Huge AI data center project blindsides water-stressed town in Brazil
As water wells turn to dust, local leaders learn of the massive facility firsthand from reporters.
Paracatu, a town in Brazil, is facing an unexpected challenge as a massive AI data center project is set to begin construction within the next two months, according to reports. The city's mayor, Manoel Alves, expressed his surprise upon learning of the development, questioning whether the information had reached other local authorities, business owners, farmers, and citizens.
The 1-gigawatt data center is projected to surpass the total capacity of all existing data centers in Brazil, which currently total around 800 megawatts. The project is being led by Atlas Renewable Energy, a subsidiary of the global asset manager BlackRock, and is part of the Stargate initiative, a significant AI infrastructure network backed by the U.S. administration during Donald Trump's presidency.
Written by urgent.news from Mongabay's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
