We've seen a lot of headlines about data centers lately, especially controversies in communities considering large new data center campuses to support AI. Community resistance to data centers is not new, but has escalated rapidly in recent months, with a number of projects being canceled or delayed amid community outcry, including some that represented billions of dollars in local investment. Adam Waitkunas of Milldam Public Relations publishes a newsletter tracking data center controversies and how local communities are shaping the future of data center growth. Adam and host Rich Miller discuss why we're seeing more of these controversies, some of the key factors in community resistance, and what data centers can do to change the narrative and address some of the concerns about AI development. It's an important topic, and one we need to talk more about. Digital services are a growing part of our entertainment, business and social lives, and that trend will continue. Data centers are the engines of this digital economy. Here's an overview of the conversation: 00:00 - Overview: Community controversies are on the rise. 01:48 - About Adam Waitkunas of Milldam PR and the Zoning In newsletter. 05:45 - How We Got Here: The evolution of community controversies. 10:12 - Community Awareness and Data Center Development 15:00 - Transparency and Why It Matters 19:18 - Best Practices for Communicating With the Community 20:56 - Public Officials on the Hot Seat. 24:40 - Localizing the Community Conversation 27:00 - NDAs and Community Relations 29:15 - A Legacy of Secrecy. Time for a change? 35:00 - How Media Coverage Shapes the Narratives 39:00 - Could the data center industry be doing more? 41:10 - Building Bridges and Expertise ---------------------------------------------------------------------- At Data Center Richness we demystify technology and explain why data centers matter, and what comes next for the Internet, cloud computing and AI. Host Rich Miller is a journalist and analyst who has been covering the data center sector for 25 years. Subscribe to our channel for more insights: https://www.youtube.com/@DataCenterRichness?sub_confirmation=1 NOW ON SUBSTACK! Check out the Data Center Richness Substack: https://datacenterrichness.substack.com/ On the Web: Data Center Richness https://datacenterpodcast.com/ LINKS FROM THIS SHOW: Milldam Public Relations https://milldampr.com/ Follow Adam Waitkunas on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/awaitkunas/ Follow Rich Miller on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/datacenterfrontier/ RELATED VIDEOS: What's Next for Data Center Real Estate? https://youtu.be/H2FFJfm5wug?si=NLKTZmDMDm5bS6Sx Mastering High-Density Cooling https://youtu.be/_zeLScBMDxk?si=432CIwTrRQjgw3_q Why AI Will Be A Paradigm Shift https://youtu.be/u-Lv9MwS7x8?si=TCP_HUMfghSktAP0 All video by Data Center Richness. Supplemental music via Epidemic Sound https://share.epidemicsound.com/60o8qx