Raquel Zaldívar
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NENC
Why there’s no AI data center boom in New England (yet)
Data centers are one of the top political issues in the country, widely opposed by Democrats and Republicans. Among other concerns, people worry about the environmental impacts, the energy usage, and the sheer size of the massive buildings going up to support the use and development of AI.
In New England, we don't have hyperscale data centers, at least not yet. In this special series from the New England News Collaborative, we explore why not, and look at what people in the region are doing to prepare for data center growth here.
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Instead of building a new data center from scratch, old buildings and data centers can get upgraded to handle the power and cooling needs of the computer chips that make AI work. -
Why New England doesn't have large AI data centers, and what the region is doing to prepare for themIn much of the country, the AI boom is driving the construction of hyperscale data centers. Not so much in New England. But change is coming. Here's how some in the region are preparing. -
Popular chatbots are powered by models trained on enormous amounts of information. Some roboticists are designing AI systems that can fit on a computer chip. -
Towns and cities across the region are using tools of local control to slow or stop data center development within their borders. -
Across New England, data center opponents say they don’t trust the artificial intelligence industry -
The week of Oct. 19, 2026, New England News Collaborative stations will explore some of the reasons why the AI data center boom hasn't reached New England — at least not yet— in a special series called Awaiting Data.
