Brockovich map tracks 4,000 AI data centers

Brockovich crowdsourced – Environmental activist Erin Brockovich has launched a crowdsourced map tracking more than 4,000 major AI data centers across the United States, spotlighting where projects are already operating, under construction, rumored or proposed—and where communities are

Erin Brockovich’s latest project starts with a simple premise: communities don’t have to wait for the first bulldozer to see what’s coming.

Her crowdsourced website. Brockovich AI Data Center Reporting. maps more than 4. 000 major AI data centers across the United States. naming where facilities are already operating. under construction. rumored or proposed. It also targets the places where residents are actively raising concerns. turning local disputes into something the public can actually track.

“The RACE to build AI infrastructures is unfolding town by town across America,” Brockovich said on the website. “In some places, data centers are welcomed. In others, they are delayed, contested or abandoned altogether. This MAP captures the real-world footprint of that race—revealing patterns of growth, conflict and uncertainty.”.

Brockovich is no stranger to fights over environmental and public accountability. She rose to fame after actor Julia Roberts played her in the 2000 movie Erin Brockovich. based on the activist’s efforts to help a small California community hold Pacific Gas and Electric Co. (PG&E) accountable for polluting the local water supply. That campaign ultimately led to a class-action lawsuit settlement of $333 million on behalf of the affected plaintiffs.

On the new map, the concerns are not abstract. Scientists and community activists argue that large data centers—built to power Big Tech’s AI boom—strain local systems by raising energy demand and utility bills. tapping water supplies. and polluting the environment. They also say the facilities are disproportionately located in lower-income areas.

A further warning has been building in parallel with the expansion itself. As Fast Company recently reported, a new study from Arizona State University argues data centers create “heat islands,” making already-warm American cities even hotter by as many as 4 degrees.

The map’s numbers show where the boom is most visible right now. Of the current 2,716 crowdsourced data center reports to date, the largest share is in Texas (612), followed by Pennsylvania (195), Ohio (155), and Georgia (126).

When it comes to specific locations, the top results ranked in order according to the map include:

Sulphur Springs, Texas (297)
Lusby, Maryland (36)
Box Elder County, Utah (31)
Archbald, Pennsylvania (30)
Abilene, Texas (18)
Madison, Indiana (16)
Fort Meade, Florida (14)
Lebanon, Indiana (13)
Lufkin, Texas (13)
Maysville, Georgia (12)

The map also captures what residents say they fear most. Based on the Brockovich AI Data Center Reporting crowdsourced data, most people are concerned about how the centers will affect their community’s water supply (41.2%), electric supply grid (22.2%), and overall health (18.1%).

In practice, the website is building a public ledger of disputes as much as infrastructure: naming projects, recording uncertainty, and highlighting where pressure is already mounting—before the final decisions are made and the projects become irreversible.

Erin Brockovich AI data centers crowdsourced map environmental activism data center locations energy demand utility bills water supply electric grid heat islands Arizona State University Pacific Gas and Electric PG&E class-action settlement Big Tech AI boom