The rise of AI is accompanied by a rise in the need for huge data centers. They can take as much energy as an entire city to run and use millions of gallons of water for cooling. Communities in which hyperscale data centers land need to find out where those resources are coming from and the impacts that will result. Questions arise about the process to site such facilities and how they should be regulated.
On this episode of Deeper Shade of Green, researchers Merritt Cahoon and Ian Hitchcock are with Duke University's Sanford School of Public Policy. Their recent study examined whether the build out of data centers will be a boon or bust in resource uses and innovation. If they're powered by fossil fuel energy infrastructure, it could be a climate disaster. But the needs could fuel progress in renewable energy, water conservation and policy. Plus, data giants such as Google and Meta have goals to eliminate their harmful emissions, despite driving the data-center growth.
Research and production help for this episode by Hector Perez. Music from the Syracuse-based Jazz Group E.S.P.
