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The rapid proliferation of Big Tech data centers is driving up the country’s electricity demand and power bills [File]
| Photo Credit: REUTERS
Gaining the approval of local communities has become paramount to building data centres in the U.S., Microsoft President Brad Smith said on Tuesday, as towns across the country increasingly protest the developments.
The rapid proliferation of Big Tech data centres is driving up the country’s electricity demand and power bills, and drawing scrutiny from states and local communities.
“You have to win over the local community and sustain their trust if you are going to build a (data centre),” Smith said at the CERAWeek conference in Houston. “Obviously what you are seeing in the United States is now a concern about data centres.”
Opposition from towns and counties in the Midwest and Northeast in recent months has led to the cancellation of data centre developments over concerns of rising power prices, water impact and pollution from accompanying power infrastructure.
Published – March 25, 2026 12:19 pm IST
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Microsoft president says building data centres requires trust of US communities
