Cesar Rodriguez for The New York Times When Microsoft opened a data center in central Mexico last year, nearby residents said power cuts became more frequent.
Nearly 60 percent of the 1,244 largest data centers in the world were outside the United States as of the end of June, according to an analysis by Synergy Research Group, which studies the industry.
More are coming, with at least 575 data center projects in development globally from companies including Tencent, Meta and Alibaba.
In Ireland, data centers consume more than 20 percent of the country’s electricity.
In South Africa, where blackouts have long been routine, data centers are further taxing the national grid.
The New York Times’ Cesar Rodriguez.
Nearby residents reported that power outages increased after Microsoft opened a data center in central Mexico last year. Once lasting only a few days, water outages now lasted weeks.
Dulce María Nicolás, a local and mother of two, said the shortages caused the town of Las Cenizas to cancel schools and spread stomach bugs. Moving has been a possibility for her.
Children were sutured by flashlight by Víctor Bárcenas, who operates a nearby medical facility. He was unable to administer oxygen to a 54-year-old farmer in December due to a power outage. The patient was transported almost an hour away to a hospital.
As a boom in artificial intelligence construction puts additional strain on already precarious water and power infrastructures in communities worldwide, their experiences are being replicated elsewhere.
In the name of developing artificial intelligence, OpenAI, Amazon, Google, Microsoft, and others have invested hundreds of billions to build the massive computing sites, putting the US at the center of a data center boom. However, with less scrutiny, the companies have also exported the construction craze overseas.
According to a study by industry research firm Synergy Research Group, as of the end of June, nearly 60 percent of the 1,244 largest data centers worldwide were located outside of the US. With at least 575 data center projects under development worldwide from firms like Tencent, Meta, and Alibaba, more are on the horizon.
According to a New York Times analysis, the growth of data centers has caused or worsened disruptions not only in Mexico but in over a dozen other nations. These locations require enormous amounts of water to cool the computers and power for computation.
Over 20% of Ireland’s electricity is used by data centers. There is a risk of depleting Chile’s valuable aquifers. Data centers are adding to the strain on the national grid in South Africa, where blackouts have long been a regular occurrence. Brazil, the United Kingdom, India, Malaysia, the Netherlands, Singapore, and Spain have all expressed similar worries.
