https://www.capeandislands.org/awaiting-data Data centers are one of the top political issues in the country, widely opposed by Democrats and Republicans. Among other concerns, people worry about the environmental impacts, the energy usage, and the sheer size of the massive buildings going up to support the use and development of AI.In New England, we don't have hyperscale data centers, at least not yet. In this special series from the New England News Collaborative, we explore why not, and look at what people in the region are doing to prepare for data center growth here.Awaiting Data airs the week of October 19, 2026. en-US Copyright Wed, 21 Oct 2026 17:18:51 GMT https://www.capeandislands.org/local-news/2026-10-21/how-some-ai-researchers-skip-big-data-centers-by-thinking-small Popular chatbots like Claude and ChatGPT are powered by models trained on enormous amounts of information, which means spending billions on vast data centers that take more power and water than entire cities. Instead, roboticists like Matthias Scheutz are thinking small. They’re designing AI systems compact enough to fit on a single computer chip. Wed, 21 Oct 2026 17:18:51 GMT https://www.capeandislands.org/local-news/2026-10-21/how-some-ai-researchers-skip-big-data-centers-by-thinking-small https://www.capeandislands.org/2026-10-20/in-new-england-towns-are-using-a-very-old-approach-to-take-on-data-centers Towns and cities across the region are using tools of local control to slow or stop data center development within their borders. Tue, 20 Oct 2026 09:00:00 GMT https://www.capeandislands.org/2026-10-20/in-new-england-towns-are-using-a-very-old-approach-to-take-on-data-centers Kate Dario https://www.capeandislands.org/2026-10-19/behind-the-data-center-backlash-anxiety-about-ai Across New England, data center opponents say they don’t trust the artificial intelligence industry Mon, 19 Oct 2026 09:00:00 GMT https://www.capeandislands.org/2026-10-19/behind-the-data-center-backlash-anxiety-about-ai Phil Bishop