More of my rambling thoughts and answers to questions about "data centers". I apologize if my attempt to simplify over-simplifies.
As someone said, dedicated buildings containing computer servers have been around for decades.
The issue now is that breakthroughs in technology (such as predictive and generative Artificial Intelligence techniques) have created the need for massively configured servers capable of running a previously unprecedented number of processes simultaneously. You cannot realistically have these servers in your basement :-) Data centers allow for a centralized location where a large number of servers (and other equipment) can share bandwidth and power.
The proliferation of these centers has happened with breakneck speed and has run roughshod over some of your communities. I understand that. And I an certain that can be fixed, buts its going to require a spirit of partnership and understanding from all sides.
These systems, their processors, memory, and hard drives throw off a lot of heat and require a lot of electricity. They also make more noise (the "Data Center Hum") than some people like in their neighborhood.
Why do we need this? Because modern servers and AI software can solve problems in a fraction of the time. This applies whether you a designing a building or reconciling the books of a large corporation. It is a very useful tool, and mankind has never developed a tool that it didn't use until a better tool was invented.
Its a tool that, like a hammer, can be used to build a house or bash someone's skull in. Whoever wields that hammer correctly and most efficiently "wins" the next stage of the industrial revolution. I would like that to be the United States of America.
Raging against these machines (see what I did there?) will only go so far, as we are swimming against the current of progress. However, we can demand some things, including (just off the top of my head):
1. Common-sense regulation as to maximum noise levels. There are ways to baffle them
2. Putting the burden of higher electricity costs on the data centers instead of citizens who have nothing to do with them. This will quickly spur innovation in power creation and distribution (and hopefully get some nuclear power plant plans out of mothballs).
3. Require data centers to provide free internet/server resources to schools and colleges in their area (amount prorated based upon the size and profitability of the data center). This "giving back" to the community would be a tremendous Public Relations advantage.
4. Ban special "set asides" or "sweetheart deals" that bypass existing zoning regulations and local laws/statutes. Someone who wants to open a data center should have to go through the same steps as someone who wants to open an Arbys (with hopefully less gastric consequences).
5. Local,natural resources must be given the same protections as with any other company moving into an area.
Surely you must see that the ability to design a new battleship or weapons system in a few weeks vs a few months will have tremendous consequences to our future. That's an extreme example of the stakes here, of course, but not an unimportant one. Its a race we cannot lose. (People opening data centers to mine bitcoin can jump in a lake, in my estimation. That's not what I am referring to).
It will be some time still until "generative AI" (grok, chatGPT, etc.) is reliable enough to use without human oversight. AI does a lot of things very well, but lacks the human spark of creativity that is at the heart of every good thing we have done.
I design software - I come up with the ideas for what can be done. I then use AI to help write some of the code I really don't want to write, and then go through it with a fine toothed comb to find and correct its mistakes. The process saves me a lot of time and allows me to bring new ideas to fruition rather than spend a day writing another stupid login page (my fellow developers should be nodding sagely right now). In other areas, AI is doing the same thing - freeing our best and brightest to be more innovative and creative. Our education system must immediately pivot to match that reality.
Imagine if Van Gogh had been able to think his paintings into reality rather than have to go through the tedious process of creating each one by hand. How many more masterpieces would have flown from his creative genius?
Am I off the mark? Please opine and be kind!