Environmental activist Erin Brockovich has launched a crowdsourced map that tracks more than 4,000 major AI data centers across the United States.
The Brockovich AI Data Center Reporting website aims to give the public “a platform to speak up and voice concerns about AI data centers in their communities” by naming where they are “already operating, under construction, rumored or proposed projects . . . focusing on locations where communities are actively voicing concerns.”
“The RACE to build AI infrastructures is unfolding town by town across America,” Brockovich said on the website. “In some places, data centers are welcomed. In others, they are delayed, contested or abandoned altogether. This MAP captures the real-world footprint of that race—revealing patterns of growth, conflict and uncertainty.”
Brockovich rose to fame after actor Julia Roberts played her in the 2000 movie Erin Brockovich, based on the activist’s relentless attempts to help a small California community hold the Pacific Gas and Electric Co. (PG&E) accountable for polluting the local water supply. That work eventually led to a class-action lawsuit settlement of $333 million on behalf of the affected plaintiffs.
Scientists and community activists argue that massive data centers, needed to power Big Tech’s AI boom, create a whole host of problems that drain local communities by raising energy demand and utility bills, tapping water supplies, and polluting the environment. They also argue that the data centers are disproportionately located in lower-income areas.
As Fast Company recently reported, a new study from Arizona State University shows data centers also create “heat islands,” making already-warm American cities even hotter by as many as 4 degrees.
Where are the AI data centers located?
The map reveals that of the current 2,716 crowdsourced data center reports to date, a majority are in Texas (612), trailed by Pennsylvania (195), Ohio (155), and Georgia (126).
Here’s a breakdown of the U.S. locations with the most AI data centers, ranked in order, according to the map:
- Sulphur Springs, Texas (297)
- Lusby, Maryland (36)
- Box Elder County, Utah (31)
- Archbald, Pennsylvania (30)
- Abilene, Texas (18)
- Madison, Indiana (16)
- Fort Meade, Florida (14)
- Lebanon, Indiana (13)
- Lufkin, Texas (13)
- Maysville, Georgia (12)
Based on the Brockovich AI Data Center Reporting’s crowdsourced data, most people are concerned about how the centers will affect their community’s water supply (41.2%), electric supply grid (22.2%), and overall health (18.1%).
Check out the full interactive map and breakdown here.
