All-In panel says Democratic limits on new data centers could hit the AI sector
On the night of the U.S. midterm elections, the Silicon Valley podcast All-In held a live discussion on how a Democratic victory could affect the artificial intelligence industry. Host Chamath Palihapitiya said AI investment has become a major pillar of U.S. economic growth and argued that data center construction depends heavily on power supply. If Democrats were to restrict new data centers in places such as Texas, he said, the broader AI industry could take a hit. Host Jason Calacanis said the tech industry, which had previously backed Donald Trump, should now engage directly with Democrats and work with them on AI regulation. He also argued that repeated warnings from the tech sector about AI causing human extinction and mass unemployment had intensified public fear of the technology. Brad Gerstner, founder of Altimeter Capital and a regular All-In guest, said many Democratic winners are seeking a stronger voice in AI regulation rather than trying to shut the industry down. He estimated that 10 GW to 15 GW of U.S. data center power capacity originally planned for 2027 may fail to come online on schedule. Gerstner added that he remains bullish on AI model companies and said Altimeter, already an investor in Anthropic, still wants to be one of the biggest buyers in a future Anthropic IPO.
