Data center boom impacting Georgia's water resources
The facilities help power the digital era. But running them is a resource-heavy operation.
ATLANTA — A rapidly expanding sector of the tech industry is flocking to Georgia. Known as 'data centers,' the warehouse-sized facilities help power the modern connected era.
But all that computing can come at a cost to Georgia's environment.
"They're hugely resource intensive," said Amy Sharma, executive director of the science advocacy group Science for Georgia.
They are also a hot commodity.
The explosion of artificial intelligence has spurred a data center construction boom, according to Emory University Goizueta Business School professor Ram Chellappa.
"They form the fundamental backbone of the entire AI-driven economy," he said.
To keep them running, Chellappa said many data centers require copious amounts of water to feed their cooling systems.
"A large data center might use upwards of 200 million gallons annually," he said.
That's the equivalent of close to 2,000 homes, according to one Environmental Protection Agency estimate.
Georgia is feeling that draw on its water system more than most other states.
Dan Diorio is the Senior Director of State Policy at the Data Center Coalition, an industry advocacy group. According to Diorio, Georgia is among the nation's leading states for data centers.
"Georgia's definitely in the top three," he said.
State filings reviewed by 11Alive News Investigates show that developers have submitted proposals for at least 25 new data center projects across Georgia just since 2024. According to the proposals, the potential projects would require more than 5.2 billion gallons of water each year.
Diorio estimated that, statewide, roughly 100 data centers are either already online or in development. The facilities, he argued, bring jobs to Georgia. The companies behind them, he added, have a financial incentive to use water resources carefully.
"Data centers are a highly, highly efficient user of those inputs," he said.
However, in a rapidly evolving industry, there are still questions about its impact on systems currently in place.
"This infrastructure, this water table, and how we draw water from that was not built for this sudden surge in consumption," said Goizueta Professor Ramnath Chellappa.
Still, he said, the need for data centers is here to stay as the world relies evermore on new tech products.
"The genie is out of the bottle," he said. "There's no way of putting it back. We're not going back in time."
The challenge, he said, is to ensure the growing industry strikes the right balance between development of an essential technology and stewardship of the resources required to power it.
"The contrast ought not to be seen as a contrast, but ought to be seen as 'How do we accomplish both of those elements?'" he said.
To Sharma, getting it right is a high stakes question.
"My biggest worry right now is that we're not paying enough attention," she said.
atlanta.eater.com
