Speaking with CNBC's Becky Quick on Wednesday morning, Greg Abel highlighted a growing backlash to new facilities, saying, "There is a lot more pushback in the communities across the U.S." He explained that Berkshire's focus in this buildout is largely on delivering power and electricity generation to these sites.
Abel said, "We are interested in serving these hyperscalers ... if there was no impact to the rates of our other customers." He added that Berkshire wants to partner with supercomputing companies so long as those customers keep their costs in check.
Investors and analysts have backed Abel's view, noting a growing, coordinated political backlash to massive computing builds that strain municipal electricity and water supplies. In New York State, new data center construction is on hold, and numerous other states are considering moratoriums or limits of different intensities. Roughly 4,700 data centers operate in the U.S., and that count is climbing.
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Analysts at Mizuho told clients Tuesday that many investors think data centers could become a notable topic in the midterms. "This is clearly an evolving situation as some investors question the set-up with upcoming mid-term elections and validity of claims around resource consumption and limited long-term job creation," wrote Mizuho's Vikram Malhotra.