A top-most Florida government official questioned the future economic impact of AI data centers.
”Once it’s done, it employs, what, half a dozen people…”
”…people are saying no dice on that.”
”These are some of the most wealthy companies… you should not have to pay one more dime in utility costs because of this.”
That official is mostly an idiot, just based on the first statement. However, FL probably isn’t an ideal site. Humidity control would be crucial, they have multiple hurricanes every year, sink holes are appearing frequently (because of ground water pumping, which would be accelerated for cooling by a data center), and climate change will result in a lot of FL being underwater in a hundred years (or less).
Large data centers could have up to 100 people working in them. Not “half a dozen”. Plus all the jobs created just building the center.
Do you think an AI data center, as typically implemented today, provides sufficient economic value, say for a small community, to justify the costs and local impacts to such a community?
Hard to answer that question. It’s very dependent on the community and its environment. It can be a benefit to communities who have little else, or their major industry (e.g. coal, steel, manufacturing) has gone away. Construction jobs, some high-tech employees moving there, etc. Plus constructing infrastructure to support it (e.g. high-speed internet, enhanced power grid). It can also be a disaster for a small community (e.g. consumption of scarce resources in that area). I think it is very dependent on the specific community being discussed.
Data centers often (not always) go to rural areas where land is cheap, and those areas often are hungry for the economic activity. They also need to be placed in areas of low humidity and cooler climates. But politics, as always, can influence where they go regardless of the “ideal” siting.
Just a FWIW.
Loudoun County and Ashburn VI are known as Data Center Alley.
It developed over 40 years or so…
{ Today, Data Center Alley is home to approximately 35 million square feet of data centers that support more than 3,500 technology companies. Digital Realty has 15 move-in ready data centers in Northern Virginia, occupying 5,250,100 square feet of that 35 million square feet.
…}
More at link.
Loudoun County is a suburb of Washington DC MSA.
ralph