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AI data centres are becoming a political fault line in the US midterm campaign, with Arizona residents facing questions over power, water and who pays for the infrastructure. The BBC’s report puts the local costs of the AI build-out alongside its promised investment and technological gains.

What happened A proposal in Washington would require data centres to cover the additional electricity-infrastructure costs they create, the BBC reports. In Arizona, the state’s attorney general has called for a pause on new data-centre approvals amid concerns about water and electricity demand. The report also describes the political divide: President Donald Trump supports expansion, while residents living near large facilities are weighing what that growth means for their communities. The BBC’s North America correspondent Shaimaa Khalil travelled to Arizona for the report. Why it matters

Discuss: Should data-centre operators pay the full cost of the extra power infrastructure their projects require, or would that slow investment communities want?

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