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The Conversation
The Conversation
Wangda Zuo, Professor of Architectural Engineering, Penn State

Abandoned Pennsylvania mines and waste-heat recycling could make the state’s massive new data centers far more sustainable

An aerial view shows cooling vent fans on the roof next to generators on the lower level of a data center in Ashburn, Va. Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images

The electricity needed to power new Pennsylvania data centers already in advanced stages of planning could power 11 million homes – nearly twice the total number of households in the state.

Companies that want to build data centers to expand their cloud and artificial intelligence computing are drawn to Pennsylvania due to its proximity to major East Coast cities, relatively affordable land and electricity, and legacy industrial infrastructure. For instance, there is a plan to turn an abandoned steel mill in Pittsburgh into a high-density data center that can leverage the existing infrastructure for electricity and water supply.

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