The corporate technology giants building data centers to power the artificial intelligence boom are changing America’s natural landscape. Although data centers long predate generative AI, hundreds of massive, or “hyperscale,” facilities are now sprouting up around the country. Many of these data centers are going up in areas that were once farmland or desert. … The surge in data center construction has sparked significant public backlash, with communities citing concerns about their impact on local water and power supplies, among other issues. … Thirty states have introduced or adopted legislation or taken other actions to address some of these concerns, including the impact of data centers on utility costs.

Other data center water use news:

• The Washington Post: See how data centers are changing the American landscape
• FOX13 (Salt Lake City): Introducing ‘Utah’s Data Centers’: A FOX 13 series looking at the state’s digital dilemma
• U.S. Green Building Council: Blog: Congress looks to address growing data center impacts