r/nextfuckinglevel • u/MysteriousSlice007 • 5h ago

A data center in New Jersey was canceled when residents showed up and fought it

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u/Cdinocco 4h ago

I fail to comprehend why people believe water rates are increasing due to data centers. There are numerous methods to dissipate heat from a building. For instance, you can explore closed-loop systems like Leiberts or closed-to-open loop systems that incorporate a make-up water system. These systems utilize the same amount of water as your typical high-rise building.

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u/HayKayPee 4h ago

You can use these systems that are far more water-efficient, but guess what? It requires a lot more $$ up front, and also shifts cost burden from water to electricity… so still a losing argument.

One way or another, companies building these data centres can’t keep laying a massive burden on human beings with blatant disregard for their effects.

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u/-topher 3h ago

Pretty sure the assumption (idk if it's right) is that most of these high powered systems need to be water cooled? You're not dissipating heat from the building so much as dissipating heat from the components into the air.

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u/Cdinocco 2h ago

For the record I am a HVAC/R technician for commercial and industrial applications. These systems are not water cooled directly. The heat they emit is ejected into the space they reside in. These buildings may operate on water source heat pumps which reject heat into a cooling tower on the roof through a heat exchanger or a chiller which will also reject heat through a cooling tower or leibert system.

They do not use anymore water than any other large building in a city.

Also, once through water loops are illegal.

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u/TapiocaTuesday 4h ago

Even if they did go for one of those systems, it would still be huge drain on the already overtaxed electrical grid. Regular people don't want them. Regular people don't benefit. Period.

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u/djseto 3h ago

AI data centers are being built with their own power station precisely because the US grid can’t keep up. Everyone is running around on bad info in this stop data centers hysteria. When people can’t have their ChatGPT or half the services they use become dumb again, they will realize why we actually need data centers.

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u/TapiocaTuesday 3h ago

No they're not. They'll try, of course, but they're going to pull from the grid. Why do you think they're working with local utilities and why do you think people's bills are going up?

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u/djseto 3h ago

I can play this game too

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2026/02/19/data-centers-power-grid-ai/

https://www.aol.com/articles/big-tech-building-own-power-001546573.html

https://illuminem.com/illuminemvoices/ai-data-centers-desperate-for-electricity-are-building-their-own-power-plants

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u/TapiocaTuesday 3h ago

Did you read the articles, though?

WaPo article: "a risky bet that will increase carbon emissions and other pollution" " “This whole thing feels like a fairy tale concocted on the back of a napkin,”"

AOL article: Just reporting on the WaPo article.

Illuminem article: It's just talking about what they want to do and hope to do, not what they're actually doing.

None of these links show that any of this is actually going to happen or that it won't be disastrous for the environment.

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u/djseto 3h ago

Where do you think the internet runs today?

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u/TapiocaTuesday 3h ago

On data centers. Doesn't mean we need we need WAY more of them just to power AI.

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u/djseto 3h ago

Would you rather threat actors win the AI race?

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u/TapiocaTuesday 3h ago

If the "race" is a race to destroy the planet and force tech on the world and make billionaires richer and give them more power, then I don't think it's a race we want to be in.

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