As AI demand drives data center construction across the U.S., communities are pushing back—and the industry is responding with a “community-first” approach that puts local concerns at the center of infrastructure planning. TechTarget explores what this shift means for CIOs and the operators they partner with.

DataBank Senior Director of Sustainability Jenny Gerson notes that public awareness of data centers is a relatively new phenomenon—and that greater visibility brings greater accountability. All stakeholders must be heard from the start of construction, not after concerns have already escalated.

“This is new, that all of a sudden people are realizing what these buildings are, and obviously there’s a lot more of them as people are trying to keep up with cloud and AI-based needs.”
— Jenny Gerson, Senior Director of Sustainability, DataBank

DataBank ended 2024 with 62% renewable energy and is targeting 100% carbon-free operations by 2030. Gerson highlights ESG, CDP, and GRESB as key external frameworks increasingly required by both investors and customers to document sustainability performance.

Experts interviewed for the piece agree: data center operators who build trust early through transparent community engagement are better positioned to deliver projects on time — and earn support for future expansion.

Read the full article at TechTarget.