Nationwide boom in AI data centers has created resistance

Archbald is a little corner of northeastern Pennsylvania that used to be a big coal business. But now, there’s a new boom: the data center.

Kayleigh Cornell, a teacher, and Sarah Gabriel, an ICU nurse, run a neighborhood association in this community of 7,000, where a half-dozen data centers have been proposed. “It’s a really nice little town,” Gabriel said. “it feels like home.”

“I really love it, and I can’t imagine being anywhere else,” Cornell said.

But they and others are concerned about the potential impact of data centers Environment, their electricity billsAnd character of the city.

“It will completely change the landscape. Wherever there are trees, there probably won’t be any more,” Gabriel said.

Cornell says they are determined: “We will stop it if we can help it.”

It will not be easy to stop this. The demand is huge: Tech companies say they need these massive structures packed with computing power to fuel the AI ​​revolution. So, developers are rushing to build them in places like Archbald – which is rich in land, water and electricity. But the debate on this has intensified The scope of jobs and revenue they bring. And many communities are on the edge rising electric utility bills.

In Archbald, the effort to slow things down has upended local politics. At the March 10 town meetingWhile many people held signs reading “No data centres”, residents shouted at representatives of the proposed centers to “get out of here”.

“We made up our minds: go home!” A woman screamed.

A project, an application for a complex of 18 data centers, an interruption has occurred.

Sarah Gabriel says fighting AI superpowers was not part of their plan: “We’re not against AI data centers. But because the industry is so new and unregulated, it’s worrying that if we keep moving forward, we’ll reach a point of no return.”

Elsewhere, data centers are already a way of life, with more than 4,000 (and counting) operating across the country, and more on the way around the world.

In Loudoun County, Virginia, known as “Data Center Alley,” anonymous, science-fiction-looking buildings are everywhere. There is a little over a million square feet – big enough to park two aircraft carriers.

Andy Power, president and CEO of Digital Realty, which owns and operates hundreds of data centers globally, says the data center sector is worth hundreds of billions of dollars, and represents “new disease-curing breakthroughs that will essentially improve the quality of life.”

Asked to respond to those who do not want data centers in their communities, Power replied, “I would say, ‘I completely understand that. Let me tell you why this location is perfect for data centers. And this infrastructure will help change the world you live in today and in the years to come.'”

In Washington, fierce critics are calling for a moratorium on data center construction until strict AI regulations are enacted by Congress. Last month, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, an independent, and New York Democratic Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez introduced Artificial Intelligence (AI) Data Center Moratorium Act.

“I fear that Congress is completely unprepared for the major changes already underway,” Sanders said.

But President Trump and many Republicans say data centers are vital to our future economy.

Pennsylvania Republican Senator Dave McCormick has worked to bring data-center investment to his home state. He calls American leadership in AI “the most important question facing our country.”

“I think the net benefit for Pennsylvania is huge,” he said.

McCormick says data centers need to work with communities — not against the communities he wants companies to build in his state. “There has to be a contract,” he said. “There has to be a promise from the community to those who are developing what type of job creation in the community; how they will protect the environment; how they will protect the water supply; how they will protect energy costs. When a community looks at the totality of the opportunities for jobs, tax revenue, new roads, libraries, schools, jobs for their children, I think those are very compelling.”

At Archbald, data centers are constantly expanding, and for Kayleigh Cornell and Sarah Gabriel, it’s a reality they grapple with every day

“People live here because of the quality of life,” Cornell said. “Yes, obviously you need jobs. But, again, it would intrinsically change the character of Archibald Burrows.”

Asked if he thought he had a fighting chance to stop it, Gabriel responded, “Yeah, absolutely.”

“We have no other choice,” Cornell said. “I mean, this is our home. We have to fight.”

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The story is produced by Amol Mhatre. Editor: Chad Cardin.

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