CHESTER, Va.—Google, one of the world’s wealthiest companies, plans a new data center in Virginia, moving beyond the Northern Virginia hub to Chesterfield County, near Richmond.
Ruth Porat, Google’s chief investment officer, announced the $9 billion investment at Brightpoint Community College, emphasizing that technology can flourish across Virginia. Funds will enhance existing centers in Loudoun and Prince William counties and support the new Chesterfield facility.
Google’s previous investments in Virginia include a center in Botetourt County. In July, Google partnered with the state to offer 10,000 scholarships for AI and job certification skills. Within six weeks, 4,500 participants enrolled, Governor Glenn Youngkin noted.
Details about the Chesterfield County facility, including its size, energy, and water needs, remain undisclosed, similar to the Botetourt project. Google officials have not provided specific timelines.
Jim A. Ingle, Chesterfield County Board of Supervisors chairman, praised Google’s commitment to local schools and the YMCA. Governor Youngkin highlighted AI’s pivotal role in future business and advocated for data centers due to their economic benefits.
Despite their advantages, large data centers provoke questions about renewable energy use, grid upgrades, and water consumption. Data centers consumed over 10,000 gigawatt-hours in Virginia in 2023, with projections reaching 30,000 gigawatt-hours by 2040. Dominion Energy is proposing a natural gas plant in Chesterfield County to meet future demands.
Critics argue tech companies overestimate data center demand, challenging utility claims that fossil fuels are necessary for reliability. Amber Tillman, a Google spokesperson, reaffirmed the company’s goal of 100% carbon-free electricity by 2030, with 95% achieved in Northern Virginia. Yet, the mix of solar, wind, and potential nuclear options remains unclear.
Google’s energy projections exclude the potential from a proposed nuclear fusion plant by Commonwealth Fusion Systems. Unlike fission, fusion could create electricity without long-lived waste.
A December 2023 Virginia report noted data centers use water equivalent to large office buildings. Julie Bolthouse from the Piedmont Environmental Council noted data centers have improved water efficiency, yet AI’s growth will increase water demand.
There are alternatives, like air conditioning systems, but Bolthouse noted those would require even more electricity and can’t keep up with the AI chips heating rates. A data center could also have its own wastewater treatment plant to return water to the ecosystem, but that’s only a percentage of the water used after most of it evaporates in the cooling process.
Devon Smiley, another Google spokesperson, said the company is collaborating with local authorities on water requirements for the Chesterfield center but did not confirm if it will have its own water treatment facility.
Original Story at insideclimatenews.org