Mayor: Benton Harbor could benefit from data center boom

Benton Harbor Mayor Marcus Muhammad has expressed keen interest in attracting data center developments to the city, citing potential economic benefits. Speaking at a Benton Harbor City Commission meeting, Mayor Muhammad shared insights from a recent conference with the African American Mayors Association, where Virginia's extensive data center presence, dubbed 'Data Center Alley,' was highlighted as a model. Muhammad emphasized Benton Harbor's significant water infrastructure, noting that its water filtration plant has a daily pumping capacity of 15 million gallons but currently processes only one million. He views this untapped capacity as a major asset for data centers, which are known for their high water consumption for cooling. Additionally, the mayor conveyed a sense of urgency, referencing discussions with industry proponents who warned that localities resisting the AI and data center boom risk being left behind, akin to Blockbuster's fate against Netflix. Mayor Muhammad plans to provide more detailed information and a presentation on the issue, with his State of the City address scheduled for May 19.