AI data centers can do more harm than good | Mariana Castillo, PantherNOW
Cosette Lipscomb | Opinion Director
Data centers, whether you know it or not, may be a common sight on your drive to FIU. In the Miami-Dade area alone, there are 41 data centers already built. And more are on the way.
South Florida is becoming a hotspot for them due to the increased usage of generative AI, and having these centers closer to populated areas allows the people who use them to get lower latency and better download speeds.
Traditional data centers are used to manage and distribute data. AI data centers are more specialized, which are built to train and run artificial intelligence models.
But AI data centers do come with a price, especially if near populated areas like around FIU. Common complaints include noise pollution, energy and water consumption, and the infrastructure needed for them.
Typical centers range from 100,000 to 150,000 square feet, which is similar to the size of large “big box” stores. And because of their size, large amounts of water and electricity are needed to power these AI data centers 24/7.
FIU students are affected by these AI data centers, not only in their commute, but on campus as well. Having these AI data centers strain local water supply and electrical grids means that students may not be able to enjoy their commute and the FIU campus as much as they were once able to.
So what should be built instead of them?
In my opinion, anything else. Stores, parks, and even more housing are things that many students would appreciate, including myself. Even smaller data centers, or centers that are more eco-friendly, would be a better alternative to the massive buildings in the area.
Decentralized infrastructure already exists in the form of micro-data centers and aquatic server pods. These solutions solve the issue that many people have about large data centers.
Now, it is important to note that FIU itself does have its own data center located on the MMC campus which is managed by the Division of Information Technology. However, it acts as an academic and research engine which means that it searches for and synthesizes academic literature.
FIU is also a part of the Sunshine State Education & Research Computing Alliance (SSERCA), which aims to grow the computational science infrastructure across Florida Universities.
Now, even though these are still data centers, the manner in which they are used promotes academic growth and education. AI data centers do not.
Students should be given increased help in their education that promotes learning, and not be fed an answer by ChatGPT and similar programs.
AI data centers can be useful in many areas of life but due to their high consumption requirements, the benefits might not outweigh the cost especially if it affects day-to-day life of the surrounding local population.
DISCLAIMER:
The opinions presented on this page do not represent the views of the PantherNOW Editorial Board. These views are separate from editorials and reflect the perspectives of contributing writers and/or university community members.
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