A small town in Central Washington is Microsoft's answer to the data center backlash
KUOW • • business
Key Points:
- Microsoft highlighted Quincy, Washington, as a model for its data center strategy, emphasizing community benefits from long-term infrastructure investments funded by data center tax revenues.
- The company pledged to have utilities charge rates covering data center energy use without increasing residential prices, use closed-loop water systems for cooling, and avoid local tax incentives or subsidies.
- Despite economic gains and improved local facilities in Quincy, some residents express concerns about the long-term environmental and resource impacts of data centers amid growing electricity and water demands.
- Microsoft has faced opposition elsewhere, including withdrawing plans in Wisconsin due to community resistance, reflecting broader national concerns about data centers' energy consumption and environmental footprint.
- With data centers consuming about 4% of U.S. electricity in
