Blackstone addresses community resistance to data centers as AI expansion drives demand for power and compute capacity.
Blackstone CEO Stephen Schwarzman acknowledged growing opposition to data center construction in the U.S., citing societal and environmental concerns. The firm is investing tens of billions in AI infrastructure, including power-hungry models and compute capacity, but faces pushback from communities across political lines.
A June Reuters/Ipsos poll found only 14% of Americans would support a data center in their neighborhood. Blackstone is working with portfolio companies to mitigate concerns through union jobs, workforce training, and water-free cooling systems. QTS, a Blackstone-owned data center operator acquired for $10 billion in 2021, recently scrapped a Virginia project after years of planning.
Schwarzman compared AI’s impact to the industrial revolution but noted the uncertainty surrounding its evolution is fueling anxiety.