Across the United States, data centers are reshaping local landscapes. This is attracting economic investment and promising job growth, but also raising urgent questions about energy consumption, grid reliability, electricity affordability, water use, air quality, and community well-being.
The data center boom, driven by the explosive growth of artificial intelligence and the cloud, is straining power grids, challenging state regulators and local governments, and raising fundamental questions about who bears the costs of the infrastructure needed to support these energy-intensive enterprises.
These issues pose new existential questions for many of the stakeholders GPI works most closely with, and for our overall mission to accelerate the transition to net-zero carbon emissions for the benefit of people, the economy, and the environment.
To help address those questions, GPI is launching the Great Lakes Data Center Resource Hub to help states and communities in the Great Lakes Region and beyond proactively and effectively navigate the energy, sustainability, and affordability implications of data center development. The hub is a living, searchable collection of relevant tools, reports, policy examples, and technical assistance providers organized to be useful to state and local government officials navigating data center development.
“GPI has a mission-critical imperative to help society meet this new demand for electricity while still meeting our clean energy and climate goals,” says Rolf Nordstrom, president and CEO of GPI. “One important step to achieve this is giving local decision makers access to the best information and assistance available. We are proud to offer the Great Lakes Data Center Resource Hub to do just that.”
The hub covers resources across key topic areas:
- Data center energy use: tools and research to understand load growth projections, grid impacts, and infrastructure needs associated with data center development.
- State and local policy examples: legislative and regulatory approaches from state and local governments that are actively developing frameworks to manage data center growth.
- Technical assistance: connections to nonprofit and academic resources available to support state and local decision makers in the Great Lakes Region and beyond.
- And more!
The hub is a free, public resource. As new research, policy developments, and technical assistance offerings emerge, we will continue to update and expand the collection. The Great Lakes Data Center Resource Hub is made possible with generous support from the Joyce Foundation.
🔎Explore the Great Lakes Data Center Resource Hub today.
If you have an additional resource to recommend or want to connect with GPI’s team, you can contact our Energy Systems team with your questions and requests.
About the authors
As a senior policy manager on GPI’s Energy Systems team, Tricia Treece helps lead this work by supporting state and regional climate and clean energy planning and implementation. Her specialties include air quality planning and analysis, science and policy communication, policy development, program design and management, grant writing, and facilitation. Tricia leads internal and external coordination efforts related to data center energy use at GPI.
Hallie Turner is a policy associate on the Energy Systems team. Her work focuses on supporting gas and electric utility regulatory innovation, primarily at the state level. Hallie maintains the Great Lakes Data Center Resource Hub.
Tricia and Hallie thank the other GPI staff and external partners whose time and expertise strengthened this effort.
