Enough data centers already exist

The U.S. state of Maine is the first to ban the construction of new data centers within its borders. This ban applies to data centers with a capacity of more than 20 MW until fall 2027. The reasons cited for this law include nature conservation and the high electricity and water consumption of these facilities.

In particular, it is claimed that more computing power is needed to run AI applications than is currently available. But the increase in data storage in the cloud has also driven up demand. In our research on the risks and opportunities of artificial intelligence (AI-I, AI-II, AI-III) we had already warned that AI should not be used for “gimmicks” such as audio, image, and video generation.

People must agree on permissible uses on an equal footing — without the influence of current or future tech billionaires. Furthermore, the use of AI must come at a cost, calculated based on the resources consumed. Meta is currently shutting down its AI platform Metaverse after spending nearly $80 billion on it. We need to bring the AI hype back down to earth.

Read more https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2026/04/14/maine-bans-data-centers/

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