Arrests and scuffles with police. Shouts of “shame.” Litigation, petitions and public comment sessions stretching past midnight. This is how Coloradans are reacting to the arrival of large-scale data centers in the Centennial State.
Smaller data centers have operated in Colorado for years, tucked into unassuming office parks and downtown skyscrapers. But a new era of hyperscale data centers made for the age of artificial intelligence has begun in Colorado and — despite near-universal pushback in the communities where they are planned — more developments are underway as governments and regulators struggle to keep up.
“This has moved so fast, the data center demand is so incredibly strong and powerful that it’s really caught local governments like us off-guard,” Aurora mayor Mike Coffman said. “There’s a feeling of vulnerability right now. It came so fast, so hard, it’s forced me to push back – and I’m pretty pro-business.”
Four large data centers are in the planning phases or under construction in Colorado, several of which are competing to become the state’s largest. Combined, their max power needs could equal those of more than 819,000 homes — or 16 times the amount of power used by Denver International Airport…