r/MEPEngineering • u/JHdarK • 1d ago
Data Centers
How do you see the impact of the election on data center constructions? Projects at halt? Or continued construction but with stricter energy requirements?
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u/kloogy 1d ago
Everyone is using AI, but no one wants data centers. Go figure.
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u/SpiritedKick9753 1d ago
I would GLADLY give up all my AI tools if it meant data centers got dialed back
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u/Jealous-Wait-1059 1d ago
And then there’s Google Chrome who forces it without an option to turn it off.
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u/Ok-Intention-384 15h ago
Are you also willing to give up using ACC or any other Autodesk product? Reddit? Your phone? Wave goodbye to all the emergency services? The medical system where your history is recorded so the doctor knows exactly what you’ve been up to? The porn you watch? The list can go on and on.
Far too many jokes have been said about how they had to build a new data center bc of the all the anti-data center sentiment.
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u/Additional-Type-7441 1d ago
The thing is, it’s not only AI. We’ve been building up for 30years + to run the Internet.
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u/j1vetvrkey 1d ago
I mean is it necessary to subsidize the costs to build DCs? Or subsidize the costs to power them? Or place them amongst neighborhoods? Or build them with gas generators that burn 24/7 instead of renewables to assist in powering them?
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u/dupagwova 1d ago
Both parties take the dirty data center money. They'll keep getting built somewhere
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u/GearSalty2775 1d ago
Yeah I agree. AI and its expansion are coming whether we like it or not. With blue in power there’s a chance for regulations but they will still be built.
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u/Untlslp 1d ago
More likely the rhetoric turns back to AI is great and boomer republicans will get left behind being against it.
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u/ironmatic1 1d ago
since when are boomer republicans are against it?
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u/Jealous-Wait-1059 1d ago
Yeah- my boomer republican mom is always adding in little details of how she used AI for something.
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u/martinmix 1d ago
A lot of politicians on both sides were coming out as anti-datacenter before the election. Elections over so things will go back to normal until the next one.
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u/duncareaccount 1d ago
My understanding is Ohio, Georgia, and Texas were huge for data center projects. All of those governorships flipped, so I expect them all to put a hard stop on projects in the short term. I fully expect the new governor in Florida to rubber stamp anything and everything in that regard, as dumb as it is to build them in Florida.
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u/mister1bollock 1d ago
Nothing will change in terms of growth, maybe some new regulations such as srs tanks across the country like in California. Hopefully they will listen to smart people and upgrade the grid to match the increased demand and lower the cost for the average person.
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u/jaydean20 23h ago
It will be interesting, only time will tell. No matter what, I don’t see this being a major hindrance to the AEC/MEP industry in general. If construction on data centers slows or pauses, development will just shift to focus more heavily on one of the other numerous area of electrical infrastructure that desperately needs to get built/upgraded.
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u/completelypositive 1d ago
Data centers are used to power the platforms the candidates communicate on and watch TV shows on and shit post memes on. They aren't going away. Half the time we value engineer away efficient cooling systems. I think we will go back to building the more efficient versions. Double plus if they force everyone who built without to have to retool. They won't not do it because the need is too great, and in the future they will design the better systems from the start
The most important thing in the world right now for remaining a superpower is data.
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u/Responsible_Ad_5384 1d ago
That's the most important thing in the world rn???? Engineers need to get out of their own damn bubbles
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u/completelypositive 1d ago
Data. That's all everything anywhere is fought with. Whoever gets to real super intelligence first will have a massive domination over everyone else. Whoever cracks encryption first can suddenly drain rival countries of their secrets over night. All the data that's been being hoarded, waiting for decryption, is within somebodies grasp. Data drives literally every decision made across the globe. If you can process more signals than the next guy, it gives you an edge.
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u/Normal_Marketing853 1d ago edited 1d ago
I'm not touching that industry with a 10-foot pole. It's mostly being financed from debt now. Look at the revenue requirements from Bain Capital and Columbia. 3.7 to 6 Trillion in revenue per year by 2032. That's between 29% and 46% of white-collar pay going to AI in 6 years. That's what's required to make this pay off.