Data Centers in Rural Washington Gobble Power
This article covers the events that occurred in a rural area when Microsoft decided to open up large data centers in the region. These data centers, which in the articles are described as the physically entity of “the cloud” began consuming very large amounts of electricity and causing pollution to the nearby area. Microsoft often put up quite a fit when it came to paying fines related to different electric and environmental issues.
The internet, especially the cloud, is not something we generally associate with pollution. Tech companies, as stated in the article, have given us the impression that they are more “sleek” and “clean” than traditional, older companies. We rarely consider the insanely large amounts of power needed to fuel the massive data network we live in today.
1) Have you associated new data like “the cloud” with old fashion pollution? Or, as stated in the article, did the new tech companies appear to give off a cleaner, sleeker image?
2) Is this an issue to be worried about? Technology and the demand for data is growing at an exponential rate – we constantly need more and more space for data. Do you think that the demand for data centers like the ones in this article could get so high that the pollution produced could become as bad as something like oil?
3) Do you think it is right for companies like Microsoft to go into small rural towns and put such a giant demand on the resources (ex. electricity) of the town?
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