*** 8/21/26 - Gary Marcus - Data center madness - Two estimates of how crazy AI Capex has gotten, and four new signs that public opinion has totally soured..........................
Buzz Sawyer
my post from Wednesday on Republicans panicking,
Republicans are abandoning data centers like rats abandoning sinking ships.
Here are four new examples from roughly the last 24 hours, collected by the pollster Adam Carlson"
Data center madnessTwo estimates of how crazy AI Capex has gotten, and four new signs that public opinion has totally soured
Part I: costs and how much revenue you would need to justify those costs. Estimate #1 comes from Peter Berezin, Chief Economist at BCA Research.
(You can read his full post, with some graphs and a link to a longer report, here.) Estimate #2, more conservative but still quite high, comes from Calum Williams (who works for The Economist) here: Either way, we are talking about current revenues in the tens of billions (or low hundreds of billions if you are really optimistic), against Capex in the trillions. You don’t have to be Einstein to see the math ain’t mathing. Part II: public opinion, refracted through politics. In keeping with my post from Wednesday on Republicans panicking, Republicans are abandoning data centers like rats abandoning sinking ships. Here are four new examples from roughly the last 24 hours, collected by the pollster Adam Carlson:
§ Nobody wants this, and the economics make no sense. Perhaps no industry in history has spoiled its own prospects faster than the AI industry. Through a mixture of greed, stupidity, and arrogance, the heroes of 2023 have become the villains of 2026. Until now, I always assumed the game plan was to get a bailout if and when the economics fall apart, but at this point the big tech companies might be more screwed than I thought, given how toxic data centers have become. You're currently a free subscriber to Marcus on AI. For the full experience, upgrade your subscription.
© 2026 Gary Marcus
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