Arizona city rejects data center after AI lobbying push

(politico.com)

11 points | by ohjeez 8 hours ago ago

10 comments

  • karakoram 8 hours ago ago

    I did not know Arizona was a contender for AI Data Centers. Don't they have water and drought issues already?

    • ben_w 8 hours ago ago

      Probably, given it's famously a desert, but the water issues for DCs are a meme rather than the actual limiting factor even in Arizona's case.

      Last time this came up in an HN discussion, I looked at the sources and noticed that all 108 DCs in Arizona combined currently use about as much water as about 3k residents: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45952965

      How big is the rejected new DC compared to all the existing ones combined? I could believe just about anything in the current bubble, but that's where we're at for the existing ones.

    • cheald 7 hours ago ago

      It's already home to the largest nuclear power plant in the continental US (Palo Verde), and there are essentially no natural disasters to contend with.

    • toomuchtodo 8 hours ago ago

      Indeed, the Salt River Project nuclear generator uses reclaimed sewage water for cooling.

    • concerneddude 8 hours ago ago

      [dead]

  • simianwords 2 hours ago ago

    Why do they want to open data centres in this area though? Seems like there might be better places. What's the incentive for this particular place?

  • nephihaha 4 hours ago ago

    How do we square "net zero" with energy-guzzling data centres?

  • simianwords 3 hours ago ago

    Is this what NIMBY means?

    • lotsoweiners 2 hours ago ago

      If so then call me a NIMBY. Not a Chandler but in Gilbert, the town next door. No need for data centers here or anywhere else around here either.

      • simianwords 2 hours ago ago

        where would you like them to be?