Nearly 3,000 new data centers are under construction or planned across the United States, and most Americans have no idea what these things actually are or what they are being built to do.
In this clip, Seth, from “Man In America” breaks down the explosive growth of AI data centers across the country, including the largest one ever proposed: 62 square miles in rural Utah, fast-tracked by the state government with the public completely locked out of the decision. This is not about faster internet. This is about building the physical infrastructure of a surveillance state.
He covers the noise pollution — what it actually sounds like to live half a mile from one of these things at 1 in the morning. The light pollution bathing rural Texas towns in a 24-hour industrial glow. The heat islands raising local temperatures by nearly 4 degrees. The water usage — one Google facility in Ohio alone pulling 387,000 gallons per day, full of forever chemicals when it comes back out. And the electricity bills in states like Georgia, where residents are paying up to $267 more per year just to power these things while the data centers themselves get a discount.
These are not side effects. They are symptoms. The infrastructure for a digital prison is being built all around us, funded by our own tax dollars, poisoning our water, and driving up our cost of living — while the people pushing it tell us they’re worried about the environment.