France 24 — World · September 1, 2026

AI data centers become surprise issue in US midterm elections

The boom of data centers to power artificial intelligence was a topic of discussion at the G20 summit on Tuesday in North Carolina. Elon Musk told member countries that US companies need to find new energy sources outside of China to power these massive data centers. That same issue is also creating a backlash in the United States ahead of the midterm elections in November. Donald Trump is doubling down, calling those who are against the data centers, “backwards and poor.” FRANCE 24's Monte Francis explains.