60 Minutes Transcript: The data center uproar
As tech companies race to develop artificial intelligence, developers are forging ahead with data centers. But the boom is facing backlash from communities.
September 20, 2026 / 7:16 PM EDT / CBS News
America, and the world, are in the midst of one of the most profound technological revolutions in human history, with artificial intelligence poised to transform nearly every aspect of how we live and work. Behind this seemingly invisible revolution is something very physical: data centers. They are the factories of the AI age, vast industrial warehouses, packed with powerful computer chips consuming enormous amounts of electricity. With more than 3,000 of them across the country, and another 1,500 proposed, data centers are now one of the top issues in the midterm elections. So we went to Texas, where everything is bigger, including the development of data centers, to understand the backlash happening nationwide.
Norah O'Donnell: All this agricultural land will look like what?
Jazmin Villegas: It'll be nothing but data center buildings, concrete.
Norah O'Donnell: This is just part of it?
Jazmin Villegas: Yes. This is just one little bit, as far as you can see.