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The AI Power Paradox: How a Pennsylvania Town''s 1.5-Gigawatt Data Center Exposes the Hidden Costs of the AI Boom
The approval of a massive 2.5 million square foot AI data center campus in West Whiteland Township, Pennsylvania, reveals a critical tension at the heart of the artificial intelligence revolution. While promising economic development, the project's staggering demand for 1.5 gigawatts of power—more than San Francisco—and its reliance on Susquehanna River water for cooling have ignited local controversy and a lawsuit. This case study serves as a microcosm of the broader, often overlooked, infrastructural and environmental burdens placed on small communities by the global race for AI supremacy, questioning the sustainability of current development models.