U.S. Voters Reject Data Center Measures as AI Spending Pushes On

U.S. voters delivered a sharp setback to many proposed data center projects in Tuesday’s elections, while companies continued to spend heavily on the infrastructure and products built around AI. Meta began a euro bond sale after a large U.S. debt deal, AMD reported powerful data-center growth, and Apple reportedly cut internal AI budgets. Elsewhere, Uber disclosed that third-party agents generated almost no ride bookings, and Nothing teased a screen-free AI device for December.

Data Center Projects Face Broad Electoral Pushback

Data center development met resistance across the U.S. on Tuesday. Ars Technica, citing Redbud Consulting, reported that 38 of 44 measures seeking to restrict data centers had passed across 10 states, with those measures including moratoriums and bans. The same report said only one measure passed allowing a data center to proceed, though it required independent reviews and public hearings for projects in North Dakota. Ars Technica describes the measures as mainly affecting projects planned for 2028 or later rather than facilities already under construction or approved through 2027.

Meta Turns to Euro Debt for AI Investment

Meta has started its first euro-denominated bond sale after a $15 billion U.S. debt deal, according to Bloomberg. CNBC reported that the company was aiming to raise between $20 billion and $25 billion in total debt as it increases spending on infrastructure, AI models, and services. The borrowing plan puts financing directly behind Meta’s stated expansion, but the supplied reporting does not specify the final size or terms of the euro offering.

AMD’s Data Center Business Nearly Doubles

AMD reported record third-quarter revenue of $13.4 billion, up 45% year over year, as its data-center segment nearly doubled to $8.5 billion, according to Ars Technica. The company attributed the growth to demand for EPYC server CPUs and the launch of its Instinct MI450 GPUs. Gaming revenue fell 40%, making the results a clear split between AMD’s infrastructure momentum and a weaker consumer-gaming business. AMD also projected roughly $17 billion in fourth-quarter revenue, plus or minus 3%.

Apple Reportedly Tightens Internal AI Budgets

Apple is reducing employee budgets for AI usage as part of a cost-cutting effort, even as it seeks to place AI at the center of its operations, Bloomberg reported. TechCrunch similarly described the move as a significant reduction in spending on AI tools for engineering teams. The reports characterize the decision as internal budget control; they do not provide a total dollar amount or specify which tools and teams will be affected.

Uber Sees Almost No Third-Party Agent Bookings

Third-party AI agents arranged only four Uber rides during the company’s busiest week last quarter, executives disclosed, according to The Verge. Uber Eats orders placed through such agents were higher, at around 500 during Halloween week, but that figure was still small beside the company’s reported total of 320 million rides and Uber Eats deliveries. It is the first time Uber has disclosed these figures, giving a concrete early measure of how little agent-mediated activity is currently reaching its platform.

Nothing Teases a Screen-Free AI Device

Nothing’s first AI-native product is scheduled to ship in December, CEO Carl Pei said, but the company has not disclosed what the device does. The Verge reported that Pei described it as a tool with no new screen and said it could not be an app. TechCrunch said the product is intended to deliver productivity gains, while noting that its form and capabilities remain unclear.

Isomorphic Labs Reportedly Seeks About $5 Billion

Alphabet’s Isomorphic Labs is in talks to raise roughly $5 billion to support its AI drug-discovery work, according to people familiar with the matter cited by Bloomberg. The funding has not been finalized in the supplied reporting. If completed at that scale, it would provide substantial new capital for the Alphabet-backed company, but the available evidence does not identify potential investors or a timetable.

Several Decisions Remain Open

The data center measures will now move into implementation, with their effect depending on which projects are already approved. Meta’s debt offering and Isomorphic Labs’ reported financing talks still await final terms, while Nothing’s December launch should clarify whether its screen-free device can make a case for a new AI hardware category. Uber’s disclosure also leaves a simple metric to watch: whether agent bookings move beyond the current handful of rides.