Community Resource Guide for Data Center Development

California currently hosts more than 300 data centers in operation or under development; that number is growing rapidly as the demand for generative AI drives a new wave of hyperscale AI data center development. These massive facilities consume significantly more energy and water than traditional data centers, and produce higher levels of air pollution. They are often built in communities already facing economic and environmental strain, yet the processes determining where and how these projects are approved remain opaque and inaccessible to the people most affected. Together, the Human Rights Center’s Investigations Lab, the “Taps Run Dry Initiative” launched by AllAI Consulting, and the Dreaming Collaborative are collaborating on an investigation and resource guide to bring clarity, accountability, and community participation to the data infrastructure boom reshaping the state. 

This project will make a critical contribution to a growing body of research into the human and environmental harms of hyperscale data centers, empowering communities to ask questions of and demand mitigation measures for data center projects during one of the most consequential infrastructure buildouts of our time.