Where does the cooling water go when used by a data center? My city has a gas fired electrical generation plant on a small lake. Nobody complains that they use the water and we are in a drought. Do data centers recycle their cooling water or is it discharged as steam.

Just wondering.

It depends on the design of the cooling center. On older ones it tended to evaporate with some being released as wastewater. Newer designs of cooling centers use closed- loop recirculation systems in which no evaporation occurs. Just depends on which kind yours is.

In either event it sounds as if the people of your town realize the advantages of the manufacturing outweigh any downside.

Yeah not water as much as electricity that will be drained. Do some research. If you own the land they buy you are in great shape. Power drain is burning up compressors in ac units/ freezers in nearby homes

Yes, large data centers can drain local power grids and affect your home's electricity. They can trigger power distortions and brownouts, which may damage home appliances.Here is how data centers impact local neighborhoods:Power "Drains" (Grid Strain): A single large data center can use as much power as a small city. This constant, heavy power pull can strain the grid, increasing the risk of blackouts.Damaging Fluctuations: Data centers can cause "harmonic distortions" in the power flow. This poor power quality creates voltage fluctuations that can shorten the lifespan of household electronics and damage appliances.Higher Utility Bills: The massive energy demand forces power companies to build expensive new infrastructure. These costs are often passed on to regular consumers through higher monthly power bills.Diesel Pollution: During grid emergencies, data centers may be forced to run hundreds of loud, backup diesel generators, significantly reducing local air quality.Learn

Manufacturing? Other than building construction they don't Manufacture anything once it's up and running.

The Micron facility they are building in North Syracuse, NY on a 600 acre site, they have built a 6 foot in diameter water pipeline from Lake Ontario near Oswego,NY to the micron site. I do not know the exact amount of water that will be used daily, but I’ve heard that is substantial amount. Also, I do not know how much will end up released as steam or warm waste water.

What's the global impact if the US falls behind other countries in the development of AI centers

Excellent question!
When you say "other countries" there's really only one that matters

Here's another question to consider: who do you think is pushing all the anti-data center propaganda in the US? Its not the russian bots. think china...

What do these data centers produce besides storing every bit of information on us ? All I see is make it easy for big brother to see we are behaving to plan or putting gibberish in ebay listings or searches. So why the big importance?

I live close by there, the estimate I've heard is roughly 9 million gallons per day. I'm not sure how its discharged though.

Weird porn and AI girlfriends

You're correct in the literal sense. Once the construction is done the main benefit is the property tax revenue generated by it. What data centers produce isn't a tangible product, but rather processing capacity.

MT traps asked what they produce.... so what does that processing capacity provide? The computing power that runs the world. Do you use an app for your bank, or to order a burger? Does your business run any sort of software? Do you use software to do your taxes? Do you use a bank at all? Because if you do, there is no doubt a large and powerful system in charge of your money that is being ran off of that processing capacity. Do you go to the casino? All of those slot machines are on a networked system, ya know. Heck, you can't even go to a grocery store to buy a tomato without several computing systems having been used to get that tomato from the farmer's dirt and onto your table. Having a surgery? You better hope the hospital's computer system doesn't go down when you're in the middle of it. Do you watch Netflix or Hulu or Directv? Do you browse trapperman.com?

Like it or not..... the world is now digital. There is likely no going back from that short of complete societal breakdown. Technology is going to keep advancing. And have no doubt, as it does, it will require more energy and SOMEONE is going to provide it. If there is a demand for something and someone willing to pay for it....... someone WILL provide it. ''

The question we need to be asking ourselves is who should that be?

If there is a data center in Charles' town utilizing local water and no one other than him seems to have a problem with it, there must be a reason why no one does..... that facility must be providing something to the community that they feel makes it a worthwhile trade.

My assumption is alot of the people that are against them know little to nothing about what they do. Im in that category too of not exactly knowing the benefits of them but id at least know the benefits of them before I formed an option.

Resources to build them and to up grade the electrical grid and the development of new energy to drive them will be a huge driver of the economy in the next 20 years. My assumption is they will be very profitable when up and running or there wouldn't be so much money from large corporations being spent on building them. 40 years ago who would think computers would change the way we work and live the way they have.

Has it really improved things for the good?
I think the bad parts of the Internet far outweigh the few good parts
And when has big business and the government done anything to actually help the working class without a big payout for them?

What would your opinion be on them if they came to Kansas and decided to put one up covering every square inch of dirt you run cattle, hunt, and trap on?

On land sold by consent or by immenent domain?

In my opinion, immenent domain is a separate issue. Its a serious issue, that I find infuriating at times, but it separate from the question of should we allow data centers.

I get your point but you ain't giving up the internet are you. And if we fall behind globally in technology we are at great risk. Most people dont realize the convenience technology has brought to our lives. But you struggle if we had to give it up. Everything must advance to it falls behind and gets passed by. If we still lived like the 1800s we'd be a third world country right now.

[b][/b]No offense to you or anyone else, but until you’ve had them take your land, or attempt to take your land that you are 7th generation owner of; I don’t really care about your thoughts or opinions. Everyone thinks it’s great and it’s the only way till they’re the ones getting took from. We lost 100 acres 20 years ago for a new water treatment facility. They took it eminent domain because the nearby city needed it……its water 100% is used to cool a nearby google facility. 2 years ago AI wanted 120 acres real bad. My dad was dying, they offered him 13 million. He told them to pound sand. I intend to do the same as long as I can. I’m 7th generation and I intend to keep it that way as long as I can. Next time they come knockin, I’ll direct them south to Kansas. You can retire your rope and saddle for a WiFi boost and added storage. I’ll keep planting corn, killing deer and trapping coyotes up north

Fighting to preserve ones lifestyle is a noble quest but history paints a pretty clear picture how that turns out in the end. Keep in mind the land your Fighting to preserve was taken by eminent domain from another society before so your family could do what you have done with it for 7 generations.

I hope they make their way down to you and you can retire a rich man when you sell em all your dirt