Julie BolthouseEnvironmentalist Julie Bolthouse noted that Northern Virginia has the highest concentration of data centers in the world. It wasn’t something she was excited about.
“We are the Wall Street of the data center industry,” said Ms. Bolthouse, director of the Piedmont Environmental Council, a local philanthropic and activist group in Virginia.
Data centers are huge warehouses that house stacks of computers that store and process data used by websites, companies, and governments.
The Northern Virginia region, known as the Northern Virginia region, has been an important location for data centers since the 1990s. That’s thanks to its proximity to Washington, D.C., but electricity and land prices are at historic lows.
Centered in the city of Ashburn, 35 miles (56 kilometers) west of the nation’s capital, there are More than 477 data centers in the state. This is by far the largest number of U.S. states, with Texas in second place with 290 and California in third with 283.
In fact, some studies suggest that 70% of global Internet traffic passes through Ashburn and the surrounding area, which is known as “Ashburn.” “Data Center Alley”.
Hugh KennyDemand for data centers is skyrocketing due in large part to the continued boom in artificial intelligence (AI), which requires more computing power. Therefore, global data center capacity is expected to Doubling in the next five years, That’s according to a recent study by business analytics firm Moody’s.
Ms. Bolthouse and other environmentalists in Northern Virginia oppose the continued expansion of the data center industry in the region, saying it has had a significant negative impact on their quality of life.
She noted that new power lines are being built in preserves, parks and communities, increased water demands and backup diesel generators at facilities are impacting air quality.
Ms. Bolthouse also cited the fact that households in Virginia and neighboring Maryland are expected to Help with payment For power network upgrades required in data centers.
She and other activists are fighting back. “We work directly on the ground, opposing each data center application and researching local zoning and trying to educate local planning boards and supervisors on the issues we see. But we also work at the state level.”
Similar campaigns targeting data centers have sprung up around the world, including in the Republic of Ireland, where such facilities Use 21% National electricity.
Tony Lowes of Friends of the Environment Ireland said: “Our main objection to data centers is their potential negative impact on our climate, sustainability and local infrastructure. “When data centers rely on fossil fuels, they can It would put pressure on the grid and potentially undermine the country’s commitment to renewable energy.”
The group is continuing Challenge plan A new €1.2 billion ($1.3 billion; £1 billion) data center in County Clare on Ireland’s west coast.
Mr Lowes added that while Friends of the Environment Ireland would like to see a complete halt to data center development, there are various mitigation measures that could help, including prioritizing renewable energy sites and implementing energy and cooling efficiency measures.
Hugh KennyGiants in the global data center industry are trying to allay concerns. For example, this summer Microsoft launched Data Center Community Commitment.
Microsoft has pledged to purchase 100% renewable energy globally next year. By 2030, it will “achieve zero waste through a combination of waste reduction, reuse, recycling and composting” and become “water positive”. The latter means it aims to have the data center supply more water to the local area than it uses.
Meanwhile, Amazon Web Services (AWS) already uses recycled water for cooling in 20 of its 125 data centers around the world and says it will become “water positive” by 2030.
Josh Levi, president of the Data Center Alliance, which represents dozens of data center operators including Amazon Web Services, Google, Microsoft and Meta, said data centers are leading the way in the use of clean energy.
“For example, wind and solar power contracted with data center providers and customers last year accounted for two-thirds of the total U.S. corporate renewable energy market, and four of the top five purchasers of U.S. renewable energy are operating data centers company,” he said.
“The data center industry also brings greater energy savings and efficiency to homes, businesses, utilities and other end users—everything from smart thermostats to grid-enhancing technology requires the digital infrastructure provided by data centers.”
Protests against data centers have also extended to South America, where activists say they have been successful.
In the case of Uruguay, Google changed the design New facility under construction. It was originally water-cooled, but the American giant switched to air-cooling.
It follows protests in a country experiencing drought and drinking water shortages.
María Selva Ortiz of Friends of the Earth in Uruguay said: “Google’s water use in the original proposal was equivalent to the daily drinking water consumption of 55,000 people in our country.”
“This threat to water rights amid the water crisis prompted intense criticism, leading Google to change the proposed technology for cooling its devices, so the project was modified. The chillers will be cooled with air instead of water.”
Meanwhile, in Chile, Google halted data center plans due to similar water issues.
Back in Virginia, Ms. Bolthouse said companies need to do more to promote sustainability. In the long term, she said, it would be in the industry’s own interest to improve the environmental impact of data centers.
“If we continue business as usual, what’s going to happen is everyone’s electricity prices are going to go through the roof, including the data center industry – that’s their biggest bill, so that’s going to have an impact on them,” she said. Problems also affect them.
“So I’m optimistic that we’ll see some progress, but I think it’s going to take time.”
