Hidden Costs of the Cloud: Data Centers in Virginia

[@azvelociraptor]

Everyone should watch this.

[@theonlywoody2shoes]

Allow me to translate: Data Centre = a building where your personal information is collected and sold. The Cloud = Someone else’s computer/server.

[@esskeller9676]

Add AI and stir! AI is cited as a reason why we NEED data centers. Propaganda in the same vein of why we needed personal computers. "Life will be better. We'll be more efficient. No need for paper records." Well, that golden age is over. We are now collectively experiencing ransomware attacks and personal identity theft due to our connection to the internet on a daily basis. Life is not better now nor more efficient. We have to pay for ways to protect our personal data through VPNs, anti-virus programs, and identity theft insurance. Corporations don't safeguard our personal data effectively or ransomware would not be happening. It remains to be seen if AI will protect our data better or hold it for ransom better....

[@martyburke5978]

Thanks for this video i did not know all of this.

[@nilslivetlanga9710]

It's everywhere the same with big data centers. Local politicians of the liberal or right wing allow these kind of developments to happen, many times promising great economical benefits to local society, only needing some security guards because day to day operations are all done remotely. And then you have to provide them power and the rest of the infrastructure they need. Over here in the Netherlands we have seen the same scheme of data centers popping up. Local politicians are feted by the big companies behind data centers. Over here landowners are in cahoots with politicians, mostly farmers - because of the lack of wastelands - who are offered a big chunk of money. Energy is provided by wind turbines and solar farms partially financed by energy transition tax payed by end consumers not commercial consumers. Microsoft and Google did the green washing in their communication and took the credits, not the debits. Story continues with lease constructions and tax schemes (avoidance) that are to the disadvantage of society as a whole. Our central government finally woke up from dreamland in 2022, preventing Meta from building a 24+ acres, 70+ MW data center. Good luck over there.

[@dianadietz]

Same scenario here and it's getting worse. Sadly, the public doesn't realize we citizens are all being groomed to store more and more frivolous data to keep the demand for data centers growing and benefitting investors. We need to raise awareness in the Gen Z generation since they care more about the environment then older generations. (A recent study found this.)

[@Shadow_Banned_Conservative]

I have to wonder how many of us on private water wells throughout the state will be affected by datacenters constructed near our homes, in addition to the electricity requirements for them. It seems that many small counties have taken a shift in recent years politically and are now courting datacenters over businesses, looking strictly at the tax revenue without concern for the impact on their residents.

[@dianadietz]

Excellent video and just what I need to share to raise public awareness in Fayetteville, GA where our elected officials are bragging about having brought “the world’s largest data center campus” to our neighborhoods. This is a 615 acre (7 million sq. ft.) monstrosity c/o QTS. Our town population is only 19k and we have the second largest per capita income in the state so we don’t need the handful of average paying jobs. The deforestation of 600 acres that’s taking place now has already polluted the wetlands and creeks. My heart is breaking for the wildlife being cruelly killed and displaced. 😢

[@klind57]

One data center that I went to for Facebook took 30 MW for half of the plant

[@habbadabbado5765]

Ashburn has become a visual eyesore with those data centers that look like prisons.

[@wofat6300]

These data centers should build their own power supply systems.

[@45300660]

I have some questions about this presentation. It suggested that the general consumer is subsidizing these centers. How is that happening? Is it a higher cost per unit of power? If so, how much? Is the benefit of a good internet connection worth the additional cost? We know or should know that increased power consumption per person is going to be the norm for the foreseeable future. It would have been nice if some real numbers could have been provided during this nicely done video.

[@emmanaden203]

Yes, for the Northern Virginia example, the cost of the additional generation, transmission, and distribution infrastructure needed to support the data centers is rolled into Dominion's rate base and paid for by all Dominion customers. The cost of additional generation and transmission infrastructure is significant and it's not fair that residential consumers have to pay for infrastructure upgrades that are only needed because of growing data center load. That's asking everyday people to subsidize a business expense of a billion dollar corporation. Also, the existence of data centers doesn't affect the reliability of the internet connection to your home.

[@trademisconception9816]

Northern Virginia having a good fiber/internet backbone is why data centers decided to cluster here. Also being closer to large end users of these service(government). That means that localities in Northern Virginia have leverage, not the other way around. I think there can be some negotiating to have these data centers pay a higher rate than the average consumer, or they can locate somewhere else that won’t enforce this.

[@jeanwright6368]

Well done! A good tool for the basics of data centers.

[@semuhphor]

Some of the points you make are good. the use of natural gas is potentially putting out pollutants. At this point, we don't have efficient ways to store renewable energy (wind, solar, etc), so it can't provide a continuous feed of power sufficient for the data industry. One thing that is overlooked is the ability to use spent nuclear fuels. CNBC hand an article on June 2, 2022 entitled, "The energy in nuclear waste could power the U.S. for 100 years, but the technology was never commercialized". I once spoke to a Dept. of Energy, Nuclear Regulatory Commission nuclear physicist who told me that we could build completely solid reactors that could be fueled by spent nuclear fuel and buried 30 feet below ground ... completely safe, and they could power neighborhoods for 30 years. Certainly larger devices could be used for the data centers and not require large, distant infrastructure. Unfortunately, there are groups that stand against nuclear power, so we have to continue to use gas, oil, and coal. What a shame.

[@davegibson8997]

Excellent piece - thank you PEC!

[@restoncitizensassociation142]

Very well done! Thank you PEC!

[@davidquinn7332]

Wait till you see how much power it takes to run all the EV''s everyone says they want

[@carloslemos6919]

1 - Did not compare datacenter growth with other states. 2 - Provided no evidence that electric is being subsidized by residents.

[@TeddyNovak1]

The INFRASTRUCTURE is being subsidized by residents AND other businesses - the cost to bring the infrastructure to those dystopian behemoths is spread among all of Dominion's customers.

[@mattw116]

You’re not a real person

[@dirtygrease]

This video, while informative is factually incorrect. There are substantial regulations regarding the construction of a data center. It also fails to ask the simple question - why do we need data centers. If you're reading this, the answer is at your fingertips.

[@habbadabbado5765]

Nope, but nice try. They are collecting personal data for marketing purposes. The internet was working fine well before they started putting up these ugly buildings in Nova.

[@indigop38]

2:30 i'm so glad that idiot said " Billion with a B ". There I was thinking it was billion with a sack of worms and a plumber's wrench!

[@spikedpsycho2383]

Build nuclear plants Emission free Ocean water cooling Air cooled data centers

[@ChristyGolden-z2q]

Virginia is Beautiful.

[@woefulmelancholy]

Your mom is beautiful

[@Sayuri81554]

Suggestion for your next video: Explain how humans can control the weather only if politicians are given more power and money 😂

[@thomasgcero4187]

Make data centers function off of solar .

[@joecummings1260]

Just call Elon, he'll install solar roofs and megapacks. That should easily cover all their energy needs and make enough to sell back for extra revenue 🙄

[@gnagyusa]

If we switched all server code to run C-code vs PHP, Python, Swift and other crappy, slow languages, we could cut energy usage by 90%.

[@TheMotleyPatriot]

Don't let rural citizens have money for education and salaries for members of the community. Let's sequester land in permanent conservation easements and send those tax credits to Wall Street billionaires!

[@mikeowen1666]

Poor presentation. Obviously they didn’t give facts about how the cooperations pay more then the home consumer. Funny that this video is being saved in a data center. If you don’t want them then turn off your phones, internet and go back to the 1970s.

[@rebekah0207]

Data Centers should pay more than consumers. Consumer demand is going down. Data centers are swarming to VA bc current VA law passes infrastructure costs on to consumers even when the infrastructure is only needed bc of data centers.

[@abav811]

What an ill-informed response, Mike. HALF of the WORLD’s internet traffic goes through northern Virginia and there is NO COMPREHENSIVE plan.

[@davidwomack4418]

Mike is a plant 🪴. He's not a local citizen

[@mrluke8264]

How dumb can you be, buy an hp server and Nutanix and Pure storage array and be done with it

[@theglowcloud2215]

@mikeowen1666 tell me you're a shill without telling me you're a shill

[@banjoshumate]

Not one solution proposed. Just whining. If you are really worried about energy usage, stop air conditioning your house and give up your iPhone and give up your car. Also give up ice in your Coke: how wasteful to make ice that is thrown away after five minutes. Data centers do not pollute the air nor water any more than any other building: that is a fact and it is in deed heavily regulated.

[@kpage592]

😂

[@fortnitestwcontent]

So you want to stop data centres (what runs everything on the internet) and secondly what since do the data centres no pay for electricity they would pay majority of the power no the residents. Find true facts before yapping rubbish

[@Garibaldem]

Such a bullshit video. The fact about data centers is great!!! Discussion should be on energy sources.