{
  "id": 1898042,
  "title": "The data center backlash is sending AI infrastructure to some unexpected places",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/19/the-data-center-backlash-is-sending-ai-infrastructure-to-some",
  "topic": "ai",
  "section": "AI",
  "published": "2026-08-19T08:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Fast Company",
    "slug": "fast-company",
    "url": "https://www.fastcompany.com/91590558/the-push-to-put-data-centers-anywhere-but-land"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "On July 18, a wave of protests swept across 42 U.S. states, with participants demanding a halt to the proliferation of data centers in their communities. The movement now boasts 183 towns with moratoriums or bans on new data centers, according to the U.S. Data Center Moratorium Tracker. The reasons for opposition are numerous, ranging from fears about excessive energy and water usage to noisy operations and unmet job creation promises. A March 2026 Gallup poll revealed that 70% of Americans oppose the construction of AI data centers within their local areas.\n\nIn response to mounting discontent, companies are exploring unconventional locations for their data centers. Portland-based startup Panthalassa is aiming to deploy floating data centers in the ocean, powered by wave energy. This innovative design aims to eliminate the need for massive water-cooling systems, a major point of contention for critics. Panthalassa has already secured $225 million in funding and a nearly $2 billion valuation before its inaugural launch.\n\nChina's Shanghai Lingang undersea data center, situated six miles off the coast of Shanghai, is the first of its kind to harness wind power and utilize natural ocean cooling, resulting in 95% renewable energy usage and a 100% reduction in water consumption. The initiative has received $226 million in investment.\n\nStarcloud, a Y Combinator startup, is pushing the envelope by constructing data centers in space. The Redmond, Washington-based company launched its first satellite, Starcloud-1, into orbit in November 2025, becoming the first entity to train a large language model in space. Its unique location relies on solar power and space-based cooling, offering 10 times lower energy costs compared to terrestrial data centers. Starcloud's second satellite is slated for launch in October 2026, with significantly increased power-generation capabilities.\n\nOther companies are also venturing into space-based data centers. Axiom Space has launched low-Earth-orbit data centers as part of a Kepler satellite network, while Elon Musk's SpaceX and Jeff Bezos's Blue Origin are both planning to deploy thousands of solar-powered satellites in space.\n\nFor Scandinavian tech firms, the solution lies beneath the ground. Norway's Lefdal Mine Datacenter, located 197 feet below sea level within a mountain, is a 1.3 million-square-foot facility powered by hydro and wind energy, and it utilizes cold fjord water for cooling. Carbon neutral and situated 2,000 feet underground, it minimizes local disturbance and avoids potential complaints from nearby residents.\n\nSwedish Bahnhof Data Centers also operate underground, with two of its seven facilities housed in converted Cold War nuclear bunkers. The Pionen facility in Stockholm's White Mountains, built 100 feet below ground, has 800 kilowatts of capacity, and its excess heat is recycled into the local district heating network.",
  "summary": "On July 18, 142 protests were held across 42 states . They all shared one goal: to stop data center development in American communities. The protests are part of a growing movement to keep data centers out of towns across the country. Already, 183 U.S. towns have data center moratoriums or bans , according to the U.S. Data Center Moratorium Tracker. Little wonder why. Many Americans are unhappy…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}