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Nashville uses eminent domain to block data center near zoo

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Re: Nashville uses eminent domain to block data center near zoo

#21

Post by bri3d »

userbinator wrote: post #10
kortilla wrote: post #3

[flagged]

There is basically zero truth about the water use propaganda. Liquid cooling is closed-cycle, just like in a car.

A sizable percentage of datacenters use open loop water spray towers, but the alternative, forced air exchange (ie add more giant fans) uses more electricity. It’s fairly complex to quantify which is “better” or “worse” but there exist data centers that evaporate a ton of water and send it elsewhere. (for what it’s worth I agree most of the anti datacenter hype is overblown and driven by specific poorly designed gas turbine powered installations).

Re: Nashville uses eminent domain to block data center near zoo

#22

Post by Zafira »

fred_is_fred wrote: post #2

What stood out to me was this: "By a 27-5 vote". That number seemed really high, so I looked it up - this isn't a city or a county or some kind of private tax distict - its was the nation's first city-county government. "The Metropolitan Council is the legislative authority of the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County, the nation’s first, fully consolidated city-county government, established in 19…

> [T]he nation’s first, fully consolidated city-county government.

This feels really tortured. Their argument is that they can say this because “Metropolitan government is a consolidation of two governments rather than the county taking over the city or the city taking over the county government.”

But, multiple cities have consolidated city/county governments. San Francisco is one such example.

Re: Nashville uses eminent domain to block data center near zoo

#23

Post by uluyol »

userbinator wrote: post #10
kortilla wrote: post #3

[flagged]

There is basically zero truth about the water use propaganda. Liquid cooling is closed-cycle, just like in a car.

The water use comes from evaporative cooling, not liquid cooling.

Liquid cooling pulls heat away from the chips. Evaporative cooling takes it out of the building.

There are alternatives, but evaporative cooling is very energy efficient.

Re: Nashville uses eminent domain to block data center near zoo

#24

Post by mixdup »

I don't know what DC Blox was going to put in this particular datacenter, but they are a "traditional" colocation datacenter company. Maybe this one would've been superdense GPUs with a jet engine as electrical generator causing all kinds of noise, but it's also just as likely this would've been a project that 5 years ago no one would've batted an eye over, and wouldn't cause any issues in the local neighborhood

That's the unfortunate thing about the current climate around datacenters. Everyone hates AI, and Elon absolutely screwed Memphis, and everyone thinks anything with more than 10 computers in it is going to be an xAI monstrosity. There's still a need for growth in just traditional datacenters hosting things like your email and Netflix, not just AI, and those projects are going to get swallowed up in the AI hubbub

Re: Nashville uses eminent domain to block data center near zoo

#26

Post by thedougd »

nullpoint420 wrote: post #12
userbinator wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There is basically zero truth about the water use propaganda. Liquid cooling is closed-cycle, just like in a car.

I thought this too. Apparently there’s open cooling systems as well that are more efficient

Yes. Evaporative cooling towers. I suppose in those cases nearly all the water used goes to atmosphere.

Re: Nashville uses eminent domain to block data center near zoo

#27

Post by chillfox »

kortilla wrote: post #3

[flagged]

AI datacenters have very real negative effects on the communities they are located in like noise pollution and increased power prices. If you manage to defeat the water reason then people will just start using some other reason.

Re: Nashville uses eminent domain to block data center near zoo

#28

Post by dosisking »

mikeweiss wrote: post #14
kortilla wrote: post #3

[flagged]

I mean.... I don't know about where you live but where I am in the North East, electric prices have near doubled in last few years... the people are blaming AI and data centers for this, I'm sure it's not 100% the culprit but the people are looking for someone to blame and some sense that they can control it. Local zoning and municipal ordinance are one of the few ways small folk can assert power.

I put the blame on AI and data centers. The Powers That Be want the AI surveillance state. Funny how they don't care about the Climate Change agenda anymore, now that they have AI.

Re: Nashville uses eminent domain to block data center near zoo

#30

Post by asutekku »

PlasmaPower wrote: post #8
HWR_14 wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> water usage despite being less than golf courses, etc Golf courses are a common example of wasteful water use.

Then why is no one eminent domaining golf courses? Clearly there are other factors at play here

Golf courses do not emit noise, they are relatively nice looking and they are not a threat for people to be unemployed.
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