美国民众不希望数据中心建在自家后院。这是周二中期选举投票箱传递出的最清晰信息之一。NBC新闻的出口民调显示，76%的选民会反对在其社区建设新的数据中心，56%的人表示人工智能和数据中心是其投票给国会议员时的关键或主要考量因素。除了公开反对数据中心的州长和参议员获胜外，选票上还直接包含了关于数据中心建设的公投。
Americans don't want data centers in their backyards. That's one of the clearest messages sent at the ballot box during Tuesday's midterm elections. NBC News' exit poll found that 76% of voters would oppose the construction of a new data center in their community, and 56% said AI and data centers were a crucial or major factor in their vote for Congress. As well as governors and senators who voiced opposition to data centers winning, ballots included referendums on their construction.
高盛经济学家表示，民主党在州和地方层面的胜利很可能导致“短期数据中心建设暂停，潜在影响约45%的美国数据中心规划产能扩张。”数十个城市和小城镇举行了公投，数据中心直接成为投票议题。据Redbud Consulting分析，截至美东时间上午8点，选民已通过33项限制数据中心的投票议案，仅通过1项允许建设的议案。
Goldman Sachs economists said Democratic wins at the state and local levels will likely lead to "short-term data center moratoria, potentially affecting about 45% of planned US data center capacity expansion." Dozens of cities and small towns held referendums in which data centers were directly on the ballot. As of 8 a.m. ET, voters had approved 33 ballot measures restricting data centers, versus one allowing them, according to an analysis by Redbud Consulting.
这些投票大多发生在俄亥俄州，该州拥有OpenAI“星际之门”项目价值5000亿美元的关键数据中心之一。其中一项议案因与特定项目挂钩而引人注目。EdgeConneX公司希望从Ashville镇获得许可，在一块195英亩的土地上建设两座数据中心。然而，该镇1800名选民中有82%否决了一项关于推进数据中心及配套天然气设施建设的决议。
Most of these votes were in Ohio, home to a key data center for OpenAI's $500 billion Stargate project. One measure stands out as being linked to a specific project. EdgeConneX wanted permits from the town of Ashville to build two data centers on a 195-acre property. However, 82% of its 1,800 voters rejected a resolution to proceed with the development of data centers and an associated natural gas facility.
在美国许多公投中，选民似乎将以压倒性多数反对数据中心。例如，在洛杉矶县的Alhambra市，一项禁止数据中心的议案也有望获得82%选民支持而通过。得克萨斯州是“蓝色海啸”最明显的例证之一，即民主党表现超出预期。该州也是数据中心的主要聚集地，拥有“星际之门”项目的旗舰基地以及另外两个在建项目。州长选举尤为惊人，民主党候选人Gina Hinojosa击败了现任州长Greg Abbott。她将成为自1995年以来该州首位民主党州长。
Americans look set to vote overwhelmingly against data centers in many of the referendums. For example, in Alhambra, a city in Los Angeles County, a measure to ban data centers is also on track to be approved by 82% of voters. Texas was one of the clearest examples of the "blue tsunami," in which Democrats exceeded expectations. It's also a major location for data centers, including Stargate's flagship site plus two others under development. The gubernatorial race was a particular upset, where Gina Hinojosa, the Democratic candidate, beat the incumbent Greg Abbott. She will be the state's first Democratic governor since 1995.
她的竞选纲领包括承诺立即暂停该州的数据中心开发。据美联社报道，在已统计96%选票的情况下，希诺霍萨领先7个百分点——与2022年上一次州长选举相比，出现了18个百分点的摆动。当选参议员、民主党人詹姆斯·塔拉里科认为，数据中心正在推高生活成本，包括导致水电费上涨。他还希望设立“人工智能红利”，让民众分享人工智能公司的利润。
Her campaign included a promise to immediately pause data-center development in the state. With 96% of the votes counted, Hinojosa had a 7-point lead, per the Associated Press — an 18-point swing from the last gubernatorial election in 2022. James Talarico, the Democratic senator-elect, has argued that data centers are contributing to the cost of living, including by increasing utility bills. He also wants to create an "AI dividend" for people to share in AI companies' profits.
弗吉尼亚州的数据中心数量居全美各州之首，其中大部分集中在北部，这一地区因此得名“数据中心走廊”。劳登县约有250个正在运营的数据中心，另有100多个正在规划中。尽管许多分析人士预计该州仍将保持蓝色，民主党参议员马克·华纳扩大了其多数优势。在全州范围内，与2024年总统选举相比出现了17个百分点的摆动。
Virginia has the most data centers of any state. The majority of those are concentrated in the north, giving the region the nickname "Data Center Alley." Loudoun County has some 250 operational data centers, and over 100 more planned. While many analysts expected the state to stay blue, Democratic Sen. Mark Warner extended his majority. Statewide, there was a 17-point swing compared to the 2024 presidential election.
在劳登县已统计97%选票的情况下，华纳获得了69%的选票。这与2024年相比出现了21个百分点的摆动，与该州2020年上一次参议院选举相比则出现了11个百分点的摆动。
With 97% of votes counted in Loudoun County, Warner received 69% of the vote. That's a 21-point swing compared to 2024, and an 11-point swing from the state's last Senate election in 2020.