Data Centers

[Gulf of America]

I saw another article today Laramie County commissioners voting unanimously to approve a huge (1.8 gigawatt, eventually scaling to 10 GW) data center near Gillette, and there are a bunch in the works in Montana. Other than building industry and some tech support and custodial services, the number of ongoing jobs doesn't seem like it would be enough to change the makeup of a community. Does anybody have convincing arguments about how these provide a net benefit to actual residents of a community/state?

 

[Nameless Range]

I suppose they could provide a fair bit of tax revenue, but if I were a local I would be concerned. There's a 5,000 acre data center project being proposed out by Broadview, Montana. That's a lot of land to be swallowed up by soulless buildings employing a marginal amount of people, a disproportionate number of which are likely to be H1-B Visa holders.

I do believe the environmental impacts are often overstated, but the power requirements for these operations don't seem to be met by current infrastructure, and when s#!t hits the fan it's not clear that they won't be given priority while the actual human beings on the grid will either pay more or have less reliable power.

AI is part of the future and data centers are a component of that, but the deals I have seen don't seem that sweet.

 

[Nunjagottam]

Research the bitcoin mine opened up on the outskirts of Williston ND and the effect it has had on surrounding property owners. I'd imagine these data centers will provide similar benefits to their neighbors.

 

[Rainer]

The only thing it may do is upgrade the energy grid in the area

 

[Jorgy]

The only thing it may do is upgrade the energy grid in the area

and increase your electricity expenses

 

[Jamen]

I do some contracted work for a company here. I can see both sides of the coin. AI is here to stay for the good or bad. The tax money is nice for smaller communities. but i can see the drawbacks as well.

 

[Nick87]

I saw another article today Laramie County commissioners voting unanimously to approve a huge (1.8 gigawatt, eventually scaling to 10 GW) data center near Gillette, and there are a bunch in the works in Montana. Other than building industry and some tech support and custodial services, the number of ongoing jobs doesn't seem like it would be enough to change the makeup of a community. Does anybody have convincing arguments about how these provide a net benefit to actual residents of a community/state?

No. And they funded the majority of my income last year. Not a fan, but I'm not really sure what you're/we're going to do about it.

 

[Gulf of America]

I'm sure the tax revenue is a big selling point for politicians, but we all know that our taxes aren't actually going to go down as a result. And based on the deals NWE has made so far, it seems that regular ratepayers bear the burden (cost) of building while reaping none of the benefits (unless they're shareholders - my NWE shares are up 32% since June with generous dividends. Figured if I'm forced to pay them more every month, I might as well get some of the benefits too).

 

[Fire_9]

I think water consumption is going to be one of the biggest issues as these continue to pop up

 

[Nick87]

I think water consumption is going to be one of the biggest issues as these continue to pop up

I agree.

 

[jryoung]

I think water consumption is going to be one of the biggest issues as these continue to pop up

Water and power.

First issue on siting is power, if you have grid capacity, you're getting a data center.

Many sites are BYOP (power), they're designing and building on site power plants. Water and natural gas service will be key for many, and there are companies like mainspring creating local scale energy production. https://www.mainspringenergy.com/product

 

[Wild Bill]

From what I've read, and I'm by no means well versed in them, there are a variety of different types of data centers and each different type has different needs (water, electricity, manpower) involved in their daily operations. Some use closed loop cooling systems (use less water) some do not. Some require folks at the facility round the clock to operate, some do not. Some are large, some are small. Some are for processing, some are for storage, some are for security, some are for other uses.

The term "data center" is very broad and because of that, they all are painted with the same broad strokes, when in reality, there is a lot more nuance to them and certain data centers would fit certain applications and locations better than others.

I would hate to be a politician crafting laws regarding their regulation, because it seems like it a very decisive topic and no matter the outcome, you'd have a large portion of folks upset at you and calling for your head.

 

[Redmt]

California is planning the same thing. They can't even keep the lights on.

 

[Outlaw99]

I have a lot to say on this topic, however I don’t have the motivation in my fingers nor enough Copenhagen in my system to tackle my thoughts at the moment. I have too much experience with this and none of it’s good.

 

[BigHornRam]

I saw another article today Laramie County commissioners voting unanimously to approve a huge (1.8 gigawatt, eventually scaling to 10 GW) data center near Gillette, and there are a bunch in the works in Montana. Other than building industry and some tech support and custodial services, the number of ongoing jobs doesn't seem like it would be enough to change the makeup of a community. Does anybody have convincing arguments about how these provide a net benefit to actual residents of a community/state?

This is the project you are talking about. It's near Cheyenne, not Gillette.

1.8 gigabyte AI data center in Wyoming gets
local green light | Wyoming Public Media https://share.google/sk0I3o86cSMYDlWeI

First blush, seems like something we will regret in the future. Kind of like wind farms.

 

[Nuts]

I have a lot to say on this topic, however I don’t have the motivation in my fingers nor enough Copenhagen in my system to tackle my thoughts at the moment. I have too much experience with this and none of it’s good.

lol. I will respond. At work so its ALP in lieu of Copenhagen. We have seen ridiculous offers on land around here. A relatives business that set on 600acres was purchased for one. So I will have one 5 miles from my house and they are putting one in a couple hundred yards from my office. The only real effect it has had on me to date is that some of the better electricians are chasing the money. (Can't blame them)This has led to inexperienced Forman on projects. Which isn't good

 

[WyoCoalMiner]

This is the project you are talking about. It's near Cheyenne, not Gillette.

1.8 gigabyte AI data center in Wyoming gets
local green light | Wyoming Public Media https://share.google/sk0I3o86cSMYDlWeI

First blush, seems like something we will regret in the future. Kind of like wind farms.

Additional background on the project. Potential to grow to 2.7 GW not 10 GW as mentioned in the OP. For context 2.7 GW's is 3 times the entire State of Wyoming's current power consumption.

Huge Cheyenne Data Center Grows To 2.7 Gigawatts — Nearly Triple State Power Use

Cheyenne has approved Project Jade, a Tallgrass–Crusoe AI data center using up to 2.7 GW of self-generated power, nearly triple the entire state’s power…

cowboystatedaily.com

 

[BigHornRam]

Additional background on the project. Potential to grow to 2.7 GW not 10 GW as mentioned in the OP. For context 2.7 GW's is 3 times the entire State of Wyoming's current power consumption.

Huge Cheyenne Data Center Grows To 2.7 Gigawatts — Nearly Triple State Power Use

Cheyenne has approved Project Jade, a Tallgrass–Crusoe AI data center using up to 2.7 GW of self-generated power, nearly triple the entire state’s power…

cowboystatedaily.com

I take it the government is going to be the customer?

 

[WyoCoalMiner]

I take it the government is going to be the customer?

No idea. But that would be a solid bet.

 

[WapitiBob]

We have a bunch of them, Meta and Apple. They get tax breaks here, they aren't a real revenue generator except for the crews building them. A friend of mine is a super for one of the companies doing the interior build outs. He's in Cheyenne now working on that center.