ATLANTA — Georgia’s rapidly growing data center industry could face a very different political landscape following Tuesday’s elections.
Democrats won the governor’s race as part of a broader midterm backlash that included growing concerns about massive artificial intelligence data centers, their appetite for electricity and water, and their potential impact on utility bills.
Georgia was among several data center hot spots where Democrats captured governorships previously held by Republicans. Nationally, candidates skeptical of large-scale data center development also scored victories in Texas, Ohio, Nevada and Iowa.
While data centers were not among the top issues for most voters, concerns about their impact increasingly became connected to the broader affordability debate that dominated the election.
Data center concerns became campaign issue
Across the country, campaigns spent more than $380 million on television advertising mentioning data centers, according to AdImpact. Democrats outspent Republicans on those ads by more than 3 to 1.
Candidates raised concerns about everything from the electricity necessary to power AI servers to the enormous quantities of water some facilities use for cooling.
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Those questions have become increasingly relevant in Georgia as communities around metro Atlanta and other parts of the state face proposals for new data centers and the infrastructure needed to support them.
The election results could translate into calls for additional state oversight, including requirements that developers disclose more information about their energy and water consumption, demonstrate local support and prevent residential utility customers from absorbing infrastructure costs created by the projects.
Industry acknowledges need to build trust
The data center industry is already responding to the political shift.
OpenAI released a framework Thursday calling for clearer rules governing how the industry builds new facilities and interacts with communities.
“Lawmakers should establish rules to advance responsible investment, protect residents, and ensure that the benefits of AI infrastructure are broadly shared,” the company said.
The Data Center Coalition also acknowledged that developers will need to continue building trust with local governments and communities.
Coalition official Dan Diorio said the industry recognizes that many newly elected officials campaigned on stronger restrictions or even temporary moratoriums.
But he warned that limiting development could also mean communities lose tax revenue and investment associated with the projects.
Election could change data center landscape
Data Center Watch, a project of AI security consultancy 10a Labs, tracked the positions taken by winning candidates for Congress and governor.
It found that 32 of 34 victorious gubernatorial candidates in races called by the Associated Press supported stronger data center regulation or restrictions. Twelve supported bans or moratoriums.
The political shift goes beyond gubernatorial races.
Democrats also won control of Congress and took full control of state governments in several states, potentially giving lawmakers more opportunities to adopt restrictions.
At the local level, voters overwhelmingly supported data center restrictions in referendums tracked by Redbud Consulting. Restrictions were approved in 44 of 45 races where the vote count was complete.
Voters increasingly skeptical
An AP Voter Poll found that about three-quarters of U.S. voters opposed having a new data center built in their community.
That opposition crossed political lines, with majorities in both Republican and Democratic states expressing concerns about data centers being constructed near where they live.
Still, the poll showed the issue wasn’t a primary motivation for most voters. About a quarter said AI data centers were crucial to their congressional vote, well below issues including the cost of living and government corruption.
For Georgia, Tuesday’s election means the debate over the benefits and costs of the state’s growing data center industry could intensify at the State Capitol.
The question facing the next administration and lawmakers may not simply be whether Georgia continues attracting AI investment, but what protections communities and utility customers should receive as that industry grows.
This story was adapted from reporting by Marc Levy of The Associated Press. Associated Press reporters Scott Bauer, Kaitlyn Huamani and Linley Sanders contributed.
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