This week’s episode of “WisBusiness: the Podcast” is with Tricia Braun, executive director of the Wisconsin Data Center Coalition.
The podcast explores the evolving conversation and controversies around data centers in the state, featuring highlights on some of the most high-profile projects and their impacts as well as how public opinion has shifted over time.
Wisconsin has seen multiple communities move forward with data center moratoriums amid a public backlash against data centers. Concerns range from environmental impacts and noise to the potential for higher energy costs linked to the projects.
The latest Marquette University Law School poll of registered voters found views on data center costs versus benefits have darkened substantially from last year, with just 22% of those in the latest survey saying benefits outweigh costs. Late last year, that percentage was 44%.
Braun compares the opposition Wisconsin is seeing to the “NIMBY” movement that has rallied against other infrastructure and construction projects.
“I think it’s multiple factors that are sort of swelling together and creating this very loud, very organized, very well-funded sort of anti-data center, anti-AI movement that we’re seeing,” she said, arguing some of it stems from outdated information about the data centers while also acknowledging the greater power demand posed by the facilities.
But she also suggested foreign adversaries are playing a role in shifting public opinion.
“There are pretty recent reports that indicate a lot of this is being driven by maybe not so well-intended sources outside the United States that would benefit from the U.S. lagging in our data center growth, and our ability to … be that leader in innovation,” she said.
She argued local communities that could benefit from data centers are “feeling all of the pressure from these voices,” calling it “a huge challenge” for the industry.
“It’s one that is going to kind of pull back some of the progress that’s being made if we can’t get everybody on the same page,” she said.
The discussion also highlights some of the state’s largest hyperscale data centers, from the Microsoft campus in Racine County to the Meta data center in Beaver Dam and the Lighthouse project being built by Vantage Data Centers in Port Washington.
“It was really apparent that several of our industries were perfectly aligned to help support not just a data center directly or the data center construction, but actually helping to build the parts and pieces … Our mission is to help drive that economic impact that these once-in-a-generational opportunities are going to provide to the state,” Braun said.
Listen to the podcast below, sponsored by UW-Madison:
See more data center coverage here.
