Only a small fraction of data center opponents actually live near one, according to new polling that oversampled North Carolina voters.

Why it matters: The findings by firm Milltown Partners, which counsels leading AI labs and tech startups, highlight how data centers have become a stand-in for broader anger at an AI future many Americans don't want but fear they'll have to pay for.

Catch up quick: The City of Charlotte has established a 150-day moratorium on new data center construction, while planning staff studies potential environmental, economic and quality-of-life impacts from the surge in their development.

• A zoning hearing for a highly protested data center in east Charlotte was delayed until at least November due to the moratorium.

By the numbers: The public is still divided on data centers, with direct opposition not yet a majority view. But nearly half of the poll's respondents support a temporary construction ban.

• 38% of respondents said they would support a data center being built near their home, while 34% would oppose it.
• Meanwhile, 49% say they support a moratorium on construction of new data centers, while only 16% oppose a moratorium.
• Another 27% neither support nor oppose a moratorium and 8% say they don't know.
• Most opposition to data centers isn't coming from neighbors. Only 8% of the respondents who oppose data centers say they know of one or more data centers near their home, the poll found.

Between the lines: The split suggests many voters aren't categorically anti-data center, but they are wary of the pace and terms of the buildout.

• The temporary moratorium could force companies and policymakers to answer questions about costs, water use and who benefits.

What they're saying: Warnings from tech leaders that AI will bring mass job loss are handing critics more ammunition.

The bottom line: The massive, windowless warehouses packed with computing infrastructure have become a physical symbol of wider AI anxiety.

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💨 Duke Energy reached a settlement with the U.S. Department of the Interior to end its offshore wind lease off the coast of Wilmington. (WUNC)

🏗️ Southern Land Company, a Nashville-based developer, received approval for its mixed-use tower in the former Tyber Creek and historic Leeper & Wyatt building site at 1933 South Blvd, federal records show.

• The project is expected to get underway this year. (Observer)

The CEOs lost this one: New government data shows that 35% of U.S. workers did some or all of their work at home last year — significantly higher than in the previous decade.

Why it matters: Despite the best efforts of many prominent executives and leaders, we live in a hybrid work world, with more people doing their jobs remotely, and that's led to big societal change.

Flashback: The workplace was permanently altered by the pandemic. In 2019, only 24% of workers did some or all of their work from home. By 2022, that number had risen to 34% and has stayed relatively steady since.

Between the lines: This helps partly explain the gender divide. Women, who earn a bigger share of college degrees, are more likely than men to work remotely.

Yes, but: While remote work has staying power, a number of employers with a large presence in Charlotte have made a push to bring workers back to the office. Some have even upgraded their facilities to make the switch more enticing.

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