UIS to host talk on environmental impact of data centers
The University of Illinois Springfield will host a public presentation on the environmental effects of artificial intelligence and data center development. Researchers raised concerns about CyrusOne's planned Sangamon County facility, particularly its 420 diesel backup generators, potential air pollution and heat-island effects.
The University of Illinois Springfield will host epidemiologist Mary Willis of Boston University on Oct. 21 for a public discussion of the environmental impacts of artificial intelligence and data center development. Willis will address local effects and potential policy responses, drawing on research involving communities, animals and land near U.S. data centers.
The presentation also highlights concerns about CyrusOne's planned data center in rural Sangamon County. Willis and Cornell researcher Max Zhang questioned the facility's proposed 420 diesel backup generators and their possible contribution to particulate pollution. Research cited by the article also suggests data centers can create heat islands extending several miles, though CyrusOne said its facilities comply with applicable environmental and land-use requirements and did not provide surface-temperature data. The potential effects on nearby farmland values and tax assessments remain uncertain.