PolicyGlobal / Other·Ranked Sunday, July 12, 2026

The fight against AI data centers is just beginning

Community resistance to AI data center buildout intensifies across multiple regions.

This is The Stepback, a weekly newsletter breaking down one essential story from the tech world. For more on the data center buildout, follow Emma Roth. The Stepback arrives in our subscribers' inboxes on Sunday at 8AM ET. Opt in for The Stepback here. How it started Years before the AI boom threatened local power […]

AI score breakdown

#26 that day2.50/ 10

Technology breakthrough · weight 30%1/10

Economic impact · weight 25%3/10

Job impact · weight 20%1/10

Regional relevance · weight 15%5/10

Policy & geopolitics · weight 10%5/10

Composite is the weighted sum of the five dimensions. How scoring works →

Read the original at The Verge →See the full ranking for Sunday, July 12, 2026