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J.D. Tuccille: AI data centres are nothing to worry about

In Edmonton and elsewhere, opponents are lashing out against data centres, but they are no worse for the environment than factories or industrial farms

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There’s a good chance you came across this column after it was shared on social media or elsewhere online, which means reading these words relies on the processing power of data centres. But as dependent as we’ve become on dedicated information technology facilities to sustain our very virtual modern world, the proliferation of data centres has inspired a backlash. Some of it is plain Luddite resentment of technology, especially the bogeyman of artificial intelligence. And most of it is poorly informed, raising overblown worries about power and water consumption.

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Data centre investors should certainly fund their projects without taxpayer subsidies. But the facilities are part of the future, even if opposing them is big political business across the partisan spectrum. Last month, U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez told a congressional committee: “Ask Peter Thiel, ask Elon Musk, ask Mark Zuckerberg if they want one of these data centres in their own backyard,” before detailing the alleged horrors of an xAI complex in Memphis.

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