The Resource-Draining Origins of Our AI Assistants: Potential Policy Solutions to the Unregulated Growth of Georgia’s Data Center Industry

Data centers have been used for decades to store vital information and run complicated algorithms. They have become increasingly important for cloud storage and, more recently, the growth of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine-learning technologies. As the data center industry grows, its actual and potential environmental impacts should be monitored. Data centers consume vast amounts of water and power to function, sometimes harming the communities in which they operate. Currently, data center regulation is evolving rapidly. States across the U.S. are taking various approaches to mitigate the consequences of data center development. However, in the United States, companies are currently not required by the federal government to report power or water consumption. While larger data centers owned by tech giants tend to have high sustainability goals, the industry lags behind ideal sustainability levels of sustainability. There is ongoing debate as to whether data center development brings net economic good to the communities in which they operate when considering direct and indirect factors. Across the country, data center development is increasing, especially in Georgia and the Atlanta metro area. There are several reasons Georgia is an attractive location for data center development, including access to reliable power, a booming tech industry, and beneficial tax incentives. Given its position as an emerging data center hub, Georgia is well-placed to make strides in data center policy that addresses environmental and socioeconomic concerns. The Georgia government should introduce state-level regulations that create a data center study committee and a sustainability penalty policy. The study committee will enhance policymakers’ understanding of data center resource consumption and inform future policy. The sustainability penalty system will incentivize use of renewable energy to mitigate the effects of high energy consumption. This will foster a more sustainable data center industry that considers the environment, Georgia’s emissions goals, and the well-being of Georgia residents.