Pew Research reports 86 new data centers are planned for Arizona, making it one of the top 5 states in the nation for the controversial developments.
ABC15 took viewer concerns over data centers to the president of one of the largest technology companies in the world.
Cisco is a $450+ billion infrastructure and security powerhouse. It connects and protects data centers, corporate networks, and even the internet itself. Cisco president Jeetu Patel is betting heavily on AI.
"There's a market shift that's happening, which is around this movement for AI, where we happen to be right at the center of that shift, because we're the picks and shovels company during the gold rush, where we are providing infrastructure for powering AI," Patel said.
That AI future depends heavily on data centers, and many Arizonans are worried about the water and energy needed to operate them, especially in a desert environment.
Patel acknowledges the challenges aren't trivial.
"What I would say is, firstly, there's a lot of local jobs and communities that actually are starting to get created, and these are not just tech people, you know, your electrician jobs and plumbing jobs and construction jobs are in huge shortage right now, and in very high demand because of the data center build outs," Patel said.
Eventually, Patel believes data centers will operate in space. When asked how far out that vision is, he said the timeline depends on who you ask.
"Some will say three to five years, others might say five to seven years. More on the pessimistic side might say seven to 10 years," Patel said.
In the meantime, Patel is advocating for upskilling the workforce.
"AI is not going to take your job. Someone that uses AI better than you is going to take your job, and what you have to do is make sure that you, as a community, are investing in the upskilling of the workforce, because the delta between someone that knows AI and someone that doesn't know AI is not a 10% productivity gap anymore. It is like a 50x productivity gap," Patel said.
As the nation counts down to America's 250th anniversary, Patel, an Indian immigrant-turned-tech titan, says he remains confident in the enduring spirit of American innovation.
"Some people might agree with me, some people might not, but I have never found betting against America to be a good idea," Patel said.
