In the News: Manjeet Rege on the Growing Demand for Data Centers

Manjeet Rege, a professor in the Department of Software Engineering and Data Science at the University of St. Thomas, explained to FOX 9 that the rapid expansion of artificial intelligence is significantly increasing the demand for data centers. Rege underscored the substantial resource requirements of these facilities, specifically noting their high energy consumption and the millions of gallons of water often used for cooling thousands of servers, which can also impact local electricity bills. Rege also raised concerns about the lack of transparency in data center development, stating that projects are frequently announced under code names. This practice leaves residents uninformed about the developers, such as Google or Meta, and the long-term environmental and infrastructure impacts. He emphasized that this secrecy often leads to public controversy, particularly regarding the need for power grid upgrades and who will bear those costs. While acknowledging the financial benefits, such as revenue generation and an influx of funds for communities that could support services like school districts, Rege countered the common perception of data centers creating numerous permanent jobs. He clarified that most jobs are temporary construction-related roles, with only about 100 permanent IT infrastructure positions after a facility is built. FOX 9's Courtney Godfrey questioned the implications of not building new data centers despite societal reliance on digital services. Rege concluded that without sufficient regional capacity, demand would go unserved, leading to slower response times for online activities like using ChatGPT, ultimately resulting in consumer dissatisfaction.