By Sabrina Lynch
3,000 data centers are currently operating across the United States
By 2028, data centers are expected to consume 12% of U.S. power
A David-vs-Goliath battle is taking place over building artificial intelligence data centers in low income and underserved neighborhoods. The power needed to fuel these energy dependent complexes continues to drive up electricity costs across the country, with no price relief in sight for the average person footing the bill. Especially, when you consider that by 2028 data centers are expected to consume 12% of U.S. power.
Why It Matters: Blue collar households are finding themselves increasingly bearing the burden of costs, and vulnerable communities have had enough, particularly African Americans living in rural environments facing the environmental and economic brunt of AI’s rapid expansion. There
Electricity now costs as much as 267% more for a single month than it did five years ago, particularly in areas located near significant data centers. Driving up utility bills isn’t helpful for small businesses either that may already be grappling with rising operational costs.
All these factors contribute to 80% of Black-owned businesses closing within 18 months. These communities are experiencing the highest impacts from the builds of these massive complexes made up of server halls, generator yards, and control centers. This is because they are already disproportionately impacted by climate change. Data centers use massive amounts of electricity and water, which is straining the delicate infrastructure of communities.
What’s Next:As Black leaders push federal and state governments to tighten regulations on data center complexes, there are some Black owned companies such as Uncharted Power and Volt Energies making headway in clean and renewable energy, offering alternatives to detrimental expansions.
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