Data centers were on the ballot this midterm, and they lost big. Dozens of initiatives and candidates promising to slow the artificial intelligence buildout prevailed. 

That could spell trouble for Seattle's tech giants. Microsoft and Amazon are among the biggest data center developers in the country. And increasingly, they've been building them in states that just elected governors promising to close that open door to data centers. 

That could push these companies to start looking outside the country... or beyond. 

On this week's episode, will the blue wave dump cold water on the tech industry's AI ambitions? Or will they raise them... all the way to the stratosphere? 

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Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.