El Segundo residents are celebrating the cancellation of a data center in their city.
Their outrage is not isolated, as a widespread backlash against data centers has erupted all over the country.
I have heard many complaints about them, including a possible increase in electricity fees for residents as well as concerns about water usage.
However, I think the resurgence of this Luddite mentality is misplaced.
Technological innovation includes improving production and processes so that companies use fewer resources and create less waste or have a less disparate impact on a community. Data centers want to consume fewer resources in the long run to maximize profit, do they not?
Data centers are part of the AI revolution, and the South Bay should be on the cutting edge of welcoming, improving, and marketing this technology instead of hastening to stop it or get rid of it.
The South Bay has been developing a reputation as the next headquarters for major industrial shifts. We are still a major player in the aerospace industry, after all. We should not shy away from becoming Silicon Beach because of dubious concerns about environmental impact or potential higher costs.
Besides, none of us should want international adversaries like China gaining the upper hand when it comes to AI and future tech innovations.
I hope that residents throughout the region will get more educated about data centers and change their minds about them when (or if) another company offers a proposal to construct one in the area.
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