Updated
Updated · Newsweek · Jun 2
Erin Brockovich's AI Data Center Map Draws 6,615 Reports, Adds Photo Page
Updated
Updated · Newsweek · Jun 2

Erin Brockovich's AI Data Center Map Draws 6,615 Reports, Adds Photo Page

3 articles · Updated · Newsweek · Jun 2
  • Brockovich said her crowdsourced AI data center project had logged 6,615 submissions by May 31 and added a new page for public photos of facilities.
  • The website has mapped 3,674 community concern reports alongside 33 operating, 53 under-construction and 34 proposed data centers across the United States.
  • Residents are reporting worries about electricity demand, water use, noise, e-waste and pressure on local infrastructure as AI-driven construction accelerates.
  • The broader strain is rising: the IEA said U.S. data centers used 183 terawatt-hours of electricity in 2024, while utilities sought more than $29 billion in rate increases in the first half of 2025.
Can tech innovation outpace the AI industry's colossal appetite for energy and water?
Is the AI boom creating the next 'forever chemical' crisis for local communities?