Located adjacent to the College of Nursing, a planned High Performance Computing and Data Center facility will be operational in early 2027. Proponents have lauded the possible benefits of such a project, with the University claiming in a promotional video that it will “drive research and discovery that will change the world.” Little attention, however, seems to have been paid to the potential environmental concerns with housing an AI data center on-campus.
The University’s decision is easy enough to understand. Far from being limited to the business sector, generative AI is only gaining popularity among college students. Since the release of AI chatbots like ChatGPT, Claude and Grok, nearly 90% of students have used AI for academic purposes. The AI craze seems to have spread like wildfire; in 2025, ChatGPT alone processed 2.5 billion queries per day, double the number from the year before.
All of this usage of AI, however, doesn’t come cheap. In 2023 alone, data centers powering AI indirectly consumed roughly 211 billion gallons of water — the equivalent consumption of 1.8 million households. Additionally, data centers already make up 4% of the entire U.S. power grid, with the National Education Association predicting that number will jump 7-12% by 2028. Cornell researchers predict that, at current growth rates, AI centers will contribute an annual “24 to 44 million metric tons” of carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, into the atmosphere by 2030.
Data centers can have more localized impacts, as well. In areas where water is already scarcer than usual, the intense demand from data centers can stagger communities. Though exact definitions vary, a mid-sized data center like the one being built in Tuscaloosa can consume 300,000 gallons per day. That’s the equivalent of a thousand households. Considering that over 60% of Tuscaloosa County is already in drought conditions — representing over 240,000 residents — introducing a high-powered data center is surely not going to be doing any favors.
Additionally, the enormous energy requirements are cause for concern. Though Matthew Hudnall, a member of Gov. Kay Ivey’s AI task force, stated that the task force was working “in close partnership” with Alabama Power, there remains a real risk of raising power bills for the Tuscaloosa community — something that has already occurred for other areas of the country. This 14.6 megawatt data center, the equivalent of 12,000 households worth of energy consumption, would represent a real strain on a community of only 40,000 households.
There are undoubtedly many potential benefits of AI for The University of Alabama, and an AI data center could pave the way for new opportunities. But the University must acknowledge that these opportunities come at a definite cost to the environment, and, if not properly managed, have potential to harm the Tuscaloosa community. If the University is to continue its investments in AI, it should do so with care taken to ensure these benefits reach the Tuscaloosa community and minimize environmental damage, rather than serving for mere prestige or economic gain.
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