The Download

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TL;DR: The data center ban count just topped 500 across the US—mostly in states where data centers already are. The bans come as protests mount and Amazon backs a Texas gas plant permitted to emit a record amount of pollution.

What happened: More than 500 US towns and counties have now blocked or restricted new data center developments, with New York and Texas the latest to pump the brakes statewide. The bans have been growing exponentially—the number jumped from 300 in late June to over 500 in July.

More than 400 of the restrictions sit in the Midwest and South, the two leading regions for data center buildouts. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced a moratorium on all data center approvals last week—until state regulators audit every project seeking a connection to its power grid. Nearly three-quarters of July’s moratoriums landed in southern states like Georgia and Florida. Perhaps not surprising, given Georgia ranks fourth with 276 existing and planned data centers. (Texas ranks second after Virginia with 537.)

Clapbacks: Meanwhile, data center critics are increasingly taking their objections to the streets. Last month, organizers held 142 protests across 42 states (Texas led with 18 protests). At least 37 arrests have been made at data center-related protests this year, per Futurism—and there were another 12 cases of police stepping in to keep protesters away from officials. (In one instance, a person was arrested for merely clapping at a meeting.)

Pollution mogging: The pushback comes amid growing concerns over data centers’ climate and power effects. On Friday, Amazon confirmed it’s investing in a new Texas AI campus whose gas plant is permitted to emit up to 33 million tons of carbon dioxide each year—roughly double the emissions of the country’s dirtiest coal plant. That’s equivalent to driving 7 million cars every year, or nearly 5% of Canada’s total emissions. The project “would not initially connect to the wider electricity grid,” an Amazon spokeswoman said, escaping the purview of the Texas moratorium.

Bottom line: Data centers are getting hit from every direction, from local bans to statewide freezes to protests. Whether any of it slows the rapid buildout is the big question. —LC

Also in data centers…

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The Zeitbyte

The analog status symbol for rich kids

Illustration: Morning Brew Inc., Photo: Getty Images / Unsplash

A chatbot-free childhood is becoming the new organic diet, according to an Atlantic essay comparing AI companions to ultra-processed food. It says AI is engineered to hit a “bliss point” that maximizes engagement while stripping out the friction (mistakes, corrections, mid-conversation repairs) that actually builds a kid’s brain. Tellingly, many of the engineers and executives building these tools are reportedly keeping AI at arm’s length at home. (Anthropic co-founder Jack Clark says the idea of his daughter having “unfettered” access to the YouTube algorithm freaks him out.) Pew data suggests the divide will break along class lines too. Lower-income teens already lean on chatbots for homework more than their richer peers, which tracks with the essay’s grim thesis: Human connection might become the new avocado toast, a luxury topping most families can’t afford. —SM

Chaos Brewing Meter: ☕☕☕/5

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