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States Quietly Pass Laws Favoring Big Tech's Computing Power
2 Feb
Summary
- Montana enacted the first 'right-to-compute' law, potentially limiting AI regulation.
- Similar bills are advancing in New Hampshire, Ohio, and South Dakota.
- These laws emerge as major corporations invest heavily in new data centers.
States are increasingly adopting 'right-to-compute' laws, legislation that could impede government regulation of AI and computing technologies. Montana was the first to pass such a statute in April, defining 'computational resources' broadly. Similar bills are now being considered in New Hampshire, Ohio, and South Dakota, despite one failing in Idaho.
These laws are emerging as major corporations like Meta, Microsoft, and Amazon escalate investments in massive new data centers nationwide. Meta, for instance, has actively lobbied state governments for data center projects. However, these developments face controversy, with community pushback cited in Wisconsin and Indiana over environmental concerns and energy costs.
Critics suggest these 'right-to-compute' laws, often modeled after legislation from groups like the American Legislative Exchange Council, may primarily benefit large corporations. This trend follows a federal executive order from December aimed at curtailing state regulations perceived as burdensome to business and national security.
