A humming annoyance or jobs boom? Life next to 199 data centres

BBC News - WorldCenterEN 5 min read 100% complete October 26, 2025 at 02:54 AM

AI Summary

long article 5 min

Loudoun County, Virginia, home to 199 data centers covering about 45 million square meters, is experiencing a boom in technology infrastructure that contributes billions to its economy but also raises concerns among residents. The county, known as "Data Center Alley," has seen significant growth in these facilities, which are crucial for internet and AI operations. While the data centers provide economic benefits, some residents oppose their expansion due to visual impacts and side effects like noise pollution. Emily Kasabian, a resident, expressed dismay at a proposed data center near her home, highlighting the tension between economic gains and quality of life issues.

Key Topics & Entities

Snapchat 50% China 50% Emily Kasabian ×250% Meiying Wu/BBC 60% Data Center Alley 60% Amazon 70% Virginia ×380% Loudon County ×6100%

Keywords

data centres 100% loudon county 80% data center alley 80% jobs boom 70% residents' concerns 70% global connectivity 60% environmental effects 60% economic impact 50% amazon outage 50% artificial intelligence 40%

Sentiment Analysis

Negative

Score: -0.20

Source Transparency

Source

BBC News - World

Political Lean

Center (0.00)

Far LeftCenterFar Right

Classification Confidence

90%

Geographic Perspective

Loudon County

This article was automatically classified using rule-based analysis. The political bias score ranges from -1 (far left) to +1 (far right).

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data centres loudon county data center alley jobs boom residents' concerns global connectivity environmental effects economic impact amazon outage artificial intelligence

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