Sidebar: The data center gold rush

Data: the lifeblood of our digital age, and the sprawling facilities that house the guts of the internet. In the past few years, data center construction has exploded across the country, widening the arteries of the U.S. economy and alarming citizens who had no interest in being involved.The latest gold rush isn’t buried in the dirt. It’s powered by servers. As tech giants race to build hyperscale data centers for the artificial intelligence boom, the promise of economic growth is colliding with growing resistance from rural communities.In our eighth episode this season, we take you to rural Texas, where Paluxy River Valley residents are determined to protect their water, land and way of life. Why has Texas become a new frontier for this rapidly expanding industry?Tech advocates point to investment, jobs and the U.S.’s technological future. Data centers are critical to AI and the digital economy, but they can consume enormous amounts of electricity, water and land while generating noise and light pollution. As the data center boom accelerates, one question looms: How do we build the infrastructure of the future without sacrificing the places people call home?Special guests:Joanne Carcamo, co-founder of Protect the Paluxy ValleyPatrick Hedger, director of policy at NetChoiceRobert Paterson, associate professor at the University of Texas at Austin School of ArchitectureSidebar tackles the top stories you need to know from the legal world. Join reporters Hillel Aron, Kirk McDaniel, Amanda Pampuro, Kelsey Reichmann and Josh Russell as they take you in and out of courtrooms in the U.S. and beyond and break down developments to help you understand how they affect your day-to-day life.This episode was produced by Kirk McDaniel. Intro music by The Dead Pens. A transcript will be available later this week.Editorial staff is Ryan Abbott, Sean Duffy and Jamie Ross.More data centers in the news:Desert data center developer challenges county moratorium in courtParadise paved: In Oregon suburb, data center boom spurs protests, lawsuitKevin O’Leary, Fox News sued over claims data center critics had China tiesSubscribe to our free newslettersOur weekly newsletter Closing Arguments offers the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world, while the monthly Under the Lights dishes the legal dirt from Hollywood, sports, Big Tech and the arts.Additional Reads