How Many Data Centers Are In Montana?

One of the most controversial topics of late is the building of data centers.

Depending on who you talk to, they are either a giant threat to our environment, or they're no threat at all and people who say they are, are overreacting. Whatever your view, they are being built all over the country, including here in Montana.

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According to multiple sources threats including everything from actual physical attacks on the facilities to environmental hazards.

According to the Environmental Health Project, a large data center can use up to 5 million gallons of water each day to help cool down the servers in use. Think about that for a second. 5 million gallons per day. Other threats include air, noise, and light pollution from the different centers.

How many data centers are in Montana?

The Data Center Map, which shows data centers all over the United States says that here in Montana, we currently have 30 data centers. What might be even more shocking is that 20 of the 30 are in the Great Falls area.

This could be concerning if the statements about water use are true.

It's my understanding that many of these data centers are being built in rural areas, which makes a state like Montana the perfect place because of the size versus the population. When you have the 4th largest state by land size and just over a million people, that will catch those looking to build these data centers attention.

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