Why New England doesn't have large AI data centers, and what the region is doing to prepare for them
The New England region has no hyperscale AI training data centers yet, but several proposals and existing facilities are prompting debate over land use, electricity, water, pollution and community impacts. Massachusetts has introduced requirements for large data centers, while New Hampshire’s governor is proposing a statewide moratorium and ISO New England is planning for future demand. Lowell residents have sued over generator pollution and noise at the Markley data center.
New England has roughly 100 mostly smaller or colocation data centers, concentrated around Greater Boston, but the region has not attracted the hyperscale AI training facilities being built elsewhere. Developers face limited land, high electricity costs, difficult permitting, grid constraints and public concerns about environmental impacts. Proposals in Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine are at varying stages, while some projects have been shelved or lost permits.
The article highlights Equinix’s facility in Billerica and Markley’s Lowell data center as examples of existing operations. Lowell residents sued Markley and the state over additional backup generators, citing exhaust and noise, while Markley says it complies with state testing rules. Massachusetts now requires data centers larger than 25 megawatts to obtain local support, enter community benefits agreements and provide their own energy source. New Hampshire Gov. Kelly Ayotte has said she supports a statewide moratorium, and ISO New England is developing procedures to assess large data center grid connections and protect customers from increased costs.