Welcome to the 4th edition of AI Side Chats — a companion to my newsletter, AI Side Notes. These are short (15-20-ish minutes), informal conversations with fellow Substackers, journalists, and independent voices in the AI space. They’re not polished interviews or breaking news, just candid back-and-forths that pull back the curtain on how we think about AI, the stories we chase, and the messy realities of covering (and living with) this technology.
This time I reached out to Rich Miller of Data Center Richness, who I have followed for the past year as I have started reporting more on all things AI data center (and turns out to be good friends with my next-door neighbor! Small world!).
Rich is, yes, a “rich” well of information on this topic. He has over 25 years of experience reporting about data centers, so the recent craze for mega AI data centers is not his first rodeo — though he agreed that the scale of what’s going on right now is unprecedented. He has a great measured take on the space: He agreed with me that the data center and Big Tech companies have a lot of work to do in dealing with local communities with transparency, but he also emphasized that data centers have become essential infrastructure — and there is no getting around the fact that more are needed in more places.
Let me know what you think! And as always, I’m always open to ideas on who to invite to another AI Side Chat!
