Google on Tuesday said it would halt plans to develop a major USD 200 million data centre in Chile to address environmental grievances, a decision reflecting growing concerns about the impact of the power-thirsty projects around the world.
The US technology company first obtained permits in 2020 to construct the vast project in Chile's capital, Santiago, as demand for the server farms skyrocketed across the globe, fuelled by a surge in cloud-based technologies and a craze for generative AI.
But months after a Chilean court partially reversed the centre's authorisation over water usage concerns, Google announced Tuesday that it would revise the project to comply with more stringent environmental requirements and change its water-intensive cooling system.
A new process will start from scratch, Google said in its statement. Sustainability is at the heart of everything we do, and the way we design and manage our data centres is no exception.
Community complaints in the drought-stricken
