Locals question $3bn AI data centre being built in their backyard
Residents in Southland, New Zealand, are protesting the construction of a $3 billion AI data center due to concerns over transparency and the facility's massive electricity consumption. Critics argue that the project prioritizes overseas interests and could drive up energy costs for locals.
Why it matters
It reflects the growing global tension between the infrastructure demands of the AI boom and the needs of local communities regarding resources and transparency.
<p>Residents of a small Southland town are banding together to ask questions about a new US$3 billion AI data centre being built in their backyard.</p> <p>"We're not anti-technology, we're not anti-progress, and we're not even anti-data centres. We're just anti-no transparency," said campaigner Kelly Blomfield.</p> <p>"I feel like the people of Southland were not given the chance to said whether or not this project would be something they would back."</p> <p>A 49-hectare hyperscale data centre has been approved in the town of Makarewa, north of Invercargill, after crown agency Invest NZ pitched overseas investors to make a home for AI growth in New Zealand to the value of $30 billion.</p> <p>Data centres support internet services like cloud storage, online banking networks, and artificial intelligence tools. </p> <p>New Zealand was already home to 56 data centres, with another 20 planned.
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