What a data center is.
This page covers data centers in general. For the project in Washington County, see The Project.
What is a data center?
A data center is a building full of computers. That is really all it is. When you store photos in the cloud, stream a movie, use online banking, video call your grandchildren, or ask an AI assistant a question, a computer in a data center somewhere does that work. Data centers are the physical buildings behind the internet.
Why are so many being built right now?
Demand for computing has grown faster in the past three years than at any point in the internet's history, driven by cloud services and artificial intelligence. The companies behind these services are building facilities across the country, and they look for available land, reliable power, and communities with a history of hosting industry. That is why a rural Georgia county with an established industrial park is exactly the kind of place these projects land.
What does a data center do all day?
It runs computers, keeps them cool, and keeps them secure. Inside, the buildings are mostly quiet rows of equipment. They are lightly staffed compared to a factory floor, largely dark at night, and their main needs are electricity, cooling, and connectivity.
What does a data center mean for a host community?
Three things, mainly. First, tax revenue: data centers are among the highest-value taxpayers a county can host, because the buildings and the equipment inside them are taxed as property. Second, jobs: construction employs large crews for several years, and operations employ a smaller permanent technical staff at strong wages. Third, very little burden on services: data centers send no children to schools, generate little daily traffic compared to retail or manufacturing, and make few demands on public services relative to what they pay in.
Do data centers use a lot of water?
Some older designs do. Modern closed-loop designs do not. This is the most misunderstood subject in the national conversation, and the answer depends entirely on the cooling technology a facility uses. The facility in Washington County uses a closed-loop system. See Myths & Facts for the details and for everyday comparisons that put the numbers in perspective.
Do data centers raise residential power bills?
What happens to rates depends on the utility involved and the agreements in place. A large industrial customer pays for its own power and infrastructure, and it broadens the base of customers over which a utility's fixed costs are spread. In Washington County, this project converts operations already running at the campus and adds no new electric demand. See Myths & Facts for the details.
A note on what circulates online.
Much of what circulates on social media about data centers is inaccurate, and some of it does not come from where it appears to come from. The Documents page collects primary sources and reporting.
