An American city abandons a "data center" and becomes a symbol of resistance

Piles of rubble litter a vacant lot in New Brunswick, an hour's drive from New York, bordered by a railway line but also by houses.

It was on this former car production site that the investment company Amzak Capital Management planned to set up a data center.

Nine days before a final vote by the city council in mid-February, residents learned of the project during a meeting of a technical committee and raised the alarm.

A video that went viral, leaflets distributed particularly on the campus of Rutgers University, which is located in New Brunswick, and on the day of the vote, more than 300 people showed up to witness the vote in a room that can barely hold 80.

"Even before opening the session to questions from the public, they announced that the data center would be removed from the project," says Ben Dziobek, founder of the environmental association Climate Revolution Action Network.

Data centers "are becoming an important part of our modern economies" because they are needed for online services provided "to businesses, hospitals, universities and residents," New Brunswick Mayor James Cahill told AFP.

"But at the same time, communities across the country are debating how to integrate them locally, with energy consumption (of "data centers"), their environmental impact, the real estate footprint and the benefits for residents at the forefront," he added.

For Brandon Guillebeaux, a long-time resident of this municipality with a strong Hispanic presence, the numbers didn't add up.

"If it had brought thousands of jobs, it would have been worth it," he said, "but we're talking about a handful."

"Set a precedent"

CJ, a 23-year-old resident who did not wish to give her last name, points out that the center would have been located in the middle of a working-class neighborhood, far from the offices, hospitals and university buildings of the more upscale center.

"People are calling us from all over the country asking, 'How did you do it?'" says Charlie Kratovil, a Democratic candidate for mayor of New Brunswick and an activist with the environmental organization Food & Water Watch. "Just a year ago, this wasn't even an issue."

Generative artificial intelligence (AI) has multiplied the need for data centers and dozens of projects are flourishing all over the United States, in rural areas but also in cities.

The development of additional energy infrastructure is not keeping pace, contributing to a nearly 17% jump in the average electricity bill in New Jersey last year, according to a congressional report, more than in any other U.S. state.

In early March, seven major AI-leading groups pledged to the US government to offset their increased electricity needs through investments in new capacity.

According to a recent Quinnipiac University poll, 65% of Americans oppose the idea of ​​installing a data center in their community.

In 2025, Chandler (Arizona) or College Station (Texas) had already closed the door to the arrival of a "data center" last year, without having the resonance of the New Brunswick saga.

"I really hope this sets a precedent," CJ said, "showing people that if they take action and publicly express their disagreement with these data centers, they have a chance" to stop them.

In the coming weeks, Maine could become the first state to declare a moratorium on the construction of these hangars that house thousands, or even millions, of electronic chips, the lifeblood of the internet and AI.

In New Jersey, the most densely populated state in the country by far, many bills are under consideration, including that of Joe Danielsen, whose constituency includes New Brunswick.

While others, such as Charlie Kratovil and Democratic figures Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, are calling for a global suspension, he is demanding the imposition of a set of specifications on remote computing (cloud) giants.

"We know these data centers are coming," adds Ben Dziobek. "We want feasibility studies, to understand the local impacts, and not to rush into things."