Overview
- The “Data After Dark” pro‑data‑center party at PubKey in Washington was interrupted by protesters on Saturday night, but attendees largely drowned them out with chants and the event drew roughly 600 to 900 people.
- Organizers publicly tied the event to host Jonas Du and Young Voices and reporting links the gathering to conservative and libertarian groups and funders, including ties to the Koch network and other pro‑AI backers.
- House Speaker Mike Johnson told Fox Business that public opposition to data centers is a “Chinese psyop,” a claim that senior Republicans are using to frame domestic pushback as foreign influence.
- Polling shows broad local opposition to new AI data centers and watchdog Data Center Watch says nearly 120 projects have been blocked or delayed, while President Donald Trump has pushed faster permitting and federal support for buildouts.
- The dispute centers on concrete local concerns—electricity demand, water use, noise, and who pays for grid upgrades—and has become a permitting bottleneck with likely effects on jobs, utility costs, and the pace of U.S. AI infrastructure expansion.