3/15/2026
The Artificial Intelligence Boom has driven the construction of thousands of data centers across the world, especially in the United States. In 2026, more than half of all data center power capacity is expected to be dedicated to A.I. workloads. Demand for data centers is expected to nearly triple by 2030. With this, the negative impact of data centers on the environment and their surrounding communities has been a topic of much reporting and discussion.
One issue is the massive energy consumption of these facilities. New data centers require utilities in the area to update their grid: adding new transmission lines, new generation plants, and other requirements to provide electricity to these structures. These investments on the part of the electric utility can drive up costs for all its customers. Cost can be increased even further by the substantial increase in electricity demand. In 2024, data centers in the U.S. were responsible for more than 4% of all energy consumption nationally, and constituted 26% of the total electricity demand in Virginia. One solution often proposed is that data centers generate their own electricity, although this doesn’t solve any concern regarding the extensive use of fossil fuels to power data centers – 40% of U.S. data centers are powered by natural gas as of 2024 – and creates issues in the way of noise pollution.
Noise pollution is increasingly cited as a major consequence of large data centers. Backup generators, cooling towers, air-cooled chillers, and air handling units are all essential components that produce noise levels of more than 100 dBA. For context, noise levels above 85 dBA are considered hazardous by the CDC. However, many complaints come from those living near data centers that generate their own electricity on site, usually with natural gas, as the generators are also a significant source of noise pollution.
Another major concern is the massive water consumption of many data centers. A medium-sized data center uses around 110 million gallons of water a year. In 2023, Google used more than 5 billion gallons of water across all its data centers, and 31% of the freshwater used was taken from regions with medium or high water scarcity. Approximately 67% of data centers built in the last four years have been built in water-stressed regions.
However, these aren’t all unfixable problems. They just need carefully engineered solutions on the part of those designing these facilities. Many data centers use evaporative cooling systems that result in significant quantities of water being lost as steam, but this isn’t the only cooling option. Some data centers use closed-loop systems where water is reused multiple times. One data center run by Google uses treated wastewater for its closed-loop cooling, rather than freshwater, and returns it to the Chattahoochee River after use. In colder climates, drawing cool air from outside to cool components becomes an option, but air cooling systems relying on air conditioning vents can be an option anywhere, and they don’t rely on water.
The main issue with these alternative cooling methods is that they require more electricity, increasing the already concerning energy consumption needs of the data centers and potentially driving up the costs of electricity in the area. The solution to this does not need to be noisy on-site natural gas generators. Many tech companies are taking the opportunity to fund renewable energy projects, which can often be deployed faster and produce cheaper electricity than their fossil fuel generation counterparts. On-site battery energy storage systems can also mitigate data centers’ impact on the grid by allowing for reduced grid energy consumption during peak hours.
There are also existing solutions for industrial noise reduction that are being applied to data centers in some cases. Acoustic louvres are components made out of noise-absorbing materials added to the beginning or end of ventilation systems. They can reduce noise from ventilation systems by up to 30 dB. While commonly used in data centers near densely populated areas, making this noise reduction technology standard could reduce data centers’ impact on the often overlooked rural communities, many of which are neighbors. Barrier walls designed and installed around data centers’ roofs or perimeters can also help to contain noise. There is an additional opportunity for noise reduction for data centers in the development of more efficient cooling methods.
With thoughtful design and the prioritization of healthy environments for the communities they serve, data centers can become sustainable and unobtrusive, even though that is almost antithetical to the reputation they maintain now.