NEOACM MEETING ON DATA CENTERS IN NORTHEAST OHIO
Details
The Northeast Ohio ACM is meeting to discuss the rapid growth in the construction of hyperscale data centers in the region. The Stargate Project—a $500 billion multinational venture involving OpenAI, SoftBank, Oracle, and others—plans to build massive data centers in Northeast Ohio, and across the country. One facility is the "transformation" of the GM/Foxconn plant in Lordstown. It will house 5,000+ servers across 10,000+ square feet, and will be operational in 2026. On January 5, 2026, the Lordstown Village Council enacted a 180-day moratorium on new data center permits, replacing an earlier ban. A company called Bristolville 25 Developers wants to build a center on land that encompasses Lordstown and Jackson Township. These hyperscale data centers are controversial and a nationwide concern because they pose:
- An Extreme Energy Consumption strain on power grids that risks higher electricity bills.
- Strains on water resources used to cool massive server arrays of up to 5 million gallons per day, putting pressure on local water supplies.
- Environmental & Noise Pollution generated by constant, low-frequency humming noise.
- Low employment Impact relative to their size and cost.
NEOACM wants to discuss how these centers will impact our communities.