered

Why it matters : The expansion of AI at Meta relies on local and political acceptance of its infrastructure, as the demand for computing power intensifies.

Meta anticipates further political obstacles to establishing its data centers following the midterm elections. Its president, Dina Powell McCormick, outlines the models deemed acceptable by states and communities, recalls the group's American footprint, and discusses computing power leasing as a monetization avenue.

Meta says it receives daily offers to lease its computing power

Dina Powell McCormick states that Meta receives calls every day to lease the computing power already deployed and that a path to monetization exists. The company believes that even if the growth of its AI usage does not meet its ambitions, investments in data centers will remain valuable due to the worth of this power. Meta is particularly banking on its AI agent Muse, which currently has 10 million users and is expected, according to the company, to grow well beyond this threshold to potentially serve billions of people one day.

An electoral context deemed unfavorable for data centers

Meta fears that some investments may be challenged following local campaigns based on anti-data center programs during the midterm elections. Dina Powell McCormick believes that Democratic successes would significantly complicate the creation of new infrastructures. She notes that the rejection of these projects was very present on the ballots and links it to the overall perceptions of AI, of which the data center would be the most visible manifestation in the territories. According to her, a broader issue lies in the general sentiment towards AI. Speaking at a tech conference on a Wednesday, she adds that the industry has not sufficiently explained the benefits of these investments.

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Local conditions set by Meta for accepted projects

Dina Powell McCormick indicates that communities only accept data centers if they see a tangible benefit, and describes the approach now used by Meta to finalize agreements. In projects considered successful, the company pays for its own electricity, directs any tax surplus attributable to the data centers towards teachers and first responders, maintains a local workforce, and secures bipartisan support. She further asserts that it is becoming clearer which models work and that states are looking for these models, while expecting increased scrutiny based on voter sentiment.

A network across 23 states and projects of one gigawatt or more

The leader highlights two decades of Meta's experience in building data centers to support highly computational social media products. The company currently has facilities in 23 states and plans five projects of one gigawatt or more, including one in Texas. To illustrate the expected value of AI, Dina Powell McCormick cites areas such as cancer research and access to education, emphasizing that Mark Zuckerberg bets more on humans than on machines, with access to technology presented as democratized, equitable, and transparent. However, she believes that building new infrastructures will be more challenging in the future.