Internet Governance Forum USA: AI & Data Centers in the USA

Data centers are an increasingly necessary part of our Internet and AI infrastructure, but how and where to build them is sparking debates all across local communities in the United States. The economic and investment benefits of data centers are being weighed against the local resource demands (e.g., power, water) that can accompany deployment. As practical realities hit local communities, site selection choices, including placement on indigenous sovereign nations, seem to be dominating the news.

Against the backdrop of the global Internet Governance Forum 2026 theme “Governing the Internet in the Age of Intelligence: Our Shared Responsibility”, this roundtable examines the wide range of issues around one of the most public contemporary technology debates happening in the United States - data center deployment.

Daniel Castro moderates a panel on how the United States can responsibly govern the rapid development of data centers at the 2026 Internet Governance Forum USA, hosted by the Internet Society Washington DC Chapter.