Where are data centers in Georgia? Erin Brockovich data counts six

The data center fight has come to Georgia, and from the governor's race to private industry, communities across the state will have to prepare to navigate what a new data center could mean for their residents.

Data centers are physical buildings that store vast amounts of computer servers, data storage and networking equipment for things like cloud stage and artificial intelligence. While technology companies have said the centers are necessary to keep advancements in tech moving forward, concerns about their social and environmental impact have led many states to pause new developments.

Now, Erin Brockovich, the American consumer advocate and environmental activist who secured a multi-million dollar settlement from PG&E over water pollution accusations at the center of the self-titled 2000 film, has turned her attention to data center development, and the environmental issues they could cause.

"The race to build AI infrastructures in unfolding town by town across America. In some places, data centers are welcomed. In others, they are delayed, contested or abandoned altogether," Brockovich said with the launch of a new national AI data center tracking platform through the Community Awareness Initiative.

"This map captures the real-world footprint of that race — revealing patterns of growth, conflict and uncertainty," Brockovich said.

According to the activist, residents of communities where data centers already exist, are being constructed or have been proposed are worried about energy consumption, water usage, e-waste, location risks, scalability, efficiency and noise.

Here's where communities are impacted in Georgia.

Where are the data centers in Georgia?

According to Brockovich's data center index, there are three operational data centers in Georgia, one currently under construction and two more proposed.

The Microsoft Fairwater Atlanta data center in Palmetto, Georgia has been operational since 2025, about 25 miles southwest of Atlanta.

The Google Stonecrest facility is also just outside Atlanta in Lithonia, Georgia, on the city's southeast side. Google also operates a data center in Douglas County, and it was one of the first built by the company back in 2007.

Meta's Newton County facility is also now operational, according to Brockovich's data. The facility is outside Social Circle, where a massive ICE detention center is also being constructed.

There is one data center in progress but not yet operational in Douglas County from Microsoft, expanding their presence in Georgia.

Project Bunkhouse (Taurus/Digital Reality) has proposed another center in Stilesboro, Georgia in Bartow County north of Atlanta, Brockovich reports. The last proposed data center, the Hillwood '75' Campus, is further south in Spalding County near Griffin, Georgia.

There have also been a significant number of "community reported" submissions to Brockovich's data of other data centers across the state, but they have yet to be independently verified.

Georgia's water makes it to Congress

Georgia's data center fight recently made it to the halls of Congress when U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez questioned the Environmental Protection Agency's Assistant Administrator for Water Jessica Kramer during an oversight hearing at the end of May.

In her questioning, Ocasio-Cortez said she had recently visited the area around the Meta facility outside Social Circle.

"They are clear cutting forests and began heavy construction, including explosive blasting, and families in the area are starting to see not only their water pressure decrease, to your point about water availability, but their appliances have all stopped working because it is decimating their water quality," Ocasio-Cortez said. "They now rely on bottled water to drink and prepare meals, and nearby residents' water bills are expected to increase by 33%. In fact, I have a jar right here. This is the current drinking water in Morgan County, Georgia, right after a data center was constructed, the Meta data center was constructed. The only difference between the clean water and this was that data center."

The congresswoman held up two jars filled with clearly brown water as she spoke.

Kramer responded by saying the agency would look into the water quality issues to ensure EPA standards are being met in Georgia.

"So as soon as I get back to the office, I will be looking into exactly what you've just talked about," Kramer said. "Because anywhere ... whatever type of construction it is, it is a priority to ensure that water quality standards established by EPA are being met. And so we'll be looking into that, certainly."

Irene Wright is the Atlanta Connect reporter with USA Today’s Deep South Connect team. Find her on X @IreneEWright or email her at [email protected].