Backlash, red tape and power shortages slow data center boom
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Local opposition, permitting delays and power shortages are slowing the data center buildout, and Ascend Analytics' Brent Nelson argues on TechCrunch's Equity podcast that the announced project pipeline is wildly inflated — only a fraction of announced AI infrastructure will actually be built, with many projects never getting off the ground even before those obstacles apply. The discussion also covers what a bubble burst would mean for developers holding the wrong tenants, why Democrats should pursue permitting reform now, and why natural gas is not the reliable fallback developers assume.
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- TechCrunch · AIWhy the data center you dread might never even be built
TechCrunch's Equity podcast discusses why many announced data center projects may never be built at all, even before local opposition, permitting delays and electricity shortages come into play. Hosts Rebecca Bellan and Tim De Chant are joined by Brent Nelson of Ascend Analytics to separate realistic projects from speculative ones amid billions of dollars in AI infrastructure investment.
- TechCrunch · AIHow backlash and red tape continue to slow data centers post-Blue Wave
TechCrunch's Equity podcast discusses how local opposition, permitting delays, and power shortages are slowing the data center boom, with Ascend Analytics' Brent Nelson arguing the project pipeline is wildly inflated and only a fraction of announced AI infrastructure will actually be built. The episode also covers what a bubble burst would mean for developers with the wrong tenants, why Democrats should pursue permitting reform now, and why natural gas isn't the reliable fallback developers assume.
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