The push to build artificial intelligence infrastructure is getting a boost from a new group of players: former members of Congress. And they’re already ruffling feathers among some local politicians who need to sign off on the projects.
Take the high-powered advocacy group that former Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.) and ex-Rep. Garret Graves (R-La.) launched this week.
The AI Infrastructure Coalition is backed by the lobbying firm Hogan Lovells and tech and energy giants including Andreessen Horowitz, Microsoft, Meta, Exxon Mobil, NextEra and Pinnacle West, which owns Arizona’s largest utility. It’s aimed at advocating for all aspects of AI, including energy, manufacturing and financing.
Sinema has gotten personally involved in the data center piece — a particularly fraught issue as communities start pushing back over power and water concerns.
