A neutral-to-positive pitch for AI companies: Cerebras CEO Andrew Feldman says the industry should win over towns by paying its own way and powering data centers with small nuclear reactors.

• AI data centers are unpopular, so Feldman wants them to fund schools, churches, and sports fields for nearby towns.
• The bigger idea is putting small modern nuclear reactors next to data centers so they make their own power.
• One pitch: in a local emergency like a tornado, the data center dials back and sends its reactor power to the public grid.
• Past deals where companies dumped costs on towns or hogged local resources are the bad model to avoid.
• Cerebras just had a big IPO and makes real money, positioning it as a rising Nvidia rival.

Outlook: Expect more push for fast nuclear permits as AI power demand keeps climbing.