Special Briefing on Data Centers: Will they power the US economy or bog it down in a swamp of controversy?
The artificial intelligence (AI) boom and the industry’s seemingly insatiable need for more and more giant data centers is brewing up a fierce political and economic battle as US state and local governments’ quest for trillions of dollars of new investment clashes with concerns over the impact of the centers on electricity rates, water supplies, and the environment in which citizens live. This controversy is becoming a key factor in economic development and tax revenue and job growth in the places currently housing data centers and likely to continue to host them in the future: metropolitan and micropolitan areas – the latter including cities of 10,000-50,000 residents and their suburbs. As The Economist noted recently, “Surveys suggest that Americans would sooner live next to a nuclear plant” than a data center.
Join William Glasgall, Penn IUR Fellow and Volcker Alliance Public Finance Adviser, and Susan Wachter, Wharton Professor and Co-director of the Penn Institute for Urban Research, as we explore the data center controversy—and its potential impact on state and local finances and jobs—with a panel of experts from government, academia, and Wall Street. Confirmed speakers include:
- Eugénie Birch, Penn IUR Co-director and Lawrence C. Nussdorf Professor of Urban Research and Education, Weitzman School of Design
- Amanda Kass, Research Director, Good Jobs First
- Thomas Sanchez, Planning Consultant, SchillerTech Group
- Stijn Van Nieuwerburgh, Earle W. Kazis and Benjamin Schore Professor of Real Estate, Finance Division, Columbia Business School
Recordings of the entire Special Briefings series are available on the Penn IUR or Volcker Alliance websites. Be sure to subscribe to the Special Briefing podcast, available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, TuneIn, iHeart Radio and more.
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