Data Centers in Georgia

Georgia emerged amid the artificial intelligence boom as one of the top states for data center projects. The Atlanta area went from the sixth-largest data center market in 2022 to the second-largest in the world by 2025, according to data from real estate services firm CBRE. And the construction frenzy hasn’t waned with multibillion dollar-proposals becoming routine across Georgia. These centers require enormous amounts of electricity, can use lots of water and take up large swaths of land, generating controversy. But some communities covet the jobs and property taxes these facilities can create, and the industry labels data centers as critical infrastructure for the digital age.

Data Surge series

Graphic - Data Intro

Part 1

Atlanta was primed for the data center boom. All it took was a spark.

Data Centers - Opposition

Part 2

As data centers grow larger, so does pushback across Georgia

Data Centers - Virginia

Part 3

Data Center Alley has lessons to teach. Is metro Atlanta listening?

Data Center Legislation

Part 4

As data centers flock to Georgia, state lawmakers haven’t pumped the...

Data centers need a lot more juice. Georgia consumers fear being squeezed.

Part 5

Data centers need a lot more juice. Georgia consumers fear being...

Data Surge Rural

Part 6

Why Big Tech sees Georgia farmland as ripe for data centers

Data Center Land Competition

Part 7

What data center companies are spending for Georgia land might shock...

Data Surge Taxes

Part 8

Data centers promise tax gains for Georgia. But are they delivering?

Atlanta’s data center market isn’t just growing fast. It’s unprecedented

Part 9

Georgia’s sales tax breaks for data centers tally more than $2.5...

Data Surge Hampton

Part 10

This Georgia town learns what comes with a data center. More data...

Data Surge - Atlanta

Part 11

Atlanta banned data centers in most of the city. One is trying anyway.

Losing Homes

Part 12

The data center boom is transforming Georgia. Some residents could lose...

Georgia data center’s rush to build a pop-up power plant raises concern

Part 13

Georgia’s first data center ‘pop-up’ power plant is breaking rules...

Policies and Opinions

aajc 060326 dekalb data centers

GUEST COLUMN

Data center fatigue: Repurpose AI to solve the problems it creates

Data centers that fuel artificial intelligence are meeting resistance across Georgia. However, this is now an opportunity to use AI to solve the problems it creates.

aajc 060326 dekalb data centers

RICK JACKSON

Georgians must have voice on whether data centers come to their communities

Georgia Republican governor nominee Rick Jackson writes that local input, state guardrails and financial protections are essential before a data center is approved.

China AI

GUEST COLUMN

Humanity must adopt safeguards on AI before it gets out of control

Human beings' rights and health are being threatened by the rapidly expanding power of artificial intelligence. It's time to set more controls.

Latest coverage

Georgia Data Center

Georgia has no peers for data center construction. It now leads the US.

No other place in the United States currently has as much data center space under construction as the Atlanta area, according to new data from real estate services firm CBRE.

Meta data center

AJC EXCLUSIVE

Georgia families sue Meta, accuse its data center of tainting their water

Neighbors of Meta's Newton County data center allege construction of the facility has affected their water and destroyed their rural way of life.

Lawmakers to consider property tax relief for scores of Georgia communities

Warnock blasts OpenAI, Effingham for doing data center deal ‘in the dark’

U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock, who grew up in coastal Georgia, called for protections for residents and criticized secrecy surrounding data center deals.

aajc 060326 dekalb data centers

GUEST COLUMN

Data center fatigue: Repurpose AI to solve the problems it creates

Data centers that fuel artificial intelligence are meeting resistance across Georgia. However, this is now an opportunity to use AI to solve the problems it creates.

Nuclear politics: Kemp, Granholm host dueling victory parties at Vogtle

Georgia Power deal to power OpenAI data center is approved, with some fine print

Staff for Georgia’s top utility regulator approved Georgia Power’s deal to power a $20 billion OpenAI data center, while also spelling out new ratepayer protections.

aajc 060326 dekalb data centers

RICK JACKSON

Georgians must have voice on whether data centers come to their communities

Georgia Republican governor nominee Rick Jackson writes that local input, state guardrails and financial protections are essential before a data center is approved.

China AI

GUEST COLUMN

Humanity must adopt safeguards on AI before it gets out of control

Human beings' rights and health are being threatened by the rapidly expanding power of artificial intelligence. It's time to set more controls.

Data center opponents jeer after a Marietta City Council meeting adjourned in June. (Ben Gray for the AJC)

GUEST COLUMN

Georgians deserve accountability and transparency on data centers

Georgians are feeling increasingly frustrated about the state's data center expansion because their questions and concerns are not being answered.

A new Georgia data center will be powered by RICE

Want a data center in your community? The Georgia Chamber wants to know.

The Georgia Chamber of Commerce is trying to recruit leaders who really want the computing campuses in their communities.

The Savannah City Council plans to vote Thursday on a moratorium on large data centers, joining other municipal and county governments on Georgia's coast.
(Miguel Martinez/AJC)

Coastal Georgia data center lockdown? Local governments impose moratoriums.

The Savannah City Council will vote Thursday on a moratorium on large data centers as more coastal Georgia communities seek restrictions in wake of major OpenAI development.