What Are Data Centers — and Why Are They Suddenly Everywhere?

What are data centers—and why are they suddenly being built everywhere?

In this episode of The Brief: Insights From The Inside, Shabbos Kestenbaum sits down with Joe Honan, CEO of Singularity Compute, to explain the data-center boom powering artificial intelligence. Honan breaks down what data centers actually do, why AI requires so much compute power, how much electricity and water these facilities use, and why communities across America are debating whether data centers are worth the cost.

The debate is getting bigger than local zoning fights. A House Science Committee probe is now examining foreign funding and potential influence in opposition to American AI and energy infrastructure, citing a report that found activist groups fighting U.S. data center development received more than $39 million from foreign donors. Honan argues this fight is about more than the environment—it’s about compute power, national security, and which country wins the AI race.

The conversation covers hyperscale data centers, edge computing, liquid cooling, power grids, water recycling, noise concerns, the Nashville Zoo controversy, construction jobs, skilled trades, foreign-funded opposition, China, national security, orbital data centers, and whether Americans should be optimistic or worried about AI.