Data centers are a topic of recent Development Authority meeting

The Moultrie-Colquitt County Development Authority held a recent meeting where data centers were a primary topic of discussion. Attorney Will Horkan gave a presentation to the board, providing high-level information on data centers, their functions, and the pros and cons they present to communities. Horkan explained that data centers, which store and transmit data for cloud computing, AI, cell phones, and social media, operate 24/7. He described them as large buildings housing servers with massive AC, cooling systems, and significant power requirements, often using liquefied natural gas generators or direct grid connections. He noted the industry's growth, particularly since the rise of generative AI, with the U.S. having nearly 3,900 data centers, Georgia being one of the top five states. He outlined two business models: hyperscalers like Google, Amazon, and Microsoft building their own facilities, often aiming to be "good neighbors" without incentives; and real estate developers building multi-tenant centers that may seek incentives. Horkan highlighted benefits such as tremendous capital investment (potentially billions), significant ad valorem tax revenue, high-paying tech jobs, and attraction of other tech businesses. However, he also addressed concerns, including their intensive energy and water consumption (a medium-sized data center can use 110 million gallons of water annually, often with high mineral content runoff from evaporative cooling systems) and noise pollution from cooling units and generators. Horkan stressed the importance of having clear zoning laws, appropriate noise containment, setback requirements, and considering infrastructure and cost-sharing agreements for communities planning for data center development.