US AI companies, private equity funds, and labor unions have formed an alliance called the American Infrastructure Alliance to advocate for the responsible development of data centers.
The alliance includes participation from Blackstone, OpenAI, QTS, SoftBank Group, and major labor unions such as the IBEW.
The alliance plans to lobby across 7 states: Texas, Georgia, Ohio, Iowa, Pennsylvania, Indiana, and South Carolina.
The goal is to collaborate with state and local governments to establish standards, conditions, and community protection mechanisms for data centers starting in 2027.
In return, the parties want to prevent moratoriums or bans on the construction of new data centers.
The alliance argues that comprehensive bans could slow economic growth and impact middle-class jobs.
Labor unions want to ensure that workers and local communities have a role in the decision-making and oversight process for projects.
Data centers have become a prominent political issue ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
Some progressive politicians have proposed a nationwide pause on building new data centers until measures are in place to ensure AI safety.
Some governors who previously supported massive investments in data centers have now tightened conditions or paused approvals due to voter backlash.
An alliance poll in Ohio showed that 67% of respondents viewed data centers unfavorably, while only 18% viewed them favorably.
Support increases when projects commit to keeping electricity prices low, creating jobs, and increasing tax revenues.
📌 Conclusion: The core issue is no longer whether to build data centers, but under what conditions and who bears the costs. The alliance is shifting its focus from national lobbying to reaching agreements with local governments, linking AI investments with jobs, taxes, electricity prices, and community participation. This is also an important lesson for Vietnam in developing AI infrastructure: it is necessary to simultaneously evaluate electricity, water, land, environmental needs,data security, and local economic benefits.
