After tough opposition from residents, Google has canceled plans to build a $1 billion data center in Franklin Township, Indianapolis.
Futurism reported the facility would have occupied over 460 acres of land and would have required the area to be rezoned. It is unclear whether the data center would have been used for AI or for another purpose.
Regardless of the specific way the computers are being used, that much computing power takes a lot of electricity. Residents were concerned that the data center would drive up the price of electricity, not just for the data center itself, but for all the residents surrounding it.
That's in line with the experiences of many other communities across America and worldwide, where data centers have been popping up for AI, online commerce, and cryptocurrency mining.
All of these data centers aren't just bad for the budgets of the communities where they reside; they are also bad for the environment. The extra electricity usage means extra pollution, except in cases where the data center comes with its own clean energy solution. Meanwhile, most data centers also draw large amounts of fresh water to cool their servers, and many pollute their surroundings with chemical coolants.
Indianapolis residents weren't on board with any of these outcomes, so at a meeting with the Indianapolis City Council to discuss rezoning the area for use as a data center, protesters showed up in droves. Lawyers representing Google withdrew their plans for the operation.
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"We beat Google," said one unidentified resident in an X video shared by More Perfect Union. "For a long time, we felt like four people with cardboard swords fighting a monster, but tonight shows that people power still rings."
"This was do-or-die," said another woman in the same video. "We came prepared to fight with everything we have against this data center."
Despite this victory, residents must remain vigilant: Google can re-file the plans in a mere three months, Futurism revealed. However, if the local community is willing to continue taking action, it could prevent this development from taking place.
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