We Studied 1,584 Data Centers—and Found the Buildings Full of Machines Are Tied to Modest Local Job Growth

We studied 1,584 data centers—and found the buildings full of machines are tied to modest local job growth

Data centers require enormous investments: land, buildings, computer equipment and power infrastructure. Yet, once they're up and running, they tend to employ no more than a few dozen people in occupations such as IT technicians, engineers and security guards. With billions of dollars flowing into new data centers across the United States, communities are asking what they will get in return.

We studied 1,584 data centers – and found the buildings full of machines are tied to modest local job growth

Ohio ranks No. 4 in the U.S. in terms of how many data centers it has, including this one in Springfield. Michael M. Santiago/Getty ImagesData centers require enormous investments: land, buildings, computer equipment and power infrastructure. Yet, once they’re up and running, they tend to employ no more than a few dozen people in occupations such as IT technicians, engineers and security guards. With billions of dollars flowing into new data cen…

We studied 1,584 data centers – and found the buildings full of machines are tied to modest local job growth

by Simon Buechler, Miami University and Lyndsey Rolheiser, York University, Canada, [This article first appeared in The Conversation, republished with permission] Data centers require enormous investments: land, buildings, computer equipment...