Data centers news and discussion

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How Local Communities are Challenging Big Tech Data Centers’ Noise, Pollution and Rising Electricity Bills
By Rachel Mural
June 18, 2026

Introduction:

(The Conversation) As the race to build data centers across the United States accelerates, local governments worry that the tech industry mantra of “move fast and break things” means their communities are at risk of being broken.

I’m a Harvard researcher studying the relationship between data centers and energy. I’ve closely monitored how local governments respond to proposals or even just concerns about the potential for data centers in their communities. What I’ve found is a complex story of community needs, political tensions and corporate power – all interacting with local, state and national democratic processes.

Promises and potential

Technology companies stay competitive by being ready to provide data and communications services even before customer demand rises. Data centers already power online communications, shopping and banking systems. Now, expanding demand for artificial intelligence has led to over 1,000 pending data center proposals across the country.

Federal actions also drive development. The Trump administration has identified data center build-out as a strategic priority. The administration has promoted data center capacity as a measure of American strength and signaled that federal regulations on data centers may be eased.

Read more here: https://theconversation.com/how-local- ... s-284642

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Plans for £9.5bn data centre next to Universal park

19 June 2026

Plans are under way to build a data centre next to the proposed Universal theme park in Bedfordshire.

The 1.5 million sq ft (139,355 sq m) site at the former quarry of Quest Pit near Stewartby has planning permission for a film studio.

But David Kohler, director of Quest Park which owns Quest Pit, said they were applying for a change of use to a data centre which the Secretary of State said was of "national significance", external.

The former Luton Town Football Club chairman said it would cost £9.5bn to build and would be "one of the largest (in the UK) in terms of power".

He added that it would take two to three years to change the permission for the data centre through a development consent order (DCO) application.

It would then take a further two years to build, but he said he believe the Universal theme park "will be finished before we start".

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c7vyn6v2gzpo



Quest Park

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A good reason for airing the arguments against data centers is that solutions to the problems they present make less sense if we don't understand the problems.

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A Solution to Data Center Backlash? Put them In Oil Fields.
By Jake Bittle
June 18, 2026

Introduction:

(Grist) Most Americans loathe data centers. Recent polling found that Democrats and Republicans alike would oppose having one in their neighborhood, and hundreds of communities across the country have fought against them, citing fears about noise, water contamination, and energy bills. After years spent courting tech companies, many politicians are now vowing to protect their constituents from their development. In just the past month, policymakers in New York, Texas, Pennsylvania, and Utah have proposed limits on the facilities. For the AI startups and others racing to secure more computing power, the question seems to be not which projects will face opposition, but which won’t.

A project unveiled this week in California’s Central Valley suggests a potential answer. California Resources Corporation, the state’s largest oil company, wants to build a 600,000-square-foot data center campus in the Elk Hills oil field about two hours north of Los Angeles. It hopes to avoid the nationwide backlash from communities that have watched the outfits developing these sprawling operations swallow up farmland or install diesel generators near residential neighborhoods.

It’s part of a new trend in the AI boom. More developers are proposing to build data centers in or near active oil and gas fields, which tend to sit far from densely populated areas and boast ready access to power. Projects are being planned in Texas, where the prolific Permian Basin oil patch has an abundance of natural gas, which can be used to generate electricity, and in Pennsylvania, which is already a leading producer of natural gas from shale. These projects are seen as a way of juicing revenues for legacy producers, even as the California project is unfolding in a state that has been trying to phase out fossil fuels.

California Resources Corporation executives have framed the deal, announced Monday, as a “responsible development” approach to the AI buildout—a claim that environmental activists in the state disputed.

Read more here: https://grist.org/energy/a-solution-to ... -fields/

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"guys, solar is right there"