Giant computer data centers that power artificial intelligence and cloud computing are popping up around California, as are fights with communities that don’t want to live near them. The contests promise to become increasingly common as local governments question whether the economic benefits of new development outweigh concerns about environmental impacts, including enormous water and energy use. But the city of Imperial has gone to court to try to force a full environmental review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA.) He said that the data center — to be used by a major tech company he can’t yet identify — would be the largest in California. “I think it would be great for the state to be able to say, ‘Look, we can do things too.

Source: Los Angeles Times January 29, 2026 22:17 UTC