… [Khara] Boender is the senior manager of state policy for the Data Center Coalition, the industry group that represents data centers owners and their interests. She’s been extremely busy in recent weeks, wading through the many, many new proposals targeting their members. The bevy of new bills is linked to the explosion of artificial intelligence, which has spurred a nationwide race to build out the digital infrastructure needed to support new AI models. And while data centers are nothing new — they expanded in lockstep with the growth of the internet — state officials expect them to use huge amounts of electricity and water in coming years. … POLITICO caught up with Boender to hear more about why her industry is against the proposals, and its ideas on how regulations should work.

Other data center and water news:

• Nevada Current: Democratic candidate for governor slams data center tax breaks
• Arizona Public Media: Cochise County will regulate data centers, but some residents want more