On Wednesday, August 5, Fortune published an editorial written by Greater St. Louis, Inc. Managing Partner Ron Kitchens titled “$25 Billion in Data Centers Shows St. Louis is Serious About Competing in the AI Economy.” In the op-ed, Kitchens states that data centers are essential infrastructure in the AI age:
“America is entering a new infrastructure race. In the 19th century, railroads determined which cities prospered. In the 20th century, airports and interstate highways reshaped the economic map of the country. Now, in the age of artificial intelligence, the defining infrastructure of the 21st century is digital. Data centers are critical to this transformation.”
Kitchens says that St. Louis has chosen to actively compete for AI technology and digital infrastructure investment while balancing economic opportunity with responsible regulation and community oversight. He argues that embracing digital infrastructure, including data centers, is essential for St. Louis’ long-term economic competitiveness, provided development occurs under strong regulatory oversight.
Throughout the editorial, Kitchens shares a strategic view of how St. Lous can compete in the AI economy to bring jobs, tax revenue, infrastructure investment, and technological leadership to the region.
Three Key Takeaways:
- Data centers are becoming critical economic infrastructure: In the editorial, Kitchens argues that AI depends on computing capacity, making data centers as strategically important today as railroads, highways, and airports were in earlier periods of economic development.
- Responsible development is essential: Rather than dismissing concerns about water, electricity, emissions, and neighborhood impacts, Kitchens says these issues should be managed through regulations, permit conditions, community engagement, and requiring developers to pay for necessary infrastructure improvements.
- St. Louis has an opportunity to become a technology hub: Kitchens believes investments in projects like the Armory Innovation District and NGA West, as well as the data centers currently under construction for Google and Amazon in Montgomery County could generate billions of dollars in investment, thousands of construction jobs as well as hundreds of permanent jobs, expanded tax revenue, and long-term economic competitiveness for the region. If we fail to compete for this infrastructure and investment, Kitchens states St. Louis risks falling behind other regions that are welcoming this new age of technology and digital infrastructure.
Read the full editorial in Fortune here.