Big backlash: NJ town already has an AI data center. Now it may get another

Residents of East Windsor, New Jersey, are voicing strong opposition to a proposed 272,000-square-foot AI data center expansion by QTS Data Center on the former McGraw-Hill campus. The facility, which would be a second data center built adjacent to an existing 560,000-square-foot QTS facility completed last year, has generated "big backlash" from the community. Public meetings held by the local Planning Board have seen crowds of concerned residents, with no public support for the expansion reported by TapInto. A third meeting has been relocated to accommodate more attendees. The opposition stems from concerns over the significant electricity and water demands of such facilities, their potential environmental impact, and the perceived limited number of permanent jobs they create. These worries are amplified by the recent "skyrocketing electric rates" in New Jersey, which Governor Mikie Sherrill has declared an emergency and attributed to the proliferation of data centers. The proposed data center expansion would require additional electrical service from Jersey Central Power & Light.