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Posted on 08/28/2026 4:06:42 PM PDT by EnderWiggin1970
It’s all about how and where.
It seems that everyone is talking about data centers these days; they’ve taken over the Internet with memes and conspiracy theories. As a computer professor, I decided to apply an academic research regimen to the situation and cut through the exaggeration and emotion that often accompany these current polarizing issues.
Two important points to begin with: AI’s water and power usage. As I have demonstrated in my previous article, data centers use about 0.02% of the water supply in the US according to recent sources, and most future data centers are already planned to use advanced cooling technology that requires very little water. While it is true that data centers require a lot of electricity, their impact on power systems and customers has been greatly exaggerated. Bloomberg’s often-cited piece on the subject mentions that at the highest instance, one area of the country experienced a 267% increase in wholesale costs. This data describing one area in one instance has been used incorrectly to state that it is the expected or average raise (rather than the high end), and it doesn’t even account for the fact that this is wholesale power costs, which does not translate directly into consumer costs. (Often the tech companies will offset these increases.) What this data does tell us is that there are places where we simply should not build data centers. This is one problem that should be avoided. The other problem is companies acting unethically.
One of the most egregious examples of unethical data center implementation is xAI’s Colossus near Memphis, Tennessee...
(Excerpt) Read more at fee.org ...
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The mania against data centers is fueled by ChYneze propaganda.
These facilities aren't charging more or less for service to foreigners even though they were built here, that's very odd.
Other countries can and will get all of the advantages of doing nothing, that's the nature of tech, it goes to the masse either way.
I haven't seen any direct evidence, but it certainly makes all kinds of sense. But I also allow for the idea that people are really just this boneheaded these days.
Google AI (it’s bias is definitely NOT against datacenters) says:
“A gigawatt (1,000-megawatt) data center continuously consumes 1,000 megawatts of electrical power—enough to supply roughly 800,000 average American homes—and uses anywhere from 2 million to over 10 million gallons of water per day depending on its cooling design.”
Facts.
I say again, just apply the same rules to them as to other businesses.
see post 8
Very interesting, yes.
The truth about data centers are that they’re not being built for our benefit. The propaganda for and against is telling.
JZelle wrote: “The truth about data centers are that they’re not being built for our benefit. The propaganda for and against is telling.”
That simply isn’t true. You use a data center every time you use the internet. If you use Amazon, you use a data center. If you use Uber, you use a data center. If you use a cell phone, GPS in your car, you use a data center. If you shop on line for groceries, you use a data center.
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