A prominent American activist has joined the global resistance to the huge proliferation of data centers – Erin Brockovich.
The 65-year-old environmentalist was made famous by the Hollywood film that bears her name, in which she was played by Julia Roberts. Now she has set up an online platform: the Brockovich Data Center, which collects information on the planning and construction of new data centers in the United States and marks their locations on a map.
"This map captures the real-world footprint of that race — revealing patterns of growth, conflict and uncertainty," Brockovich writes. She has received thousands of tip-offs since the launch of the platform in April. She is aiming to give a voice to US citizens, and help them gain an overview of where AI data centers are located, because: "The public should not be the last to know."Erin Brockovich highlights the fact that data centers consume vast quantities of water and energyImage: Arvin Temkar/Atlanta Journal-Constitution/AP Photo/picture alliance
Why is there opposition to data centers?
Data centers have existed in some form for decades. But in recent years, big-tech companies have hugely accelerated the construction of new ones all over the world. As well as powering AI, the demand for cloud services and platforms is growing exponentially.
