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Most Americans say "not in my backyard" to AI data centers

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Re: Most Americans say "not in my backyard" to AI data centers

#141

Post by maerF0x0 »

christina97 wrote: post #103
maerF0x0 wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I hear and understand those, but why isn't it a regulation or requirements issue? Ambient noise must be contained, excess heat must be mitigated, free hot water must be provided to nearby buildings. etc. Also this is a city's opportunity to do something like assess penalty tax points. (ie, datacenter usage tax, just like we do to hotels)

Because the people in charge of site picking also shop for low regulation environments.

isn't that their freedom to? And the right/freedom of those who democratically created the low regulation environment?

I do not understand this idea that someone from one place should have their preferences taking precedence the preferences, rights and freedoms of folks who actually live in another place.

The main caveat being the boundary lines, but i think that's very much an edge case.

Re: Most Americans say "not in my backyard" to AI data centers

#142

Post by dylan604 »

jacobgkau wrote: post #130
dylan604 wrote: post #112

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's great for future sites, but how is that going to improve the zoo's situation?

From reading the article, it sounds like one of the three items passed was an extension of a moratorium on data center building specifically for the area around the zoo. Another item involves eminent domain for the city to buy the land next to the zoo for use as city office space instead. So it pretty directly impacts the zoo's situation.

ah, I misread the comment as the data center was built by the zoo. skimmed past the "trying to" detail

Re: Most Americans say "not in my backyard" to AI data centers

#143

Post by mrngld »

rsoto2 wrote: post #69
redlewel wrote: post #30

I think this is because the demand is so extreme for datacenters now that companies are building them in a manner that disrupts the environment around them. The newer ones are using on-site generators that are insanely loud and require multiples more power than datacenters have historically needed. For a rack with traditional servers with just RAM/CPU/Drives, 5kW is sufficient in most cases. When you have racks that…

Yes, the AI Datacenters are much worse for the environment. xAI is using methane-turbines to power theirs, and they are allowed to pollute your communities because they bribed the Trump admin. https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/jun/16/elon-musk... https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/data-centers/elon-musk-... https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1014655584252361

I have some degree of sympathy for data centers, and anyone else that needs power, only because of how broken our regulatory state is on approving new transmission.

To be clear, it's not just data centers that have this problem. Journalists have been spilling digital ink on this topic as it relates to solar and wind farms as well. It's also part of the thing that'd hold back rapid deployment of nuclear.

If there's a strong enough economic incentive then yeah people are going to try to optimize around broken government.

Re: Most Americans say "not in my backyard" to AI data centers

#144

Post by toast0 »

win311fwg wrote: post #120
toast0 wrote: post #109

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You need on the order of 15 permanent onsite employees to run a datacenter; 5 each for 24/7 coverage of security, building maintenance, and tech. You probably don't really need 24/7 onsite for building maintenance or tech. Traveling employees or (probably traveling) contractors can handle projects that exceed the local scope. Should be able to locally source security and building maintenance, if the pay is good. Thes…

While most people wouldn't hesitate to travel 30 minutes out of town, the generally don't ever think to see if jobs exist 30 minutes out of town, and thus won't find the work there. When looking for work they search within the city they live in, not the next town over with a name they might not even know. This is a real problem for a lot of businesses that exist 30 minutes out of town. In fairness, the companies behi…

> so they can likely find a way to close that gap

I mean, typically you just list your job in the nearby major city, even when the site address isn't there. Same thing that you do when listing your hotel or your car for sale.

Re: Most Americans say "not in my backyard" to AI data centers

#145

Post by linksnapzz »

maccard wrote: post #113
linksnapzz wrote: post #87

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There are industrial bakeries that burn that much natural gas (powerwise); although the bakery probably smells better.

What bakery are you thinking of that pulls the equivalent of a mid sized nuclear power plant? Because you’re off by an order of magnitude I think. (2.2MW maybe)

I suspect the Nabisco plant in Chicago pulls about ~12 million therms worth of natural gas, at 30kwh per therm, that's pretty significant.

Re: Most Americans say "not in my backyard" to AI data centers

#146

Post by fnordsensei »

redlewel wrote: post #30

I think this is because the demand is so extreme for datacenters now that companies are building them in a manner that disrupts the environment around them. The newer ones are using on-site generators that are insanely loud and require multiples more power than datacenters have historically needed. For a rack with traditional servers with just RAM/CPU/Drives, 5kW is sufficient in most cases. When you have racks that…

They could build them somewhere where people don't care. But you can't co-opt 70 years of public infrastructure investments out in the middle of nowhere.

Re: Most Americans say "not in my backyard" to AI data centers

#147

Post by neutronicus »

SoftTalker wrote: post #132
giancarlostoro wrote: post #111

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I wonder how long till they start scooping up old abandoned towns?

That's what they should do. Datacenters don't need to be in anyone's backyard. The US has vast amounts of unused land as well as urban brownfields that are sitting empty. Put them there.

You're not getting it into an urban brownfield unless it comes with price controls on energy.

I live amongst the urban brownfields of Baltimore and our politicians are under tons of pressure to stop data center projects (and to tar and feather utility executives).

Re: Most Americans say "not in my backyard" to AI data centers

#149

Post by loudmax »

mindcandy wrote: post #55

I find what people want from the data center build-out is pretty reasonable: 1. Don't build loud machines across the street from someone's house. 2. Don't drive up water/electricity bills by pulling from the municipal grid. 3. Don't burn the earth with CO2. 4. Don't facilitate techno-fascist surveillance. 5. Pay a lot of taxes. But, when I see people complain about data centers, I usually see a spiral of rage-bait ba…

Absolutely this. If you think about different types of objections to nearby data centers and do some pretty minimal research, you come up with a reasonable set of solutions that most people would agree on.

That's not what people are doing though. People are genuinely afraid for the future, and much of the data center backlash is driven by emotion. You can see this reflected in populist political movements. People have a (well-founded) sense that those in power don't have their interests in mind and they're lashing out without much thought.

Re: Most Americans say "not in my backyard" to AI data centers

#150

Post by neutronicus »

Aurornis wrote: post #20

I agree that I don’t want a data center in my backyard either. What’s missing from this strange conversation is discussion about how many data center proposals are near residential areas. I tried to look for one in my state and a few surrounding areas and couldn’t find any. There was an amusing story about how data center protestors had to organize expensive bus trips to get the protesters out to the data center site…

Data centers are conflated with rising energy costs.

It's partly about people's nominal objections, but mostly an attempt to hold them hostage to extract some energy bill subsidies (and general cost of living relief).

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