Protests over data centers, like this one in Albany, N.Y., have swept the country amid concerns over environmental damage and utility prices.
Will Waldron/Albany Times Union via Getty Images
A mass outpouring of data center opponents has prompted the California city of Coachella to consider a moratorium on development of the facilities there.It's the latest example of community backlash tempering local authorities' acceptance of data centers — which are being built across the country to accommodate the rise of AI.After hundreds of people showed up to protest at the Coachella City Council meeting on Wednesday evening, all four council members signaled support for a temporary halt to Stronghold Power Systems' proposal so the city can study the issue further.They also voted 4-0 to hire outside legal counsel to review an agreement for a city-controlled utility to provide power for the project.Planning documents show the Coachella Valley Technology Campus would span up to 450 acres and eventually include six data centers. The initial phase of the project would include three data center buildings, each about 1 million square feet, with a capacity of 90 megawatts per facility, Stronghold has said.
