Something to look forward to: Big Tech and AI companies are planning to build massive new data centers over the next few years, driven by the belief that AI will transform – or even replace – many jobs and industries. However, a significant portion of the communities affected by these projects are pushing back so strongly that they might actually succeed in halting them.
A large coalition of environmentally-focused organizations has sent a scathing letter to members of Congress, urging US representatives to put the development of new data centers on hold. The letter identifies generative AI and cryptocurrency as among the most significant environmental and social threats of this generation, citing their role in fueling an unregulated expansion of data centers across the country.
According to the letter, this unprecedented growth is driving a rapid increase in energy demand, accelerating fossil fuel depletion, polluting the environment, and overconsuming water resources. Electricity prices are soaring, and the expansion of AI infrastructure raises additional concerns about societal impacts, including job losses, economic monopolies, and broader instability.
The letter details the "massive" harms new AI data centers are inflicting on the US, highlighting their "enormous" energy consumption. Data center capacity is expected to triple over the next five years, with the new facilities consuming as much electricity as roughly 30 million households. Consequently, electricity bills have already increased by 21.3 percent from 2021 to 2024, outpacing inflation.
The rapid growth of AI data centers is also projected to strain water resources. New facilities may require as much water as 18.5 million households, primarily for cooling servers used to train large language models and generate AI outputs.
The letter states that data center plans fueling the AI and crypto "frenzy" are disrupting a growing number of communities across the US, threatening Americans' economy, environment, and water security. Representing the collective interests of millions of people across all 50 states, the document urges Congress to impose a federal moratorium on new data centers until "adequate" regulations are implemented.
Currently, Big Tech and AI companies are acting as if they operate in a lawless wasteland where scarce natural resources are up for grabs. The IT industry plans to spend a staggering $8 trillion to build new data-crunching server plants, while some proposals even suggest orbiting data centers in space – an environmentally questionable, sci-fi-esque idea.
According to Emily Wurth, managing director of Food & Water Watch, the organization behind the letter, there is now bipartisan support for significant pushback against new data centers.
"A lot of people don't see the benefits coming from AI and feel they will be paying for it with their energy bills and water," Wurth said.
Recent research from Data Center Watch shows that $64 billion worth of data center projects have already been blocked or delayed due to opposition from local communities. Citizens across the political spectrum are pushing back against the rapid expansion, as more and more Americans struggle to pay their electricity bills.