As data centers proliferate, neighbors knock the noise

By MATTHEW BARAKAT
Associated Press

MANASSAS, Va. (AP) — Northern Virginia has established itself as the world’s largest home for data centers. But residents are starting to push back against their proliferation, voicing concerns over noise and other issues. The demand only grows as as cloud computing expands exponentially. The data centers have been a tax-generating boon for local governments, but their neighbors can’t escape the noise of constantly whirring fans needed to keep the computers cool. Industry groups say they’re designing new centers to address environmental concerns. A recent study shows northern Virginia has more data centers than the next 5 largest U.S. markets combined.