Agriculture and Data Centers
From the Western Ag Network, I’m Bob Larson with today’s Fruit Grower Report. The rapid growth of artificial intelligence is fueling demand for new data centers across America with projects being proposed in rural communities.
Oklahoma State University Assistant Professor Mckenzie Boyce says data centers will bring opportunities to rural America, but it’s critical that local officials fully understand the benefits and the tradeoffs before moving forward …
BOYCE … “I think it's important that communities ask both what is the benefit and really outline and make sure that they have a clear understanding of what the potential benefit is in terms of what is the community getting out of this project, as well as asking what is the community maybe losing out on as a result of this project and really make sure that they have a firm grasp on both the potential benefits as well as the potential limitations. And it really needs to be a balanced discussion in making sure that communities are really aware of how the project could impact them on both sides."
One of the biggest questions is whether data centers can successfully coexist with agricultural …
BOYCE … “I think there is a way for them to coexist. But I think that will be really dependent on the partnership between the data center developer and the community as well as the agricultural community more specifically, that I think that it will be possible to likely have a working relationship and make sure that both are able to operate and continue, but I recognize that there is a lot of tension around that."
Boyce says more research is still needed on the relationship between agriculture and data centers.
