# What comes after the data center backlash?

- Show: [Catalyst](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst)
- Published: 2026-09-03
- Length: 47m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2026-09-03-what-comes-after-the-data-center-backlash

## Summary

Brian Janous, co-founder and chief commercial officer of Cloverleaf Infrastructure, discusses the rapid shift in community sentiment from welcoming to opposing data center development, attributing it to the scale of modern AI facilities and a broader backlash against AI itself. He argues that while specific grievances like water use and grid impact are negotiable through transparency and community benefits, the emotional opposition to AI is harder to solve with facts alone. Janous also evaluates emerging alternatives like behind-the-meter generation, underwater data centers, and distributed edge computing, concluding that while some niche solutions may emerge, large-scale terrestrial data centers remain the dominant and most efficient model for the foreseeable future.

## Chapters

- [0:07](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2026-09-03-what-comes-after-the-data-center-backlash#t=7) Introduction: The Data Center Backlash and AI Opposition
- [4:30](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2026-09-03-what-comes-after-the-data-center-backlash#t=270) From Red Carpet to Pitchforks: Scale and Misperceptions
- [11:18](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2026-09-03-what-comes-after-the-data-center-backlash#t=678) Transparency, NDAs, and the Emotional Barrier
- [19:04](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2026-09-03-what-comes-after-the-data-center-backlash#t=1144) Micro vs. Macro Power Price Impacts
- [24:05](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2026-09-03-what-comes-after-the-data-center-backlash#t=1445) The Pitfalls of Behind-the-Meter and Bring-Your-Own-Generation
- [35:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2026-09-03-what-comes-after-the-data-center-backlash#t=2100) Off-Grid, Off-Land, and Off-Planet Alternatives
- [42:29](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2026-09-03-what-comes-after-the-data-center-backlash#t=2549) The Viability of Distributed Edge Computing

## Topics

- [Policy, trade & tariffs](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/policy-trade-and-tariffs)
- [Energy & climate tech](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/energy-and-climate-tech)
- [Direct-to-consumer & e-commerce](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/direct-to-consumer)
- [Validation & product-market fit](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/validation-and-product-market-fit)
- [Sustainability & circular products](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/sustainability-and-circularity)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies

## Mentioned

- Cloverleaf Infrastructure (company)
- Nvidia (company)
- Microsoft (company)
- EnergyHub (company)
- Pantalasa (company)
- Applied Digital (company)
- Genus (company)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [Powering the AI Era Sustainably: Breakthrough Climate Hardware Tech from 8 Innovators](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hardware-to-save-a-planet/2025-12-04-powering-the-ai-era-sustainably-breakthrough-climate-hardware-tech-from-8-innova) (Hardware to Save a Planet)
- [All Heat, No Useful Work](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2026-05-25-all-heat-no-useful-work) (The Amp Hour)
- [S1E03 This ain’t your grandma’s cooling technology | David Binger](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2020-05-01-s1e03-this-aint-your-grandmas-cooling-technology-david-binger) (Being an Engineer)
- [Road trip to the deep space network](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2017-04-17-road-trip-to-the-deep-space-network) (The Amp Hour)
- [Episode 79: Not Your Grandfathers Data Center](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-circuit/2024-08-14-episode-79-not-your-grandfathers-data-center) (The Circuit)

## Citing this page

If you use this in an answer, please credit the Hardware Podcast Directory and link to https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2026-09-03-what-comes-after-the-data-center-backlash. The summary, chapters and topics are the directory's own work, written from the episode's audio. The episode itself, its title and its audio belong to Catalyst.