
The Data Center Next Door | Episode 5: Will AI Bring Jobs to the Valley?
From Electric Futures by University of Southern California
April 15, 2026 · 43 min · Season 3 · Episode 5
About this episode
This episode explores the potential job impacts of data centers on local communities.
In this episode, we explore how communities think about jobs when a data center comes knocking. When a data center comes to town, will it bring high paying jobs to a community? Could this be the main benefit of hosting a data center in your community? You can follow us on Instagram at @usc_electricfutures . Additional resources from USC’s Annenberg Center for Climate Journalism and Communication: The Data Center Next Door, Key Considerations for Communities Navigating Data Center Development How to Create a Climate Podcast ----- Electric Futures is an original podcast from the University of Southern California, hosted by me, Charles Zukoski, the Vivian Professor of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science and the former USC Provost. This series was executive produced by Allison Agsten, the director of USC’s Annenberg Center for Climate Journalism and Communication. USC Annenberg professor Mallory Carra is our supervising producer. Natalie Lopez and Spencer Cline are our associate producers. Imperial Valley College student Tahjah Fortune is our production assistant. This episode was directed and story edited by Mallory Carra. It was edited and sound designed by…
People in this episode
Host: Charles Zukoski
Topics covered
- data centers
- AI and jobs
- community impact
- economic development
- technology
Keywords
- data center
- AI
- jobs
- community
- economic benefits
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: University of Southern California, USC’s Annenberg Center for Climate Journalism and Communication
More episodes of Electric Futures
- Episodio 8: El Centro de Datos en la Cuadra · May 8, 2026 · 26 min
- Episode 7: Electric Futures Live! Everything You Need to Know About Data Centers · April 23, 2026 · 52 min
- The Data Center Next Door | Episode 6: The AI Data Center Pushback · April 15, 2026 · 1h 1m
- The Data Center Next Door | Episode 4: Not in My Backyard · April 15, 2026 · 1h 3m
- The Data Center Next Door | Episode 3: Water is for Fighting Over · April 15, 2026 · 45 min
- The Data Center Next Door | Episode 2: The Tech Behind an AI Data Center · April 15, 2026 · 59 min
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