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Improper redaction reveals Google Data Center water and electricity usage

384 points · 503 comments · sensanaty

  1. aliasxneo · · focus · HN ↗
    I lived in a smaller rural town near a Google datacenter. During my career there I had routinely come across some outlandish accusations made about our water/power usage from the locals. But for obvious reasons I could never dispute them. I remember we hired a local who'd grown up in the town and he was "really surprised" when he started to see what we were doing to remain efficient.

    The current data center craze just feels like the same thing but on a bigger scale.

    1. WarmWash · · focus · HN ↗
      The current hysteria has little to do with datacenters and a lot to do with societal unrest about AI.
      1. numbsafari · · focus · HN ↗
        Also the unforced error around NDAs and attempts at bypassing environmental and other reviews. People don’t like the idea of their local elected officials bypassing the rules in the dark.

        I understand these companies want to move fast, but this seems to be one of those cases where going slow gets you there faster.

        1. tbrownaw · · focus · HN ↗
          > Also the unforced error around NDAs and attempts at bypassing environmental and other reviews.

          Hasn't it been common knowledge for a while -- as in since well before the ai boom -- that those reviews are in practice mostly tools for obstructionism (I don't want anything built) and extortion (fund this project and we'll drop our complaint), and are a significant chunk of why we suck at megaprojects in recent decades?

          Is that's even half true, I don't think the "unforced" there really applies.

          1. samudrijan · · focus · HN ↗
            I like clean water to drink and air to breathe and a climate that isn’t on an increasingly hotter trajectory. Government should police corporations.
            1. onion2k · · focus · HN ↗
              That's entirely fair and reasonable if you level your complaints about power and water use at everything that uses a lot rather than just data centres.

              If you're only saying we need fewer data centres then your argument is against AI, and not in favor of sensible approach to the climate.

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