OpenAI, SoftBank, Blackstone and Unions Form Group to Defend AI Data Center Buildouts
OpenAI, SoftBank, Blackstone, QTS and seven unions have formed the American Infrastructure Alliance to fight local opposition and moratorium calls against new AI data centers in the U.S.
The coalition includes the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, the United Association of Union Plumbers and Pipefitters, the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers, the International Association of Heat and Frost Insulators and Allied Workers, and the International Association of Iron Workers. Its stated aim is to build public and union member support for new data centers, TechRadar reported.
Michael Coleman, general president of SMART, said, "American workers and communities should have a seat at the table as this critical infrastructure is built." Kenneth Cooper, international president of the IBEW, said, "Blanket bans on necessary infrastructure projects would set back our economy and threaten good middle-class jobs."
The alliance faces criticism from groups opposing data center expansion. Mitch Jones, managing director of policy and litigation at environmental group Food & Water Watch, has called for a moratorium on data center development so that mid- and long-term effects can be studied further. He raised concerns about environmental impact and jobs, telling the DCNF that "Once centers are constructed, very few jobs remain in the facilities themselves. Our research has found that as of 2024 there were only 23,000 people working permanently in data centers across the country."
Calls for moratoriums have increased, and Sen. Bernie Sanders is planning legislation to pause data center construction across the United States until guardrails are in place. The AIA's lobbying and proposed guardrails are likely to have a more immediate effect, and the group argues its work will bring jobs, according to TechRadar.
Editor's Summary
The American Infrastructure Alliance, backed by OpenAI, SoftBank, Blackstone, QTS and seven unions, will lobby against state and local efforts to block AI data centers, beginning with seven states. The group plans to set data center development guardrails in 2027. Opposition groups and Sen. Bernie Sanders are seeking moratoriums or a national pause, citing environmental concerns and limited permanent jobs.