this post was submitted on 04 Dec 2025
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Is there even enough power on the grid for all these data centers? Wtf?
Power availability is actually a primary consideration when choosing a location for a Data Center. Sometimes they'll site a DC even if there isn't enough power and then build out the power generation that they need.
An example are the two DCs that Microsoft is building in Cheyenne, Wyoming and the absolutely massive 1.2 Million panel solar farm being built to power them. https://cowboystatedaily.com/2024/05/11/massive-1-2-billion-1-2-million-panel-solar-farm-planned-for-south-cheyenne/
This is at least the second time that Microsoft has done this in Cheyenne. In 2016 they contracted for 237 MW of Wind Energy, which led to the Chokecherry and Sierra Madre wind farms being built / expanded. https://blogs.microsoft.com/on-the-issues/2016/11/14/latest-energy-deal-microsofts-cheyenne-datacenter-will-now-powered-entirely-wind-energy-keeping-us-course-build-greener-responsible-cloud/
No matter what you think of AI the folks that engineer these DCs aren't stupid. They are well aware of their extreme power requirements.
Nope. A couple of them have been built and they're just sitting there unpowered
Imagine you had infinite money and no consequences
I mean you could like— build entire city size data centers right?
But this infinite money goes away if you're not building them
So your choices are to build something that you don't need or to have no money
You see, humans were not very evolved or adapted to their planet, given their own social structures
Most of them in California because that State simply cannot get its shitty power grid sorted out. The damn thing barely works at the best of times due to a combination of corruption, greed, and Government interference.
As an example the utility company promised Digital Realty and Stack Infrastructure that they'd have the power ready for them by the time their DCs were built but...SURPRISE...they lied. The only fault for DR and SI here is trusting a California Utility to deliver on their promise.
No, some of them are running generators on site to get more power.
Of course, you just turn off the power for all the poor people
There's many new jobs opening in the AI sector, pedalling on dynamo bikes.
In the middle ages machines where powered by peasants in human-sized hamster wheels. I think that tech may make a come back.
Depends how dirty you accept the power.