Ohio's Data Center Debate: Local Communities, Jobs, and the Race for AI Leadership

Ohio has become a focal point in the national debate over large-scale data centers, and this report examines the issue through the eyes of residents, workers, politicians, and tech industry advocates. It explores how the buildout intersects with community control, utility costs, employment, and the U.S.-China competition in AI.

■ Mount Orab and Local Opposition
- Residents react to a planned hyperscale data center and the secrecy around the project's developer
- Grassroots organizing, non-disclosure agreements, and unanswered questions from local officials
- Concerns about power generation, water use, and quality of life in a small village
■ Ohio's Political Landscape
- Senate candidates' contrasting positions on holding data center operators accountable for energy costs
- Existing data center clusters around Columbus and New Albany as an economic development case
- Construction and maintenance employment perspectives from a building trades union leader
■ National and Industry Perspectives
- An advocacy group's argument that data centers are central to winning the AI race with China
- A voter roundtable in Columbus covering utility bills, transparency, local decision-making, and personal use of AI tools

Those following U.S. tech infrastructure policy, energy costs, or how national AI strategy plays out in local communities will find the range of viewpoints and on-the-ground reporting useful context for forming their own view of the issue.