Data Center Pros and Cons

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Building Size

17 building complexes

No more than 2 stories tall

140,000 square foot/building

 IT load
Approximately 300 Watts/square foot

41.4 MW  total IT Load

Anywhere from 1,300 to 13,000 servers

$320,000 per server based on the Dell XE9680

Estimated 138,000 square feet for servers 

$496 Million to $1.49 Billion/building for servers

Robust electrical infrastructure:
Sub­station feed(s), backup/bridge generation, battery storage, possibly dual feeds for redundancy
Cooling infrastructure
165,000 gallons/building to fill closed loop system

Uses deionized water

Has anticorrosive and refrigerant added to water

Monitored for evaporation and leaks

Fans on top of building still an unknown
Network / fiber
High-speed interconnect fabric spanning racks/building/campus
Construction and real estate
Cost of construction depends on units used

Cost using square footage:  

$84 Million to $210 Million 

Cost using per MW

$289 Million to $621 Million

Cost of land unknown

 One-time construction economic boost
Payroll & local spending during construction: for a 100 MW build (≈$1B capex), expect hundreds of millions in wages and purchases across a ~12–24 month build window; thousands of contractor visits, local lodging and food purchases.
Permanent, higher-wage jobs
Operations jobs for the running facility typically range ~20–200 per building (small→large). Those positions (facilities engineers, IT technicians, security) commonly pay above median local wages and often require technical training. Multiplied by indirect jobs, the total employment effect is larger.
Ongoing local revenue
Property / Sales / Utility fees: a major facility can generate millions/year for county/city coffers after incentives; clusters in Texas produced hundreds of millions in tax revenue regionally in recent years. But tax abatements are common — net new local revenue depends heavily on negotiated incentives.
Infrastructure upgrades that benefit residents
To support large power/fiber demands the developer often funds or accelerates substation upgrades, fiber routes, road improvements, and even water infrastructure — assets that serve the wider community. (Documented in numerous Texas projects.)
Induced & spin-off business
Improved broadband/power attracts other firms (colocation, cloud partners, logistics), creating longer-term diversification. Economic studies show data-center clusters have multiplier effects on regional economic output. 

 Air pollution from power demand and backup generators
Data centers require enormous electricity. When grid supply is fossil-fuel heavy or when diesel/natural-gas backup generators run (testing or outages), they emit NOx, PM2.5, benzene, formaldehyde, PAHs, etc.—pollutants linked to asthma exacerbations, chronic respiratory disease, heart attacks, and premature mortality. Population-level studies and recent media analyses quantify billions in health costs tied to datacenter driven pollution.
Noise — chronic low-frequency & continuous sounds
Cooling fans, chillers, and mechanical plants produce continuous noise and low-frequency vibration that disturb sleep, increase stress, impair learning in children, and raise risks for hypertension and cardiovascular problems. Evidence shows community annoyance and measurable health effects even at moderate sound levels.
Cooling-water systems — Legionella and waterborne risks
Many large data centers use cooling towers or evaporative systems. If not properly designed and managed these can become sources of Legionella, causing Legionnaires’ disease in the community. Proper maintenance programs and monitoring are proven mitigations.
Water quantity & quality impacts
High water demand (for evaporative cooling or other uses) can strain local freshwater resources and wells, potentially lowering groundwater levels or impacting local agriculture/drinking supplies. Construction runoff can also mobilize sediments and contaminants into waterways. Community complaints in Young County have already focused on daily water needs and groundwater concerns.
Environmental justice / unequal burden
Broader analyses show health harms from data-center growth disproportionately affect lower-income and already vulnerable communities. Without careful sitting and mitigation, local residents may shoulder much of the environmental health burden.