Microsoft Develops 'Community-First AI Infrastructure Plan'

Microsoft set out this week to address concerns that AI data centers can negatively affect local resources. It unveiled the "Community-First AI Infrastructure Plan," which outlines how Microsoft intends to mitigate the impact of each AI data center it builds. Although the AI boom is pushing some companies to record-breaking profits, communities are discovering that nearby data centers have voracious demands for electricity, water, and land.

"This commits us to the concrete steps needed to be a good neighbor in the communities where we build, own, and operate our datacenters," Microsoft vice chair and president Brad Smith wrote in a blog post. "It reflects our sense of civic responsibility as well as a broad and long-term view of what it will take to run a successful AI infrastructure business. In short, we will set a high bar."

Microsoft's initiative has five points. The first states that the company will ...