Google Reconsiders Data Center Plans in Chile Amid Water Concerns

Google says it will rethink its plans for a big data centre in Chile over water worries

Google on Tuesday said it would halt plans to develop a major $200 million data center in Chile to address environmental concerns, a decision reflecting growing worries about the impact of power-thirsty projects around the world. The U.S. technology company first obtained permits in 2020 to construct the vast project in Chile's capital, Santiago, as demand for the server farms skyrocketed across the globe, fueled by a surge in cloud-based technologies and a craze for generative AI. But months after a Chilean court partially reversed the center's authorisation over water usage concerns, Google announced Tuesday that it would revise the project to comply with more stringent environmental requirements and change its water-intensive cooling system. Meta Platforms strikes geothermal energy deal with Sage Geosystems to power U.S. data centres "A new process will start from scratch," Google said in its statement. "Sustainability is at the heart of everything we do, and the way we design and manage our data centers is no exception." Community complaints in the drought-stricken South American nation over the air-conditioned computer farm's energy and water usage sharpened government scrutiny and prompted a local court to temporarily revoke the project's authorisation in February. The Santiago environmental court asked Google to respond to concerns that the data centre could affect Santiago's main aquifer. The court said it was highly possible that cooling the heavy equipment -- which creates the online storage for the data of millions -- could pull from Chile's water resources. The country is experiencing a crippling drought supercharged by climate change, a source of outrage among locals and Indigenous groups. Google didn't provide an updated timeline for the project and said that it would keep the location the same. It said developers had already notified Chile's environmental regulator of the company's decision to pause its permit application process and rethink its strategy. Published - September 18, 2024 09:17 am IST Read Comments

Google to rethink developing data centre in Chile over water worries

Google on Tuesday said it would halt plans to develop a major USD 200 million data centre in Chile to address environmental grievances, a decision reflecting growing concerns about the impact of the power-thirsty projects around the world. The US technology company first obtained permits in 2020 to construct the vast project in Chile's capital, Santiago, as demand for the server farms skyrocketed across the globe, fuelled by a surge in cloud-based technologies and a craze for generative AI. Click here to connect with us on WhatsApp But months after a Chilean court partially reversed the centre's authorisation over water usage concerns, Google announced Tuesday that it would revise the project to comply with more stringent environmental requirements and change its water-intensive cooling system. A new process will start from scratch, Google said in its statement. Sustainability is at the heart of everything we do, and the way we design and manage our data centres is no exception. Community complaints in the drought-stricken South American nation over the air-conditioned computer farm's energy and water usage sharpened government scrutiny and prompted a local court to temporarily revoke the project's authorization in February. The Santiago environmental court asked Google respond to concerns that the data center could affect Santiago's main aquifer. More From This Section JPMorgan in talks with Apple over Goldman credit card partnership: Report Amazon asks employees to return to office five days a week starting next yr Microsoft plans new $60 billion buyback, raises quarterly dividend 10% 8 including Hezbollah members killed in pager explosions in Lebanon, Syria EU chief Von der Leyen to unveil her new team after long and bumpy road The court said it was highly possible that cooling the heavy equipment which creates the online storage for the data of millions could pull from Chile's water resources. The country is experiencing a crippling drought supercharged by climate change, a source of outrage among locals and Indigenous groups. Google didn't provide an updated timeline for the project and said that it would keep the location the same. It said developers had already notified Chile's environmental regulator of the company's decision to pause its permit application process and rethink its strategy. Also Read Google could enable notification syncing across Android devices: Report US justice dept says Google saw ad startup AdMeld as threat and bought it Google's millisecond ad auctions targeted in illegal monopoly claim Even Facebook couldn't compete with Google, says ex-ad chief Boland EU antitrust order to Google's adtech business unlikely for now: Report

Google says it will rethink its plans for a big data center in Chile over water worries

SANTIAGO, Chile -- Google on Tuesday said it would halt plans to develop a major $200 million data center in Chile to address environmental grievances, a decision reflecting growing concerns about the impact of the power-thirsty projects around the world. The U.S. technology company first obtained permits in 2020 to construct the vast project in Chile's capital, Santiago, as demand for the server farms skyrocketed across the globe, fueled by a surge in cloud-based technologies and a craze for generative AI. But months after a Chilean court partially reversed the center's authorization over water usage concerns, Google announced Tuesday that it would revise the project to comply with more stringent environmental requirements and change its water-intensive cooling system. "A new process will start from scratch," Google said in its statement. "Sustainability is at the heart of everything we do, and the way we design and manage our data centers is no exception." Community complaints in the drought-stricken South American nation over the air-conditioned computer farm's energy and water usage sharpened government scrutiny and prompted a local court to temporarily revoke the project's authorization in February. The Santiago environmental court asked Google respond to concerns that the data center could affect Santiago's main aquifer. The court said it was highly possible that cooling the heavy equipment -- which creates the online storage for the data of millions -- could pull from Chile's water resources. The country is experiencing a crippling drought supercharged by climate change, a source of outrage among locals and Indigenous groups. Google didn't provide an updated timeline for the project and said that it would keep the location the same. It said developers had already notified Chile's environmental regulator of the company's decision to pause its permit application process and rethink its strategy.

Google says it will rethink its plans for a big data center in Chile over water worries

SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) -- Google on Tuesday said it would halt plans to develop a major $200 million data center in Chile to address environmental grievances, a decision reflecting growing concerns about the impact of the power-thirsty projects around the world. The U.S. technology company first obtained permits in 2020 to construct the vast project in Chile's capital, Santiago, as demand for the server farms skyrocketed across the globe, fueled by a surge in cloud-based technologies and a craze for generative AI. But months after a Chilean court partially reversed the center's authorization over water usage concerns, Google announced Tuesday that it would revise the project to comply with more stringent environmental requirements and change its water-intensive cooling system. "A new process will start from scratch," Google said in its statement. "Sustainability is at the heart of everything we do, and the way we design and manage our data centers is no exception." Community complaints in the drought-stricken South American nation over the air-conditioned computer farm's energy and water usage sharpened government scrutiny and prompted a local court to temporarily revoke the project's authorization in February. The Santiago environmental court asked Google respond to concerns that the data center could affect Santiago's main aquifer. The court said it was highly possible that cooling the heavy equipment -- which creates the online storage for the data of millions -- could pull from Chile's water resources. The country is experiencing a crippling drought supercharged by climate change, a source of outrage among locals and Indigenous groups. Google didn't provide an updated timeline for the project and said that it would keep the location the same. It said developers had already notified Chile's environmental regulator of the company's decision to pause its permit application process and rethink its strategy.

Google says it will rethink its plans for a big data center in Chile over water worries

SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) -- Google on Tuesday said it would halt plans to develop a major $200 million data center in Chile to address environmental grievances, a decision reflecting growing concerns about the impact of the power-thirsty projects around the world. The U.S. technology company first obtained permits in 2020 to construct the vast project in Chile's capital, Santiago, as demand for the server farms skyrocketed across the globe, fueled by a surge in cloud-based technologies and a craze for generative AI. But months after a Chilean court partially reversed the center's authorization over water usage concerns, Google announced Tuesday that it would revise the project to comply with more stringent environmental requirements and change its water-intensive cooling system. "A new process will start from scratch," Google said in its statement. "Sustainability is at the heart of everything we do, and the way we design and manage our data centers is no exception." Community complaints in the drought-stricken South American nation over the air-conditioned computer farm's energy and water usage sharpened government scrutiny and prompted a local court to temporarily revoke the project's authorization in February. The Santiago environmental court asked Google respond to concerns that the data center could affect Santiago's main aquifer. The court said it was highly possible that cooling the heavy equipment -- which creates the online storage for the data of millions -- could pull from Chile's water resources. The country is experiencing a crippling drought supercharged by climate change, a source of outrage among locals and Indigenous groups. Google didn't provide an updated timeline for the project and said that it would keep the location the same. It said developers had already notified Chile's environmental regulator of the company's decision to pause its permit application process and rethink its strategy.

Google Says It Will Rethink Its Plans for a Big Data Center in Chile Over Water Worries

SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) -- Google on Tuesday said it would halt plans to develop a major $200 million data center in Chile to address environmental grievances, a decision reflecting growing concerns about the impact of the power-thirsty projects around the world. The U.S. technology company first obtained permits in 2020 to construct the vast project in Chile's capital, Santiago, as demand for the server farms skyrocketed across the globe, fueled by a surge in cloud-based technologies and a craze for generative AI. But months after a Chilean court partially reversed the center's authorization over water usage concerns, Google announced Tuesday that it would revise the project to comply with more stringent environmental requirements and change its water-intensive cooling system. "A new process will start from scratch," Google said in its statement. "Sustainability is at the heart of everything we do, and the way we design and manage our data centers is no exception." Community complaints in the drought-stricken South American nation over the air-conditioned computer farm's energy and water usage sharpened government scrutiny and prompted a local court to temporarily revoke the project's authorization in February. The Santiago environmental court asked Google respond to concerns that the data center could affect Santiago's main aquifer. The court said it was highly possible that cooling the heavy equipment -- which creates the online storage for the data of millions -- could pull from Chile's water resources. The country is experiencing a crippling drought supercharged by climate change, a source of outrage among locals and Indigenous groups. Google didn't provide an updated timeline for the project and said that it would keep the location the same. It said developers had already notified Chile's environmental regulator of the company's decision to pause its permit application process and rethink its strategy. Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Google halts plan for $200 million data center in Chile amid concerns over AI-driven power demands

SANTIAGO, Chile -- Google on Tuesday said it would halt plans to develop a major $200 million data center in Chile to address environmental concerns, a decision reflecting growing worries about the impact of power-thirsty projects around the world. The U.S. technology company first obtained permits in 2020 to construct the vast project in Chile's capital, Santiago, as demand for server farms skyrocketed across the globe, fueled by a surge in cloud-based technologies and a craze for generative AI. But months after a Chilean court partially reversed the center's authorization over water usage concerns, Google announced Tuesday that it would revise the project to comply with more stringent environmental requirements and change its water-intensive cooling system. "A new process will start from scratch," Google said in its statement. "Sustainability is at the heart of everything we do, and the way we design and manage our data centers is no exception." Community complaints in the drought-stricken South American nation over the air-conditioned computer farm's energy and water usage sharpened government scrutiny and prompted a local court to temporarily revoke the project's authorization in February. The Santiago environmental court asked Google to respond to concerns that the data center could affect Santiago's main aquifer. The court said it was highly possible that cooling the heavy equipment -- which creates the online storage for the data of millions -- could pull from Chile's water resources. The country is experiencing a crippling drought supercharged by climate change, a source of outrage among locals and Indigenous groups. Google didn't provide an updated timeline for the project and said that it would keep the location the same. It said developers had already notified Chile's environmental regulator of the company's decision to pause its permit application process and rethink its strategy.