{
  "id": 9049516,
  "title": "How to stop data centers from grabbing too much power",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/22/how-to-stop-data-centers-from-grabbing-too-much-power",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-09-22T01:12:03.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Korea Times",
    "slug": "the-korea-times",
    "url": "https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/opinion/20260922/how-to-stop-data-centers-from-grabbing-too-much-power"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Data centers, a physical manifestation of the digital age, are expanding rapidly alongside the growth of artificial intelligence. While this technological progress is undeniable, concerns about their environmental and social impacts are mounting, potentially limiting their future growth.\n\nThe digital economy, seemingly intangible, relies on substantial physical infrastructure that demands significant land, energy, water resources, and investment. This dependency is evident in the data center industry, which is growing at an unprecedented rate. International examples underscore this trend, with data centers consuming 21% of Ireland's electricity in 2023, potentially increasing to 32% this year.\n\nIn the United States, the situation is projected to worsen, with data centers' share of energy demand expected to triple from 4% in 2023 to 12% by 2028. This shift has sparked political and public debates. According to a Gallup poll, 71% of Americans oppose the construction of data centers in their local communities due to concerns over energy and water usage.\n\nBeyond environmental worries, data centers also raise local issues such as increased traffic, noise, and potential job market disruptions. Research suggests these impacts could pressure local economies and communities, further fueling the controversy surrounding data centers.",
  "summary": "The rapid expansion of data centers has become one of the most tangible expressions of the artificial intelligence revolution. But debate about their environmental, economic and social impact threatens their future development. And rightly so. Although the digital economy is often seen as weightless, every cloud service and AI application depends on massive physical infrastructure that takes up…",
  "key_points": [
    "Data centers consume 21% of Ireland's electricity in 2023, potentially rising to 32% this year.",
    "U.S. data centers' energy demand expected to triple from 4% in 2023 to 12% by 2028.",
    "71% of Americans oppose local data center construction due to energy and water concerns."
  ],
  "editors_take": "Growing public and political unease over data centers' environmental and social impacts may limit their future growth, forcing the industry to balance technological progress with community concerns and resource sustainability.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The Korea Times",
        "title": "How to stop data centers from grabbing too much power",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/22/how-to-stop-data-centers-from-grabbing-too-much-power-9051618",
        "published": "2026-09-22T01:22:03.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "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."
}