NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Every time someone accesses email, views a video, or orders something online, all that data flows from your device to super computer servers in data centers. And then routes information back to you all within a few seconds.
John Wallin, Data Scientist at MTSU says, "The thing driving data centers is AI- basically high-density equipment. " Wallin says this equipment needs power. The demand for energy from one server rack has more than quadrupled since 2022. These servers use 200-600 kW per rack. Total Electricity consumption by U.S. data centers since 2020 have increased and by 2030 is projected to reach 426 terawatts.
Metro Nashville City Council Member for District 26 Courtney Johnston hears constituents concerned about noise, water, energy consumption. "There's a litany of things where you hears these horror stories from across the country or around the world where communities have been impacted by this humming sound- constant humming sound, any sort of electromagnetic... Really, is our power-grid going to be affected by it? What about our water supply? All of those things." Johnston said Metro Nashville Council is contemplating a text amendment to add data center as a land use in our code. "Right now it is not defined. There is no such thing in our code as a data center. So where they go, how large they can be, how many megawatts of power they can pull- all of those things are not regulated. So there is a bill right now that is being contemplated now. It's gone through the planning commission." Johnston also has filed a moratorium in case the bill is delayed in passing to ensure construction of new data centers in Nashville are stopped until the bill passes and regulation is in place.
