Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has defended the anti-data center movement, arguing that slower compute growth would buy time to harden the world against AI-driven cyber and bio risks. In an X post on Nov. 8, Buterin said he disagrees with the strong emotional reaction against anti-data center groups.
Algorithmic progress reduces impact
Buterin’s case rests on algorithmic progress. By his estimate, whatever bigger data centers could do in two years, today’s will manage in four, or sooner. Even extreme success for the anti-data center movement would therefore cause nothing close to a disaster, he argued.
He noted that cybersecurity problems are already visible and bio risks may follow soon. The world needs every bit of time to prepare, he said. He added that science faces many bottlenecks besides AI, so delaying AI by one year would slow research by far less. Buterin stressed that his view needs no doomer claims about recursive self-improvement (RSI), where AI systems upgrade themselves.
The post fits his recent warnings. At Devcon 8, he said AI could crack crypto by finding shortcuts through its cryptography.
Movement gains policy traction
The anti-data center movement has spread from protests to policy. Sen. Bernie Sanders has called for a national data center moratorium after Democrats won Congress. In Europe, several hundred activists occupied a Microsoft construction site in Amsterdam on Nov. 6, Al Jazeera reported. Police detained 150 to 200 people.
However, not everyone agrees with Buterin. BlackRock CEO Larry Fink has warned that halting data center construction would push the US into recession.
Bitcoin miners carry their own exposure. Riot Platforms sold most of its Bitcoin to fund Texas AI data centers. The state’s governor-elect has pledged a permit freeze.
Still, Buterin said that even if the anti-data center movement’s success proved net-bad, it would be no worse than many other political fights. For AI-linked assets, the debate is shifting from whether the buildout continues to how fast.
