COUNTERPOINT | South Dakotans should decide if data centers are worth the cost
Guest column by Brooke Manca, Dakota Rural Action member
Would you be surprised to learn that using ChatGPT, Artificial Intelligence (AI) photo editing, or even asking your Alexa or Siri a question contributes to significant water and electricity consumption? While it may seem like this information is simply lost in the ether, it is actually stored in data centers, which have been popping up across the United States, and we are now starting to see them in our own backyards.
Data centers are being proposed in places such as Sioux Falls, Toronto (Deuel County) and even at the gate of the sacred Black Hills — in Rapid City’s new industrial complex. AI developers state that they are targeting colder climate areas to reduce the amount of energy needed to operate these data centers. Addressing the energy needs, employment promises and overall environmental impact of data centers will allow South Dakotans to decide whether we really want this infrastructure to be developed in our state. We live here, and our voices matter.
