Mapping AI's Footprint: New Site Tracks Data Centres

Environmental campaigner Erin Brockovich, known for her fight against corporate pollution, is now turning her attention to the world of artificial intelligence. She's launched a new online tool: a map designed to track where the big ‘data centres’ for AI are located across the country, and indeed, globally.

Think of a data centre as the physical home for AI. These are massive buildings filled with thousands of computers that store and process the huge amounts of information needed to make AI systems work. They're like giant digital brains, running 24/7. And just like any large industrial site, they use a lot of electricity and often require significant water for cooling.

Brockovich’s new website allows everyday people to report where these data centres are being built or are operating. It's a 'crowdsourced' effort, meaning the public provides the information, making it a community-driven project. The aim is to shine a light on where these energy-hungry facilities are located, and to help people understand their potential local environmental and community impacts.

For many Australians, the concept of AI might seem abstract or purely digital. But this initiative highlights that AI has a very real, physical footprint. Understanding where these centres are can help communities ask questions about energy use, water consumption, and the overall environmental impact of the AI boom right in their own neighbourhoods. It’s about transparency and giving people a say in how this new technology affects their local area.