One farmer is standing up against AI and big tech in his town.
Dr. Tim Grosser owns a 250-acre plot of land in Maysville, Kentucky. He lives, farms, and hunts on the land, but someone else has their eye on the space.
According to Local 12, an "engineering consultant for what we're told is one of the largest AI companies in the world" announced the company's plan to "buy Dr. Grosser's land and a lot more surrounding it to build a massive AI data center."
The construction and operation of the 2,000-acre data center could create hundreds of jobs for the community, and the company offered millions of dollars for the land — but residents like Dr. Grosser insist it isn't worth it.
First, the offer was $4 million. Then it was $8 million. However, Dr. Grosser just won't budge.
"That money can't buy happiness," Dr. Grosser said, per Local 12.
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A data center is a large facility that hosts online infrastructure, like servers and computers. Data centers are extremely energy-intensive, as the always-on hardware produces a significant amount of heat and needs constant cooling.
Not only do they use massive amounts of electricity and water, but they also produce a ton of carbon pollution.
A Reuters analysis found that data centers are "expected to produce about 2.5 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide-equivalent emissions globally through the end of the decade."
Data centers aren't a new issue, but the rapid adoption of artificial intelligence and increased need for cloud services has sent them into the spotlight.
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Definitely 👍 Some companies are working on making their centers more sustainable by using solar panels and batteries or using excess heat to warm homes.
Still, an enormous energy-intensive, water-using, carbon-producing data center could be disastrous for local farmers like Dr. Grosser.
Mason County, which includes Maysville and Dr. Grosser's land, is just one of many potential sites for the data center, and the county expects a final decision by June of 2026, per Local 12.
But, regardless of their choice, Dr. Grosser is set on keeping his land.
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