The only town in the U.S. that said yes to data centers

illuminem summarises for you the essential news of the day, reviewed by our editorial team. Read the full piece on The Washington Post or enjoy below:

🗞️ Driving the news: Harwood, North Dakota, has emerged as an exception to the growing US backlash against data centres
• Residents voted decisively against a proposed measure requiring additional oversight of large industrial developments, effectively supporting a $3 billion Applied Digital data centre project on the town's outskirts

🔭 The context: The project, covering 1.8 million square feet, is expected to generate at least 200 full-time jobs and approximately $1.65 million in annual property tax revenue once fully completed — around six times the town's 2024 property tax collections
• Local support was driven largely by the prospect of economic benefits and confidence in the electricity supply
• However, residents had also raised concerns about noise, environmental impacts, transparency and the long-term costs of decommissioning the facility

🌍 Why it matters for the planet: Data centres require substantial electricity and can place pressure on local water resources and infrastructure
• Harwood's debate highlights the challenge of balancing investment and employment opportunities against environmental impacts, energy costs and community consent as AI infrastructure expands

⏭️ What’s next: Applied Digital's facility, which broke ground in autumn 2025, is scheduled to become fully operational by early 2027
• Meanwhile, growing public opposition is pushing technology companies to improve transparency around water consumption, noise and community impacts, potentially changing how future projects are approved

💬 One quote: “Not because I like data centers or I like artificial intelligence or anything like that, but because this was very good for the city of Harwood.” — Mark Kerkvliet, Harwood resident

📈 One stat: 325 to 105 — the number of Harwood voters who rejected the proposed oversight measure compared with those who supported it

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