Positionality Statement

I have a very passionate relationship with this data set as someone who has been active in leading organizing against extractive industries, including the tech industry and the proliferation of AI and cryptocurrency data centers. Specifically, through my organizing work with organizations like Fridays For Future NYC & USA and Sunrise Movement NYC, I worked to pass a 2022 New York bill implementing a now-expired moratorium on crypto-mining centers in New York due to their significant climate impact, environmental justice issues, and their role in lifting up the fossil fuel energy and utility rates. I’m now working on a bill in New York State to implement a state-wide long-term moratorium on AI data centers. Through this work, I’ve gotten to work with many folks on the frontlines of these extractive industries, and I’m very invested in organizing efforts to hold Big Tech accountable and instead design a future that works for us, is grounded in justice and relation, and not in profit for tech billionaires. To me, this data visualization tool and mapping project is a tool to work towards that future.

Research Focus

Data centers are a growing phenomenon as the tech industry rapidly expands and requires larger servers and more power. AI, in particular, has resulted in a recent boom in the demand of many technological resources, including data centers and servers, especially since most AI programs run externally rather than locally on a user’s computer. Data centers, as massive computer systems, require great amounts of energy to function, currently 1.5% of global energy usage. These run on local infrastructure or have their own generators or power plants to run, each producing their own problems. Data centers using local energy infrastructure can drive energy prices up for local residents and sometimes create levels of demand that force even energy providers that use clean energy sources to burn fossil fuels to keep up. If the energy providers can’t keep up with demand, local residents may be forced to ration energy or have rolling blackouts. On the other hand, data centers with private generators and plants make their own choices on what energy sources to use, and in some instances like Elon Musk’s data centers for Grok, violate regulations for the amount of air pollution or generators that can be running. The companies that own data centers are not the same as those that run energy infrastructure, and as such are more private and smaller scale and lower priority for enforcement of regulations. Many data centers also produce significant noise pollution that disturb local residents and wildlife, sometimes at unsafe decibel levels. Water use and pollution is a problem as well, as many data centers use freshwater for cooling. In areas of frequent droughts, like California, this pulls water from residents, wildlife, and farming, where water is very necessary.

Skills & Methods