China announces $300 billion data center expansion as US communities push back on AI infrastructure
Salon—China has unveiled a $300 billion plan to dramatically expand its data center capacity, intensifying competition with the United States in AI infrastructure. Meanwhile, American communities are increasingly fighting back against the construction of new data centers, citing power consumption, noise, and land use concerns. The divergence highlights contrasting approaches to AI buildout between authoritarian state-directed investment and contested democratic siting processes.