Reduce the Environmental Impact of Hyperscale Data Centers

 

The purpose of this bill is to limit the energy usage and environmental impacts of hyperscale data centers in Minnesota.

New data centers may not use more than 100 megawatts (MW) of unsustainable energy. Any energy use above 100 MW must come

entirely from sustainable energy sources. All energy consumption must be tracked and verified by the company that owns

and operates the facility. Pre-existing large-scale data centers may not increase their use of unsustainable energy, but

they will not be required to reduce their current usage levels. By restricting the amount of unsustainable energy

allowed, this bill discourages the development of hyperscale data centers and reduces their environmental impact.

 

Due to the rise of AI, there is becoming more of a growing demand for hyperscale data centers. There are currently

proposals for the creation of 10 hyperscale data centers in Minnesota. Each data center will consume over 500 MW of

power, more than doubling the current energy usage of Minnesota. This will cause more of our state funding to be

directed towards powering data centers. The creation of said data centers will also result in the loss of millions of

tons of water, increasing the chance of drought, reducing wetlands, and lowering river and lake levels. Data centers

produce carbon emissions, not only harming the environment but also costing Minnesota millions of dollars per year. The

High-performance processing chips used by large-scale data centers have a short life span of 1-3 years, resulting in a

high turnover and extreme levels of electronic waste. These chips are also created using rare materials, often mined

unethically. The limitation of energy consumption allowed for data centers will deter the creation of more large-scale

data centers, preventing the environmental and economic impacts in Minnesota.

 

Hyperscale data center- A very large data center designed to support large amounts of computing and storage. They are

used by companies like Google, Amazon, and Microsoft.

They are built to scale up quickly, use huge amounts of power (typically over 100 MW), and run cloud services and AI.

Data center- A building that houses computers, servers, storage systems, and networking equipment. It stores data, runs

websites, processes information, and powers online services.

Megawatts- A unit of power equal to one million watts. It measures how much energy is being used or produced at a single

moment.

Sustainable energy- Energy that is renewable, environmentally friendly, and can be produced long-term without harming

the planet. Some examples of sustainable energy would include wind, solar, hydroelectric, and geothermal.

AI- Computer systems that can think or act in ways that resemble human intelligence,

High-performance processing chips- Extremely powerful computer chips designed to perform complex calculations quickly.

They are used in data centers, primarily AI data centers. Examples of High-performance processing chips include GPUs,

TPUs, and advanced CPUs.

Electronic waste- Thrown-away electronic devices or components, such as old computers, phones, servers, and batteries.

Carbon emissions- the gases, such as carbon dioxide, that are released into the atmosphere when we burn fossil fuels

such as coal, oil, and gas.

 

Funding is not needed

 

The Department of Commerce may suspend or revoke construction or operating permits for any facility that violates this

bill. Facilities then must submit a Corrective Energy Compliance Plan outlining how they will use lawful energy usage.

 

April 1, 2026