NEW YORK, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) -- Amid a boom in data centers, the energy-intensive warehouses that run supercomputers for Big Tech companies, U.S. state of Arizona is racing to increase electricity production to bridge the gap of demand, reported The Washington Post on Monday.
"In February, the state utility board approved an 8 percent rate hike to bolster power infrastructure throughout the state, where data centers are popping up faster than almost anywhere in the United States," the report noted.
After a years-long courtship of Big Tech by local politicians, power companies and utility regulators eager for the promise of tax revenue and jobs, the strain on Arizona's power grid is already apparent, according to the report. "Often, vulnerable communities are paying the price."
"Nationwide, concern is rising in local communities about the burgeoning data center industry, with residents complaining that the units bring little in the way of jobs or revenue while straining local resources, raising utility prices and forcing communities to return to outdated and environmentally suspect modes of electricity generation, including coal and natural gas," it added.
