AI datacentres are almost universally unpopular. They are loud, unsightly and they drain environmental resources, with the majority of the profits generated flowing back to the US companies that build them.
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For the past few decades, datacentres have been quietly built just about anywhere in the world with a fibre internet connection. Then came ChatGPT and the AI race. And now, the number of “hyperscale” datacentres, which can be millions of square feet in size, has nearly tripled since 2018.

And the statistics against datacentres are piling up, says Guardian reporter Hettie O’Brien.

She visited Brick Lane in London, where the local community is trying to resist plans for a 5,200 sq metre datacentre being pushed through by the government, to find out more about why people hate them so much.

Hettie has done a deep dive into this issue for our daily newsletter First Edition – tap the link to go in depth ► https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/sep/02/wednesday-briefing-whats-behind-the-global-backlash-against-datacentres

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