The Minnesota Star Tribune reports...
The city of Minneapolis may put a moratorium on data centers, even as some see the facilities as possible saviors of the downtown commercial tax base, which has plummeted in value in recent years.
Data centers are rapidly being built all over the nation to provide computing power that tech companies need to train artificial intelligence.
But a public backlash has sprung up amid concerns over their electricity demands and water use, and there’s apprehension about supporting a technology that is likely to displace human workers.
Now, the Minneapolis City Council is making moves toward putting a moratorium on the establishment or expansion of data centers in the city.
On Thursday the council scheduled a vote on a moratorium for May 21, giving members time to see whether state lawmakers enact statewide regulations.
The article outlines the perspectives of various council members, which run the gamut of issues we’ve seen in other data center discussions..
The council is largely split on the issue along its usual political divide, with more moderate Democrats worried that a moratorium would put the brakes on an emerging market that could help resuscitate downtown commercial property values, which have been hobbled by the rise of remote work.