PHOENIX — New national polling data shows the majority of Americans do not want to see an AI data center in their community, while the debate surrounding their benefits and potential impacts continues in Arizona.
A new Gallup poll released Wednesday found that seven in 10 Americans oppose building data centers for artificial intelligence nearby. The biggest concerns cited in the survey are water and energy use, quality of life concerns, and higher utility costs.
Those same concerns have been echoed by community members across the Valley who have experienced data center expansion near them.
"You don't hear them that much during the day, but at night, you hear it's like big, huge air conditioners that are running and running and running. So when you go outside at night, that's all you hear,” Anita Houtcooper said.
Maricopa County recently approved a controversial data center near Luke Air Force Base.
“The noise, the lights, those bother me greatly, and the health impacts to my family,” Beth Mortensen said after the vote on May 6.
Meanwhile, proponents for the developments said new technology is leading to more sustainable data centers.
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Cepand Alizadeh, with the Arizona Technology Council, said companies are drawn to Arizona to build data centers based on the state’s existing business regulations and an environment with minimal natural disasters.
“The data center that was built in 2010, 2011 is not the data center that we're seeing coming online in 2026 through 2030,” Alizadeh said. “They are becoming a lot more environmentally conscious, a lot smarter about water use.”
The City of Buckeye plans to bring in a data center where a master planned housing community used to be.
“That data center development will use less than half of the water that the residential would have used on that site,” Mayor Eric Orsborn said.
Mayor Orsborn said while data centers may not be a smart option for every community, the wide space available in Buckeye makes it easier to build large-scale warehouses further away from homes.
“The revenues that we'll see off of data centers are incredible in the future for the city of Buckeye,” Osborn said. “For us, it means being able to hire police and fire and build parks and develop the airport."
