AI data centers essential to win superintelligence race: EPA’s Lavian

[00:00:00] Speaker 1: The data center fight intensifying tonight as the AI, or as President Trump calls it, super intelligence, build out reshapes, skylines, and strains power grids in communities across the country. Construction on these projects across the nation is surging, up more than 400% since chat GPT's launch, the issue quickly becoming a flashpoint, heading into the midterms. And the opposition is bipartisan, with people in both red and blue states vehemently saying no. A Gallup poll this year showed 71% of Americans oppose building AI data centers in their communities, and they're more against these sites and having nuclear power plants nearby. Think about that for a moment. I asked Pouya Levayan, the EPA's Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy and Strategy, about what assurances the agency is offering these communities that believe data centers will overload local power grids, drive up utility bills, and use up their water. Here's his response and more of our conversation. [00:01:05] Pouya Levayan: We have to make sure that we are winning the super intelligence race, especially against comp set actors like China. And on the local side, these are all things where local communities are going to be stakeholders in the super intelligence buildup that we foresee happening in the United States and globally. And the president has made it a prime directive for us that we make sure that the United States will win that super intelligence race. When it comes to how local communities are affected by any digital infrastructure related to super intelligence, I think the most important thing to keep in mind is that this is a highly innovative and early stage process that we are currently in. Anything related to energy transmission, water use, or any sort of optimization of technology, these are all things that are occurring in real time. We are very confident that jurisdictions that get this right and work well with developers and local and state communities will find themselves at the forefront of not only technological innovation, but also all the economic benefits that come from it. [00:02:05] Speaker 1: We've heard the term kill switch many, many times. Should there be an AI kill switch just in case a super intelligence goes rogue? [00:02:13] Pouya Levayan: I'm going to stay out of my lane and say within my lane, sorry, on that conversation. I believe there are very responsible actors currently occurring within the AI or the super intelligence AI space. The issue that we have is this technology is moving very quickly. We need to make sure that innovators are innovating and we make sure that we are shaping the future. If there are worries about what SI means for the future, I can tell you I sleep much better at night knowing that the United States will shape the future of SI. And so we want to make sure that we are completely owning that cycle to the greatest extent possible. [00:02:48] Speaker 1: There are best practices offered by many federal agencies like the EPA, new technology allowing data centers to be far more environmentally responsible. But I have to ask you, sir, is this enough? Why not set nationwide standards for data centers? [00:03:03] Pouya Levayan: It's very difficult to set nationwide standards because each locality or each environmental area is different. This is why we think local control and local decision making is key and paramount. For example, there are all sorts of innovations occurring with water reuse related to what kind of climate AI or SI data center might find itself in. Conversely, there's also issues related to energy transmission. There will be better energy transmission occurring throughout the country and generation, which will allow different areas to have more digital infrastructure within it. Having a top-down, heavy-handed approach at this point, I believe it would not serve either the industry, but more importantly, local communities as well. [00:03:44] Speaker 1: I'm sure you would agree with me here. The optics of AI data centers only seem to be getting worse. There is a brand new Pew Research Center survey that I want to share with our viewers. More than half of Americans now say data centers are mostly bad for the environment. That's up 39% from just January. Half say they're mostly bad for home energy costs, also up from the beginning of the year. We're also seeing a similar increase when Americans are asked if these centers are mostly bad for people's quality of life that live nearby. What do you say to Americans who have so many questions, who believe we should get rid of, or at the very least, roll back on these AI data centers? Are they truly essential and why? [00:04:26] Pouya Levayan: Well, they are truly essential because this is a full paradigm shift in technology and how the United States and the world will do business and will face the future. I will say anyone feeling a certain way about SI and data centers and other digital infrastructure, everyone clearly has a right to do it. I would posit for it that a lot of it is because the industry perhaps historically has not been fully transparent in what this means for the future. I believe in the absence of actual information, people will normally have the more fearful approach. But I think this is a real testament and credit to the president of the United States to be able to posit forth that we are here to promote science and technology. There are active benefits that will accrue to every citizen of the United States because we will shape the future of technology through SI and the data center and digital infrastructure that does it. [00:05:16] Speaker 1: I want to ask you about the environmental impacts. Is winning the AI race against China more important than what's felt by Americans across the country and their fears of what it may do to their neighborhoods and their health? [00:05:29] Pouya Levayan: Yeah, no, clearly not. These are things that both of these things can happen together. Winning the SI race and making sure that our local communities are safe, that's not a binary choice. We can do those things together. The EPA, our core mandate is protecting human health and the environment. And the first pillar of our Powering the Great American Comeback Initiative is clean air, land, and water for all. These are two things that can occur together. Building out SI and digital infrastructure can be done in a responsible way. This can be mitigated. The costs and benefits must be articulated clearly to local communities by developers and hyperscalers and others who wish to actually operate within those communities. These should be long-term lasting relationships between these developers, SI infrastructure, and the communities in which they seek to operate. [00:06:39] Speaker ?: Thank you.