Killer AI
Maybe the tech isn't ready for prime time
Tulsa’s embrace of the AI revolution isn’t surprising. The city has a history of forward-thinking people who don’t shy away from risks or fear the unknown.
Most AI discussion centers on industry transformations and ethics - copyright infringement, image use, algorithm bias, transparency and privacy. Its effects in deep video and photo fakes pose danger in sorting reality and fiction.
Workplace tasks that can take months are reduced to mere minutes with AI. It’s been critical in some medical breakthroughs and serves as a sounding board for creatives. There is much about AI to adopt, explore and anticipate.
What tends to be glossed over are the machines powering the tech - datacenters.
Datacenters store and operate all digital technology whether that’s from a smartphone or a desktop computer. As the world demands more cloud storage and AI programs, the energy needs increase. On average, datacenters use five to 10 times more energy than a typical building, according to Integrity Energy.
Datacenters require power for its servers to operate 24/7 and water for cooling them down. A midsize datacenter - considered up to 100,000 square feet - uses about 300,000 gallons of water daily for cooling. That equals the usage of about 1,000 homes.
Goldman Sachs Research predicts global power demand will increase 50% by 2027 and by as much as 165% by the end of the decade (compared with 2023). Energy demand from datacenters is expected to rise from 5% now to 12% by 2030.
Here’s a statistic to remember: 1 megawatt (MW) can power more than 600 U.S. homes for a year. A midsize datacenter consumes 10-70 MW.
These resource usages aren’t negligible. Consumers could experience higher utility bills and strain to the power grid and water availability.
Knowing the risks now can prevent serious future environmental damage. Remember how Oklahomans jumped into fracking only to suffer the most earthquakes in the nation? Let’s not forget those lessons.
In addition, datacenters have generated excessive noise pollution from its equipment and cooling systems. Safe noise levels are 70 A-weighted decibels (dBA) or lower, and sounds at 85 dBA and above are harmful to hearing. Noise inside a center can reach 96 dBA and be heard in surrounding areas. There have been improvements to mitigate the noise. But, specific project plans are often kept under wraps from the public.
Rep. Amanda Clinton, D-Tulsa, is hosting an interim study to learn more about the effects of datacenters at 1 p.m. Oct. 21 at the state Capitol. She has a unique perspective as an urban resident with roots and connections in rural Oklahoma, where many of these datacenters are being considered.
Other cities are putting the brakes on datacenters until more information is forthcoming, especially since datacenter projects are usually cloaked in secrecy.
Last month in St. Louis, city officials debated a temporary moratorium on datacenter construction. Instead, its mayor issued an executive order to develop a framework for more rigorous regulations on permitting datacenters including public hearings.
In September, Bristol, Tennessee, LeGrange, Georgia, and Jerome Township, Ohio, enacted temporary moratoriums. Aurora, Colorado, and Cave Spring, Georgia, are considering moratoriums.
On Aug. 22, St. Charles, Missouri, a northwestern suburb of St. Louis, became the first U.S. city to put a moratorium in place.
Hundreds of protestors arrived at city hall when word got around that a secret project known as Project Cumulus was asking permission to build on 440 acres. St. Louis Public Radio reported it appeared to be Google, but no confirmation was made. The application was pulled to resubmit with another that addressed the residents’ concerns. The council voted unanimously on a one-year moratorium before the application was updated.
Sound familiar?
A similar secret datacenter project known as Project Clydesdale was approved by the three-member Tulsa County Commission on Sept. 29. It will sit on 506 acres of county land between Tulsa and Owasso at 76th Street North and Sheridan Road. It’s expected to have seven buildings totaling about 7 million square feet of space. The public has not been informed of what company is behind the project, the expected power and water usage or number of permanent employees to be hired after construction.
The commissioners approved a 100% property tax exemption over the next 25 years and four tax incentive districts. County Commissioner Stan Sallee stated the developer will pay $1.5 million per year, making the deal more “like a 50% tax break.”
Supporting the datacenter were the Tulsa Regional Chamber, city leaders from Owasso and Tulsa and several state leaders. Three labor unions backed the project - International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 584 (IBEW), Ironworkers Local 584 and International Union of Operating Engineers Local 627. They cite potential employment of at least 750 workers from their trades could generate $57 million in wages and about $24 million in health benefit and retirement contributions.
All that is good. It’s also temporary.
In his State of State address in February, Gov. Kevin Stitt stated he wanted Oklahoma to be the “high tech datacenter capital of the world.”
AI holds what seems to be infinite potential, but its hardware remains problematic. It’s a tech that may not be quite ready to unleash upon the world - and our communities - without limits.
As it stands, the public knows little about these projects until it’s too late. Slow and steady may be the right approach, and that includes complete transparency.
