Japanese Media: US, Europe, and South Korea Face Major Challenges in Pursuing AI Dominance
According to a report by Japanese newspaper *Nishi Nippon Shimbun* on August 6: As the application of artificial intelligence (AI) expands rapidly, global demand for data centers (DCs) continues to grow, leading to numerous conflicts surrounding new construction projects locally.
In the United States—home to nearly half of the world’s newly built data centers—residents view these facilities as “troublesome” and oppose them, causing construction plans to stall. The reason is that data centers do not create jobs, but instead may lead to rising electricity prices and excessive use of cooling water.
In South Korea, although expansion plans for data centers have been announced, strong local opposition has arisen over new power transmission lines, which could become a fundamental obstacle to project success.
At the beginning of July, New York State Governor Kathy Hochul issued an order halting the construction of new data centers, making New York the first U.S. state to take such action. She stated, “The establishment of data centers may cause anxiety among residents. Taking action is my responsibility.”
The United States currently hosts around 4,700 data centers, and at least 14 states are now considering implementing construction controls or suspensions. In South Virginia—the world’s largest data center hub—a new policy was introduced in July that imposes taxes on data center electricity usage.
According to research firm Data Center Watch, 75 projects (totaling $130 billion) were forced to be canceled or delayed between January and March this year alone.
A Gallup poll released in May showed that 70% of respondents opposed building data centers locally, viewing them as “nuisance facilities” for residents. This wave of protests transcends party lines; conservative grassroots organization "Humans First" held demonstrations in 142 locations across 42 states in July. The highest number of protests occurred in South Texas—a stronghold of the Republican Party—with 18 local communities staging demonstrations.
President Trump labeled his opponents as “radical communists,” while also stating that “the costs of meeting data center and AI operational demands should be borne by companies,” raising consumer concerns.
In Europe, data center expansion continues, but due to shortages in electricity and land, cities like Amsterdam in the Netherlands have imposed restrictions on new projects.
The government led by South Korean leader Lee Jae-myung aims to make South Korea a global leader in artificial intelligence. In late June, it announced a plan to invest 550 trillion won (approximately 60 trillion yen) in data centers by 2029. Combined with new semiconductor factory construction plans, the required power capacity will reach 24.7 million kilowatts—equivalent to the output of 17 large nuclear power plants (about 1.4 million kW each), or the total installed capacity of all existing nuclear plants in the country. In response to this proactive stance, South Korea’s *Kyunghyang News* pointed out: “This stands in contrast to the regulatory trend seen in other countries. South Korea requires data center operators to ensure power security, cover transmission line costs, and reduce water consumption.”
Although the South Korean public generally supports nuclear energy use, they strongly resist the installation of transmission lines in their regions, expressing deep concern over electromagnetic radiation effects and fearing that power transmission towers could lower the value of their own land. Protests have already erupted against new transmission line projects for semiconductor industrial zones. If future electricity demand increases further, opposition could intensify significantly.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1872743628683264/
Disclaimer: This article represents the personal views of the author