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What is a data center? -

Data centers are best described as huge warehouses that house stacks of computers. Those computers, in turn, store and process all the data used by websites, companies, and governments.

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Necessary evil -

There are data centers all over the world, and they are important; without them, the internet as we know it simply would not function.

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On the rise -

With the advent of AI, which requires more computer processing power, the number of data centers on the planet is set to rise in the coming years.

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Putting a number on it -

Indeed, according to a recent study by business analysis firm Moody's, global data center capacity is set to double over the next five years.

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Significant changes -

This increase in capacity will mean significant changes to the environment and infrastructure in the parts of the world where the data centers are being built.

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Environmental protests -

It is hardly surprising, therefore, that applications to build new data centers are being met with resistance from environmental protesters in certain areas.

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Several reasons -

Indeed, many local communities are unhappy with the data centers that already exist, and there are several reasons they are protesting against the building of more.

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Energy consumption -

The first, and probably most important, reason for these protests is the huge energy consumption of the data centers. Indeed, electricity network upgrades are often required to provide them with the power they need.

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Energy consumption -

In some areas, local residents are complaining about the fact that they have to help pay for the network upgrades that the data centers require.

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Visual footprint -

Another reason for the protests is the visual footprint. Data centers are huge and unsightly. Some states in the US are home to hundreds of them.

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Visual footprint -

The state of Virginia, for example, is currently home to over 475 data centers. That is considerably more than any other single state in the US.

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Unfairness of benefits -

Another reason for the protests is the perceived unfairness in the tax benefits and subsidies being offered to data center operators.

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Unfairness of benefits -

Many people in local communities believe they are being treated unfairly, particularly since their tax money is being used to build data centers that are reducing their quality of life.

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Lack of transparency -

Finally, there are certain communities that are protesting the lack of transparency and community engagement when it comes to building a new data center.

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Lack of transparency -

Indeed, the relentless building of data centers is something that affects everyone in the surrounding area, and many people are upset about the lack of communication with local residents.

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Ashburn, Virginia -

Virginia's data center hub, Ashburn, has been dubbed "Data Center Alley," with experts estimating that 70% of the world's internet traffic flows through this city and its surrounding areas.

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Ashburn, Virginia -

It is hardly a surprise, then, that local residents of Ashburn are protesting the continued expansion of the data center sector in the region.

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Ashburn, Virginia -

Particular complaints from the residents of Ashburn include new electricity cables being built over conservation land, parks, and neighborhoods, as well as increased water demand and poor air quality as a result of the facilities' backup diesel generators.

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The Republic of Ireland -

Another key protest is taking place in Ireland, where data centers are responsible for 21% of the country's electricity use.

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The Republic of Ireland -

According to Tony Lowes from Friends of the Irish Environment, complaints focus on potential negative impacts of data centers on climate, sustainability, and local infrastructure.

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The Republic of Ireland -

Currently protesters in the Republic of Ireland are challenging plans to build a data center in County Clare. The project has a budget of US$1.3 billion.

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South America -

There have also been protests in South American countries, such as Uruguay and Chile, where protesters say they have had some success.

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Uruguay -

In Uruguay, Google changed its plans for building a new facility as a result of pressure from campaigners. According to the original design, the data center was to be water cooled.

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Uruguay -

After protesters made the point that the country had been experiencing droughts and a shortage of drinking water, Google switched the design to an air-cooled system.

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Chile -

In Chile, plans to build a new data center are currently on hold over similar water concerns.

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Allaying concerns -

As a result of these protests, certain key players in the data center industry are trying to get ahead of the curve and allay people's concerns.

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Microsoft's water positive pledge -

In 2024, for example, Microsoft released its Data Center Community Pledge. One of the promises is that by 2030 its data centers will be water positive.

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What it means -

This means that Microsoft aims for its data centers to return more water to the local supply than they are using to keep themselves running.

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AWS pledge -

Amazon Web Services (AWS), which already uses recycled water for cooling in many of its data centers around the world, has made an identical pledge. 

Sources: (BBC)

See also: The biggest internet outages in history

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