data centers
rf...@sonic.net
rf...@sonic.net
Hello. Since I cannot gift articles from the Financial Times, I am excerpting ones that I feel are pertinent.
From the May 7, 2026 issue: Headline: "Japan's urban data centres upset the neighbours"
Sub-headline: "Plans to construct facilities on city plots raise fears over heat, noise and residential blight"
Pull-quote: "This is the frontier of capitalism but is it really good for this area over 50 or 100 years?"
___________
"When Munekazu and Erin Tanikawa got the keys to their brand-new apartment in a Tokyo commuter town in 2022, little did the married couple know that a land deal was being finalised that would upend their lives.
Four months after moving in, a special purpose vehicle, backed by Canadian pension fund CPP Investments, US asset manager Fidelity and local trading house Mitsui & Co., bought the parking lot in front of their balcony to develop a 52-metre-high* data centre.
Since then, their $312,000 property is estimated to have lost about a quarter of its value. The couple complained about expected heat and noise from the planned data centre, and the risks associated with 1.2 million tons of stored fuel - for a backup generator - on their doorstep...".
*170 feet
rf...@sonic.net
some good news...
While it would seem counterintuitive to allow data centers to operate in arid states as Arizona, it has permitted the growth of water-intensive alfalfa there...the majority of which is shipped for use in Saudi Arabia.
rf...@sonic.net
Come now - Google wouldn't do a thing like this...why it's practically a harmless noun.
rf...@sonic.net
Good day: From the Financial Times of May 15, 2026. Front page story. Headline: "Ford shares surge after new unit drives carmaker into US data centre bonanza"
"Shares in US carmarker Ford have soared 25 per cent over two days, the sharpest jump since 2020, amid investor hopes that its new energy unit will profit from the data centre boom. Ford launched its subsidiary, Ford Energy, this week as part of a pivot away from electric vehicles and towards providing battery storage capacity for Big Tech giants building AI data centres, deploying technology licensed from Chinese battery giant CATL...
"...Dan Levy, an analyst at Barclays, said Ford Energy could be a 'key contributor to reaching break-even in Model e' [Ford's EV that is not performing to its liking]. He added that 'while the surge in the company's stock arguably wasn't rational on the surface, with much still for Ford to prove, in the context of the market's excitement over AI and data centres, the move makes sense.'".
rf...@sonic.net
Hello. From the Financial Times (FT), May 20, 2026: "Project Astra merger aims to fuel the AI boom"
"In the northern Virginia town of Ashburn, the suburban quiet for its 40,000 residents is punctured by the constant hum of more than 150 data centres that power the artificial intelligence revolution rewiring the US economy.
Dozens more are planned for this 40 sq km (131,233 feet) patch of land, known as 'data centre alley,' which has become one of the most strategic infrastructure locations in America and the logic behind NextEra Energy's $420bn tie-up with Dominion Energy unveiled this week.
One of the largest mergers in US history would hand a single company enormous influence over the electricity network across the eastern seaboard underpinning the AI boom.
The merger captures a defining feature of...Trump's second term: the return of politically explosive megadeals once deemed unthinkable because of their size and impact on Americans. As Washington races to secure US dominance in AI, power generation has become both a strategic priority and a source of mounting political anger of surging energy prices.
NextEra and Dominion will need to convince the Trump administration and multiple regulators* that powering America's AI ambitions will not come at the expense of consumers already squeezed by inflation and rising electricity bills. It promises to be a bruising fight, though Trump's aggressively pro-dealmaking administration may offer the industry its best opening in years for a transaction of this scale..."
*It is quite unlikely that DT will require such convincing. If the FT reports the identity of "multiple regulators" I will pass that along.-rf
rf...@sonic.net
Forwarded mainly for the information at the bottom.
rf...@sonic.net
rf...@sonic.net
rf...@sonic.net
rf...@sonic.net
From the "Lex" column in the Financial Times of June 3, 2026:
"Europe talks a lot about tech sovereignty, but has so far done little. Now France is taking the bull by the horns, with plans to build the continent's biggest data centre. It is understandable to fear being beholden to the US for all things AI, but it's not clear jumping on the infrastructure bandwagon is the best way forward.
The French plans are undoubtedly grand. At 5.1 gigawatts of power, the new facility would be a whisker above Meta Platforms' proposed Hyperion campus in Louisiana and half the size of an upcoming campus in Ohio.
But real sovereignty is a pipe dream. The project is backed by Japanese money; tech group SoftBank is pledging €75 billion . Given the total spending required for every 1GW [gigawatt] of AI power is reckoned to be around $50-60 billion, there will need to be another €170 billion - at least. It is unlikely European investors will spring for the whole caboodle.
And there is no escaping Uncle Sam. The French cluster will be powered with US-designed chips. Given the size, cloud providers are likely to include US hyperscalers. Amazon, Microsoft and Google account for nearly three-quarters of that market in Europe. France's OVHcloud, one of the biggest European operators, doesn't disclose capacity but it's certainly measured in mega rather than gigawatts.
This still beats being in hock to offshore data centres, and in that sense France has pulled off somewhat of a coup. Still, it is too soon to claim victory. The project's first phase is due in 2031, by which time SpaceX boss Elon Musk plans to have solar-powered data centres in orbit....
There is even a case to be made that the world may need fewer rather than more data centres than are currently planned, as the architecture of AI changes. China's DeepSeek provided AI needn't be aggressively compute-intensive. More functions, such as cooling, are moving directly on to chips....
SoftBank is in good company when it comes to pouring money into land-based data centres - and France is shrewd to stake its claim - but that does not guarantee that was results won't be un elephant blanc."
rf...@sonic.net
"They wanted a grocery store. They got a 350-acre data center instead."
Hi friends, We’ve done two major stories on data centers, but we wanted to offer a conversation with people on the ground, dealing with exactly these issues so you can hear the raw truth, unfiltered. I've spent my life watching corporations steamroll communities that trusted the process, and the data center industry is running the same playbook. This interview with organizers from Farmington, Minnesota, will tell you exactly what to watch for, how to fight back, and why hundreds of thousands of people across the country are already doing it. We are still collecting info for the map here: https://brockovichdatacenter.com I started this newsletter because I know what it feels like to be the only person in the room asking hard questions. You shouldn't have to fight alone, and with the right information, you won't have to. Subscribe and let's make some noise together. Every dollar helps! Not able to pay at the moment? Share our work with others and spread the word!
They Wanted a Grocery Store. They Got a 350-Acre Data Center Instead.A conversation with Kris Akin & Matthew Shaw About the Future of Farmington, Minnesota.
Want to know what it's like when a data center secretly comes to your town? Today we're talking with organizers from Farmington, Minnesota, a small community of 25,000 that woke up to a 350-acre hyperscale data center approved near their homes. Kris Akin is the Outreach, Communications and Partnership Director for the Coalition for Responsible Data Center Development. Matthew Shaw is a Virginia-based volunteer researcher, who tracks data center opposition movements nationwide. Their story is one you need to hear, and their fight may be coming to your backyard next. The Brockovich Report is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support this work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Farmington, Minnesota, sits on the outer ring of the Twin Cities suburbs. It has the kind of community life that people move toward with a historic downtown and 48 miles of nature trails. What it doesn’t have, since December 2019, is a grocery store. Residents drive to neighboring Lakeville or Rosemount to buy food. So, when the golf course southeast of town went up for sale, people were hoping a developer would build homes. What they got instead was an almost 350-acre hyperscale data center with massive buildings, some rising 50 to 80 feet, planted between four established neighborhoods just 1.9 miles from downtown. The project was approved in November 2024. Non-disclosure agreements had been signed. The identity of the end user still hasn’t been revealed. This community’s story shows what happens when neighbors refuse to be steamrolled. We spoke with Kris and Matthew about what they’ve learned, what’s at stake, and why Farmington’s fight may matter far beyond Minnesota. The Coalition for Responsible Data Center Development is a citizen-centered community working together to mitigate the impact of data center installations on electric grids, land use, conservation, and water resources. Kris, take us back to the beginning. Tell us about Farmington and what life was like before the data center.Kris: The community still retains its small-town character with a historic downtown, county fairground, and pioneer village. The land to the south and east is mostly farmland. It felt like our small town was growing and moving forward with the pleasant community life we were used to. The golf course southeast of Farmington in Castle Rock Township was for sale as the owners were ready to retire. Our neighborhoods surrounding the golf course expected a new owner to purchase the business or a housing developer to create a new housing development there. Our community has been without a grocery store since December 2019. Farmington needs more “rooftops” to support one, according to market studies, and a housing development would have helped create more of a market for it. The political landscape in Farmington is ugly, and public support has eroded with the resignation of the mayor after an outburst by him when he announced a limit on public comments to 5 minutes to preserve “decorum.” He has been very passionate about this project and our community. Public data requests by our Coalition revealed that the planning commission director has asked for coaching on how to talk to the public and that a city employee had joined our email list only to then share it back with others at city hall.
How did you first learn about data centers coming to your area?Kris: When the data center discussions surfaced publicly in the spring of 2024, I initially trusted that our city leadership would thoroughly vet a project of this magnitude. Annexation, rezoning, and the transformation of a long‑established residential area are not small matters. I believed the city would either reject the proposal or relocate it to a more suitable site. I was wrong. The city notified neighbors that lived directly near the golf course but not residents that lived across the street about a public hearing. Our neighborhood started holding discussions, attending city planning commission meetings as well as city council meetings. We expressed our concerns from May to November of 2024, protesting outside of City Hall, meeting with the Mayor and City Council members, printing and posting yard signs and working to make others aware of what was happening. November of 2024 the proposed development was approved for a 350-acre data center on the golf course property between four neighborhoods just 1.9 miles from our downtown area. As I did some more research wondering why our city leaders would support a hyperscale data center, it became clear that something fundamental had shifted at City Hall. Key staff positions were new. The Community & Economic Development Department had changed and restructured to consist entirely of City Council members. Few cities in Minnesota operate this way. Most maintain a balance of residents and elected officials to ensure transparency and accountability. Farmington moved in the opposite direction. This restructuring matters. It concentrates power. It narrows perspectives. It makes it far easier for major decisions to move forward without meaningful public involvement. Non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) were signed by some City of Farmington staff and information about end users of the hyperscale data center have not been revealed or released. Editor’s note: What is an annexation agreement? Minnesota keeps a database here. There are about 20 proposed data center sites in Minnesota alone. Does your fight in Farmington feel like it could set a precedent for those communities?Kris: Yes! Our neighbors organized a 501(c)(4) organization. We believed that people would think we were “NIMBYS” (not in my backyard) folks and overreacting to the location of this hyperscale data center. We quickly learned about the scope and size of a facility like this and felt that it was not the proper place to support this industrial infrastructure.
We filed a lawsuit in January of 2025 and began lobbying at the city, county, and state level to bring awareness about this rapidly growing industry that needs some guardrails, policies, and guidelines to keep people and our planet safe. We also organized as a 501(c)(3) under the same organization name. Our lawsuit has been challenged twice with a motion to dismiss by the City of Farmington, and the developer (TRACT) and a judge has rejected their motion and said our case has merit. We are in discovery now with a court date of May 2027. Since we started our website and Facebook page, we have heard from so many people across the country that are experiencing the same issues with NDAs, questionable tactics, rush to approval, and vague information. If we can get our day in court, spread sunshine on how this happened and win, it would set a precedent and send a message to Big Tech hyperscale data center developers that the people and the planet come first. The main legal claims outlined in this lawsuit are:
Castle Rock Township has also filed a lawsuit regarding their Orderly Annexation Agreement. You’ve been working toward a statewide moratorium. What would that look like, and how close are you?Kris: We have been meeting weekly with lobbyists and staff from about 20 other organizations in the Minnesota area that support clean water and our environment. We have had sit down meetings with reps from the House and Senate. We have had two rallies at the rotunda inside the capitol and shared literature with all legislators and the governor. We supported 3 bills at the State level:
How have you built your nonprofit and worked with others to move your cause forward?Kris: We have filed the necessary paperwork with the IRS, Minnesota Secretary of State and Minnesota Attorney General. We have joined the Minnesota Council of Non-Profits to receive important information about nonprofit boards and organizational procedures. We have developed relationships with 20 different non-profit organizations in the state. We have a volunteer researcher from Virgina (Matthew), who is providing support and research and connections. Some on our team visit online or by phone with other Minnesota folks fighting hyperscale data centers in Hermantown, Pine Island, Monticello, and Rosemount. Data centers are often talked about as invisible infrastructure. What do you want people to understand about their physical footprint?Kris: Hyperscale Data Centers are larger facilities than the legacy data centers built and maintained from years back. The proposal in Farmington will be 342.81 acres with 12 large buildings and two admin buildings. Some buildings are 50 to 80 feet tall. There will be lots of concrete and asphalt parking lots. Rainwater will warm up as it runs off the buildings and parking lots and will run into our groundwater and nearby trout pond. The power and water consumed by a hyperscale data center this big will be as much as our community uses. A new additional water tower and an electrical substation will be required. The City of Farmington has agreed to provide the water to the data center. Diesel generators will be placed on the tops of buildings for a backup and will need to be tested regularly to assure they are working. Extra diesel fuel will be stored on site in large tanks. During the construction phase of 5 to 7 years, there will be up to large gravel and sand deliveries daily, increased construction equipment, and crew traffic. Reports from Ellendale, North Dakota, where a data center is being constructed, indicate that residents stay off the roads during morning and late afternoon to avoid the heavy traffic. Matthew: Our data is often thought of as floating in the “Cloud,” an ethereal and nebulous phenomenon that has nothing to do with the real world. I like to think of data centers as part of the Data Center Industrial Complex (DCIC), first termed by Mél Hogan. This concept encapsulates not only the data centers themselves but the supply chains, end users, and environmental impacts from development, use, and e-waste. It begins with extractive industries: copper, cement, rare earth minerals, lithium, etc., all of which must be dug up, refined, and transported around the world. This brings direct harm to the people living in those areas, often in poor and/or indigenous communities. Next is the fossil fuel industry, with data centers consuming 4.4 percent of total energy demand in 2023; they are expected to grow to up to 12 percent by 2028. There is also the risk of increased nuclear proliferation with larger plants, such as Three Mile Island, and smaller modular reactors becoming a popular option for the tech giants who need constant energy but don’t want the CO2 emissions. Data Center water consumption is typically only measured in direct usage, not indirectly from power generation. Data Center water consumption is centralized, often affecting already water-stressed communities, which exacerbates local water insecurity. Noise and light pollution from data centers are harmful to people and animals. First, it is harmful to the employees; it can directly damage their hearing. Next, it affects the community with a hum/buzz, which can cause headaches, stress, and sleep issues. Lastly, it affects wildlife, causing new migration patterns and habitat development in birds, butterflies, bats, etc. Matthew, you’re based in Virginia, one of the most data-center-dense places on Earth. What made you want to volunteer your research skills for a fight happening in Minnesota?Matthew: First, some background on me. I have BA degrees in political science and public policy, and since then have been working for a contractor for HUD’s Office of Policy Development and Research (PD&R). Everything I say is my own and doesn’t reflect my employer or HUD, to be clear. We host data and case studies on all things housing, and I help do quality assurance, write short summaries, and work on the help desk. I am also starting my master’s program in international relations (IR). During the past year, I kept hearing stories from an IR perspective about how the U.S. needs data centers to defeat China. Big Tech would come into a small/medium-sized town, sign NDAs, and then there would be a community opposition movement to stop development. This immediately interested me from an “underdog” perspective. It also interested me because I see parallels to other industries like nuclear and fossil fuels, where communities are placed in the position where, for “national security,” they must suffer the consequences to “win.” I wanted to create a nonprofit which would be like HUD’s PD&R but for communities facing data centers. I originally was going to do this myself and started creating the dataset to do so. As I was making the dataset, I stumbled upon CRDCD, which hosted local information but also had a goal to create nationwide information, such as the 101 guide on how to start a data center opposition movement, and after reaching out to Kris and meeting the rest of the team, we all decided I would be a good fit. I benefit from learning from CRDCD about their firsthand struggles, and CRDCD benefits from my work through media coverage, finding new community groups, NGOs, and other resources. The data centers have won in Northern Virginia; they have local politicians in their pocket, but they have been slowed down by interconnection delays. They don’t want to wait 7 years in Virginia when they can do it elsewhere. What’s the one piece of research or data that you think every local official should have to read before approving a hyperscale data center project?Matthew: The thing about data center development is that there is (usually) no single issue. It is context-dependent and multifaceted. Take Hermantown, Minnesota, where they are planning on building one of the largest battery facilities for backup power generation, but may not have adequate firefighting resources if there were to be a lithium battery fire. There needs to be comprehensive planning coordination across all governmental agencies, particularly public health, water, and energy, at the local, county, state, and national levels, and that just isn’t happening right now because the administration wants full speed ahead, Big Tech comes into town offering jobs and taxes, and rushes through planning without community input. If I am talking to a council member, I would tell them about AI Now’s North Star Data Center Policy Toolkit. If I had to pick for an academic, it would be this journal article on the making of critical data center studies: . If I were speaking to a scientist, I would say read the latest doomsday clock report from the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists and ask how data centers are involved. To an economist, I would refer them to building a solidarity ecosystem for AI.
You’ve held two rallies at the state capitol. Can you talk about how you organized for those rallies for maximum impact.Kris: Boy! It was a lot of work, but the message was carried out through our promotions, media releases, advertising and at the event. At the rally, we had speakers, tables with information and lots of signs and banners. Some meetings with legislators were scheduled after the rally the same day. After the events, the message was carried on through newspaper, radio, and digital sharing of the event. A video was created both times to share with the public. We made a lot of good noise! What’s your message to people in other states who are watching similar projects proposed in their backyards?Kris: Get informed. Read research and factual stories about the harms and impacts that these huge facilities bring to a community. Look and find published research and studies. Look for public information that shares the processes and planning that went on before the project was announced. Request public data from your local units of government. Schedule meetings with your elected officials where you can speak to them face to face. In this new digital world, use digital tools to share images and information. It seems so ironic that the very tools we all use are supported by data centers, but they can be designed and built with more time provided to protect people and planet! Adopt all that Erin Brockovich’s experiences and story have taught us! What do you need most right now and how can others follow along?Awareness and building support for civic engagement is difficult these days. We are grateful for people like Erin that have joined the fight. It will help—if people follow her call to get involved. Our biggest need is our fundraising for the lawsuit. Our legal fees are expected to total around $250,000. Some folks think we are suing for money or for our homes to be bought out, but we are challenging the process and the location and care about the safety of our water, air, and environment. We have raised $100,000 through a bike ride, dinner and silent auction, and personal donations. Twelve families have been sharing the burden of frequent donations. We have multiple ways for others to donate and donations to our Coalition for Responsible Data Center Fund are tax deductible as a 501(c)(3). The Coalition for Responsible Data Center Development is based in Farmington, Minnesota. Their interactive map of opposition groups nationwide, monthly research reports, and a community toolkit for organizing are available on their website. Learn more about Farmington Technology Park here. What This Fight Can Teach Your Community1. The process matters as much as the project. It’s not what they’re building; it’s how they got it approved. NDAs, restructured oversight bodies, selective public notification, rushed votes. When your city is moving unusually fast and unusually quietly, that’s your first warning sign. Request public data early and often. You have that right. Use it. 2. Know what you’re dealing with. A hyperscale data center is not your grandfather’s server farm. We’re talking hundreds of acres, buildings five stories tall, diesel generators on rooftops, water consumption equal to an entire city, and years of heavy construction traffic through your neighborhood. Get the physical facts on paper. 3. The NDA is a red flag, not a formality. When elected officials sign non-disclosure agreements with developers, you lose your right to know who is coming, what they’re building, and why. That should make every single one of us angry. Push back on NDAs at every level. Farmington’s coalition nearly got them banned statewide. 4. Find your people. As of May 2026, there are more 345 opposition groups with more than 428,000 members fighting these exact battles across the country. Most formed in the last year and don’t even know each other yet. Reach out. Connect with communities near you. Share what works. That’s how movements grow. 5. Get your legal footing early. Lawsuits are expensive and they take time, but they create accountability that rallies and yard signs alone cannot. Farmington’s coalition survived two motions to dismiss. Their case has merit, a judge said so. Start building your legal strategy before you need it and support the communities already fighting. 6. Go to your state capitol, not just city hall. Local decisions can be shaped by state policy, and state policy can be shaped by you. Farmington’s coalition helped advance three bills in a single legislative session—a moratorium, an NDA ban, and water permitting reform. None crossed the finish line this time. But legislators are paying attention, and that pressure doesn’t go away. 7. Use every tool you have, including the digital ones. I know the irony isn’t lost on anyone. The very tools we use every day are powered by the data centers we’re fighting. Use them anyway. Video, social media, email lists, digital organizing. Make noise, make connections, and make yourselves impossible to ignore. That’s exactly what Farmington did, and they’re still standing.
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© 2026 Erin Brockovich
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