What’s happening with US data centers? | The Vergecast

欢迎收听 The Vergecast 播客节目，主持人 David Mell 采访了 Lauren Feiner。Lauren Feiner 最近发表了一篇关于弗吉尼亚州劳登县数据中心建设的重磅文章。在深入讨论之前，Travis Larcheck 在2026年9月2日星期三播报了“The Verge 90秒”新闻。主要新闻包括：Google 避免了其在线广告垄断被拆分，联邦法官接受了较为温和的修改方案。纽约市在本学年禁止公立学校幼儿园至八年级学生使用生成式人工智能，高中生则有有限的访问权限，教师可以使用人工智能进行备课，但不能用于评分。此前，纽约州去年已在全州范围内禁止在学校使用智能手机。最后，John Ternus 在担任苹果公司首席执行官的第二天就面临批评，因为 Apple Maps 像 Google 一样将安大略湖更名为“美国湖”，Larcheck 嘲笑此举缺乏“勇气”。 Lauren Feiner 与 David Mell 讨论了劳登县如何转变为“数据中心谷”。劳登县位于华盛顿特区外约45分钟至一小时车程，靠近杜勒斯机场，由于其曾是 AOL 总部所在地，且靠近华盛顿特区，提供了有利的基础设施，从而成为了全球数据中心最集中的地区。Feiner 解释说，数据中心本质上是存储服务器机架的大型建筑，可以为一个公司所用，也可以出租给多个公司。她澄清道，“云”本质上就是数据中心。 最初，这些互联网泡沫时代的数据中心在很大程度上是有益的。劳登县积极争取它们，它们带来了可观的税收，使得该县减少了对居民税收的依赖。这意味着即使房地产价值上涨，财产税也得以降低，并为学校和道路等公共工程提供了资金。居民普遍持积极或中立态度，通常对数据中心运营的范围并不了解。 然而，情况已发生了巨大变化。Feiner 指出，虽然早期的数据中心主要存储云数据，但需要巨大计算能力的 AI 的出现，导致这些设施的数量和规模都迅速扩张。这使得劳登县达到了一个“临界点”，其“二阶效应”现在“不容忽视”。这些影响包括当地公用事业公司难以提供足够的能源，提议在居民后院修建输电线路，以及推迟新数据中心的并网。噪音污染是另一个主要问题；虽然有些设施很安静，但另一些则产生持续的、扰人的声音，一些居民将其描述为“环境噪音”或“持续不断”的嗡嗡声，影响了他们的日常生活，迫使他们为房屋进行隔音处理。 劳登县特有的一个问题是“依权”分区制。2000年，一位县行政长官允许数据中心在划为办公园区的土地上“依权”建设，只需极少的审批。这项政策是数据中心不具争议时期遗留下来的产物，现在却允许公司在没有重大地方监督的情况下进行建设，即使该县可能希望采取不同的做法。 Feiner 强调了个体故事，例如 Vicky Hu，她正在对抗 Dominion Energy 计划在其多代家庭后院修建一条巨型输电线路的方案。另一位居民 Jason Mello 花费数千美元为房屋隔音以抵抗持续的噪音，因此失去了在自家门廊上放松的能力。 有趣的是，社区会议揭示了意见的显著分歧。尽管许多居民对噪音、环境影响和社区特征的变化表示不满，但仍有相当一部分人支持数据中心。这种支持源于持续的经济利益、较低的税收，以及许多居民在数据中心行业或相关行业工作的事实。一些支持数据中心的与会者甚至穿着印有“我支持数据中心”字样的T恤，尽管他们也对环境敏感性有所保留。这与在其他社区或网上观察到的往往“一边倒”的反数据中心情绪形成了对比。 劳登县的经验现在正成为其他地区的案例研究。来自劳登县的官员经常接到来自全国各地社区的电话，寻求数据中心开发管理方面的建议。虽然劳登县已接近其容量极限，促使设施寻找其他地方，但其他社区现在处于更有利的位置进行谈判。Feiner 总结说，虽然尚未找到完美的解决方案，但许多社区和政治家正开始“喘口气”，实施暂停令，并在进行大规模数据中心建设之前仔细评估其容量和需求。核心矛盾仍然存在于数据中心不可否认的实用性和经济利益，以及它们对当地社区日益增长的环境和社会影响之间。

Welcome to The Vergecast, hosted by David Mell, featuring an interview with Lauren Feiner, who recently published a major piece on the data center build-out in Loudoun County, Virginia. Before diving into the main discussion, Travis Larcheck presented "90 Seconds on The Verge" for Wednesday, September 2nd, 2026. Key headlines included Google avoiding a breakup of its online advertising monopoly, with a federal judge accepting milder changes. New York City banned generative AI use in public schools for grades K-8 for the current school year, with high schoolers having limited access, and teachers able to use AI for lesson planning but not grading. This follows a statewide smartphone ban in New York schools last year. Finally, John Ternus, on his second day as Apple CEO, faced criticism as Apple Maps, like Google, renamed Lake Ontario to "Lake America," a move Larcheck derided as lacking "courage." Lauren Feiner joined David Mell to discuss Loudoun County's transformation into "Data Center Alley." Located about 45 minutes to an hour outside D.C., near Dulles Airport, Loudoun County became the world's largest concentration of data centers due to its history as the former AOL headquarters and its proximity to D.C., offering beneficial infrastructure. Feiner explained that data centers are essentially large buildings storing racks of servers, which can be for a single company or rented out to many. The "cloud," she clarified, is fundamentally data centers. Initially, these dot-com era data centers were largely beneficial. Loudoun County actively courted them, and they brought significant tax revenue, allowing the county to rely less on residential taxes. This translated into lower property taxes and funding for public works like schools and roads, even as real estate values increased. Residents generally held a positive or neutral view, often unaware of the extent of data center operations. However, the situation has dramatically changed. Feiner noted that while early data centers primarily stored cloud data, the advent of AI, which requires immense compute power, has led to a rapid expansion in both the number and size of these facilities. This has pushed Loudoun County to a "tipping point" where the "second order effects" are now "impossible to ignore." These effects include local utilities struggling to supply enough energy, proposing transmission lines through residential backyards, and delaying grid connections for new data centers. Noise pollution is another major concern; while some facilities are quiet, others generate constant, disruptive sounds, with some residents describing it as "ambient noise" or a "constant" hum that impacts their daily lives, forcing them to insulate their homes. A peculiar issue specific to Loudoun County is "by right" zoning. In 2000, a county administrator allowed data centers to be built "by right" on land zoned for office parks, requiring minimal approval. This policy, a relic from a time when data centers weren't contentious, now allows companies to build without significant local oversight, even when the county might prefer otherwise. Feiner highlighted individual stories, such as Vicky Hu, who was fighting Dominion Energy's plan to build a giant transmission line through her multi-generational family backyard. Another resident, Jason Mello, spent thousands of dollars insulating his home against constant noise, losing the ability to relax on his porch. Interestingly, community meetings revealed a significant split in opinion. While many residents expressed frustration over noise, environmental impact, and the changing character of their community, a substantial portion still supported data centers. This support stems from the continued economic benefits, lower taxes, and the fact that many residents work in or adjacent to the data center industry. Some pro-data center attendees even wore "I support data centers" T-shirts, albeit with caveats about environmental sensitivity. This contrasts with the often "one-sided" anti-data center sentiment observed in other communities or online. Loudoun County's experience is now serving as a case study for other regions. Officials from Loudoun receive frequent calls from communities nationwide seeking advice on managing data center development. While Loudoun is reaching its capacity, prompting facilities to look elsewhere, other communities are now in a better position to negotiate. Feiner concluded that while a perfect solution hasn't been found, many communities and politicians are starting to "take a breath," implement moratoriums, and carefully assess their capacity and desires before proceeding with extensive data center build-outs. The core tension remains between the undeniable utility and economic benefits of data centers and their growing environmental and social impact on local communities.