U.S. voters are pushing back against the construction of data centers, which are core infrastructure for artificial intelligence (AI).

According to NBC News on the 6th (local time), a poll conducted in partnership with SurveyMonkey from August 20 to September 1 showed that 69 percent of respondents opposed the construction of a data center in their local community.

Among Democratic supporters, 81 percent opposed data center construction, while the opposition rate among independents reached 71 percent.

Even among Republican supporters, who are relatively more favorable toward data centers, opposition stood at 57 percent, outpacing the 43 percent who favored them.

The backlash against data centers is attributed to concerns over massive electricity and water consumption, as well as rising utility bills.

In Buchanan County, Iowa, a stronghold of Republican support, a temporary ban on data center construction was introduced this year.

Donald Trump won 63 percent of the vote in this area during the 2024 presidential election.

Don Vogel, a Republican member of the Buchanan County Board of Supervisors who voted in favor of the temporary moratorium on data center construction, said, "This is not a Republican or Democratic issue. I haven't met a single voter who wants a data center."

Additionally, state Senator Jon Husted (R-Ohio) recently introduced a bill requiring large data center operators to cover the costs associated with increased electricity and water use.

Husted is a politician who previously actively supported data center construction.

Calls to restrict data center construction have been raised even more prominently among Democrats and progressives.

Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), often called an icon of progressivism, and independent Senator Bernie Sanders (Vt.) proposed a nationwide moratorium on data center construction.

On the other hand, there are voices in favor of building data centers.

Labor unions involved in the construction, operation, and maintenance of data centers support expanding construction, citing job creation and high wages.

A data center worker in Ohio said they can earn up to 5,000 dollars (approx. 6.7 million won) a week including overtime, adding, "It creates a lot of jobs and a lot of people are benefiting."

President Trump is also actively supporting the expansion of data center construction.

Trump recently claimed on the social media platform Truth Social, "The only reason American communities don't want data centers is because they want to remain backward and poor," adding, "If you want success, wealth, low taxes, and plenty of jobs, you must let the data industry thrive."

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)