Residents suing Hyperscale data center in West Michigan over 'unreasonable, excessive noise'
Residents in Dowagiac, Michigan are suing Hyperscale Data, Inc. and its subsidiary Alliance Cloud Services, LLC, over "unreasonable and excessive noise" emanating from their digital asset mining facility. The lawsuit blames the facility's cooling fans and lack of noise barriers. The City of Dowagiac has also taken action by revising its noise ordinance and the Mayor has demanded more communication from Hyperscale regarding a planned expansion.
Residents in Dowagiac, Michigan, are actively opposing the Hyperscale data center, a digital asset mining facility owned by Alliance Cloud Services, LLC, a subsidiary of Hyperscale Data, Inc. The facility, which opened in 2022 at the Business Center of Southwest Michigan, is facing a lawsuit from neighbors, including Mitchell Gourley and Philip Cunningham, who claim it emits "unreasonable and excessive noise." They describe the constant noise, attributed to cooling fans and a lack of barriers, as akin to a vacuum cleaner running all the time, making it difficult to enjoy their properties.
The lawsuit asserts that the noise levels, measured between 60 and 70 decibels (comparable to a dishwasher or air conditioning unit running continuously), constitute nuisance and negligence, causing property damage. While the City of Dowagiac is not a party to the lawsuit, it has taken action in response to noise complaints, revising its noise ordinance in March to establish day and night limits. Furthermore, Mayor Patrick Bateman issued an open letter in April, demanding greater communication from Hyperscale regarding its planned expansion into an area known as Wojtczak.