Before Camden County Says Yes or No to Data Centers Listen to This..

Episode 118: Power, Water, Jobs & Taxes — The Truth About Data Centers

Data centers are a major topic of conversation in Camden County but what are they, how do they work, and what questions should residents be asking?

On Episode 118 of the Get ’N Your Business Podcast, host Alison Shores sits down with Betsy McGriff of Georgia Tech’s Center for Economic Development Research to unpack the data-center conversation and help listeners better understand what potential development could mean for the community.

Betsy explains that not all data centers are the same. They can support everything from cloud computing and online banking to research, cybersecurity and generative AI. The conversation also addresses many of the concerns being raised locally, including electricity demand, water use, cooling systems, noise, jobs, infrastructure and potential tax revenue.

Alison and Betsy also discuss Camden County’s current pause on data-center development and why community input, planning and local ordinances are an important part of determining what future development could look like.

In this episode:

What a data center actually is

Why demand for data centers is growing

Different types and sizes of data centers

Power usage and Georgia’s electrical grid

Water use and closed-loop cooling systems

Noise, setbacks and monitoring