"Like a modern-day Paul Revere, Ben Dziobek's voice rang across the night as he ran toward a crowd waiting outside New Brunswick City Hall on Wednesday. The news? Members of the city council struck down potential plans to build a data center. "They canceled it! They canceled it!" Dziobek shouts in footage shared by New Jersey's Climate Revolution Action Network. Loud cheers followed, and then a chant: "The people, united, will never be defeated!""
"Large, warehouse-style data centers have become a flash point for many communities across America as Big Tech and other AI companies look to power the large language models and chatbots they say are going to change the world. Those data centers, however, can be a drain on water resources and power grids, increase pollution, and decrease the quality of life."
New Brunswick's city council removed data centers from permitted uses in a redevelopment plan following strong local and environmental opposition. Residents celebrated the decision outside City Hall, with community organizers sharing footage of the reaction. City planners sought the amendment to reinsert a park requirement for the site. Large, warehouse-style data centers increasingly attract controversy nationwide as AI companies expand infrastructure. Concerns include heavy electricity and water consumption, strain on power grids, increased pollution, and reduced local quality of life. An investigation found over 1,200 data centers approved across the US by the end of 2024, with potential to consume power comparable to entire states.
Read at Business Insider
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