Editorial Note: Opinions and thoughts are the author’s own and not those of AFROTECH™.

Data centers have been in the news lately due to their connection to AI, but they have been around in some form or capacity for decades.

Data centers originally were created to hold mainframe computers because they would tend to overheat, needing to be stored in climate-controlled rooms. This was at a time when more businesses began relying on computers for their day-to-day operations, and things needed to be moved from single rooms to larger dedicated facilities. What caused data centers to explode in popularity was the rise of personal computing. With more and more data needing to be stored, more facilities needed to be created in order to house all of this new data that was being generated every day, not just from businesses but from people living their lives as well due to the adoption of mobile devices. What exponentially increased the amount of data centers was when software started “eating the world” — a phrase coined in 2011 by Marc Andreessen, the famous venture capitalist and co-founder of Andreessen Horowitz. The birth of companies like AOL, Yahoo, and Facebook created the largest amounts of digital data the world had ever known, so more centers were built to accommodate the increase. Now, data centers are back in the conversation as well as being constructed due to the amount of computing power and electricity it takes to consume and create artificial intelligence.

Companies such as OpenAI have announced projects like the Stargate Project that aim to build the additional data centers needed to bring our AI-infused future to life. Stargate is a new joint venture that intends to build data centers here in the United States with a $500 billion investment over the next four years. The backers of this project are Softbank, Oracle, OpenAI, and MGX. Splitting responsibilities between the lead partners, OpenAI will focus on operations while Softbank focuses on finances. The clear lines of authority between the two companies give me more hope that the collaboration will work in a way that benefits both parties and most importantly the end users of AI. Stargate is currently underway in Texas, according to a Rack Solutions blog, but it has run into a snag due to tariffs,  as reported by TechCrunch. OpenAI is not the only company looking to invest in data centers; xAI, the OpenAI rival owned by Elon Musk, is also investing in data centers, and one of its investments has caused quite the controversy so far.

One data center being built by xAI is located in Memphis, TN, specifically South Memphis. As reported by The Guardian, residents have been concerned about the air pollution that could come from Musk’s data center, and it’s been reported by Data Center Dynamics that he has purchased space for another data center in Memphis as well. The potential for pollution coupled with the increased presence is of concern to the city’s residents, but it should concern anyone who lives in areas that are attractive to investors building data centers. These centers are typically housed in places like Northern Virginia; Atlanta, GA; Chicago, IL; New York, NY; and Los Angeles, CA. All of these cities have healthy Black populations that could end up adversely impacted by the growth of data centers if not done properly. However, the chance is increasing that they will not be.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has announced that it will be going on the largest deregulation campaign in U.S. history. President Donald Trump is known for being anti-regulation, so it makes sense that the EPA under his administration would move in this direction when it comes to regulation. The efforts relate specifically to policies around power plants, including the Mercury and Air Toxics Standard, and they are also considering changes around how greenhouse gas emissions are reported as well. Given the economic incentives related to AI, coupled with the weakening regulatory environment, I see more communities coming together over time to bring light to how data centers are damaging their environment.

Memphis itself, as reported by NBC News, has seen its residents band together with the NAACP to call for an emergency shutdown of the data center due to risks associated with water and air pollution. I do not believe we will see any shutdown happen, given the incentives at play. The mayor himself, Paul Young, said in an interview with News Nation, that the data center is an opportunity that the community needs. With the federal government slashing budgets across the board, I imagine one will see more mayors speak to data center construction in their communities the same way he is. 

The future always brings changes to the way we live, work, and play. Unfortunately, some of the costs of those changes are more often carried by the most vulnerable populations and communities. What we should do is pay attention to the developments within our communities and call out the lack of caution that data center construction could bring to them when needed.